San Marcos Downtown Area Plan

CHAPTER 4: RECOMMENDATIONS

D.1. Create coordinated efforts for infrastructure improvements that also include streetscape improvements that achieve the Downtown Area Plan vision. D.2. Pursue priority streetscape improvements for Guadalupe, Edward Gary Street, South LBJ Drive, MLK Drive, and Hutchison Street. D.3. Design and implement shared street designs for the narrow rights-of-way along Fredericksburg and Comanche Streets to provide safer travel for all modes, network connections, and public gathering space. D.4. Design and implement a flexible festival street along San Antonio Street between Guadalupe and CM Allen Parkway to allow for easy street closures to cars during special events and/or at select times of the week/year with considerations to traffic on S LBJ Drive. D.5. Construct a shared use path along Hutchison Street in two phases to help complete the future bicycle network and better connect Downtown to the riverfront while leveraging recent streetscape design work done on Hutchison Street east of Kissing Alley. D.6. Continue streetscape improvements and green infrastructure along CM Allen Parkway to the south. D.7. Create vehicular, multimodal, and pedestrian gateways into Downtown to provide an arrival experience and increase sense of place within Downtown for all modes of transportation and focus priorities on potential riverfront gateways, purgatory creek trail gateways, and cultural district gateways. D.8. Increase safety at intersections through streetscape design, public art, crossing improvements, lighting, and traffic control. D.9. Consider acquiring State-owned rights-of-way in Downtown to allow for more flexibility in streetscape design and ease of change over time. D.10. Study feasibility and conduct community engagement regarding the potential conversion of one-way to two way streets for LBJ Drive and Guadalupe Street, including revised streetscape designs if deemed feasible. D.11. Enhance streetscape design along connections between Downtown and Texas State, the riverfront, and to adjacent neighborhoods. D.12. Create a Downtown amenities, and materials, and recommended plant palette/guide to streamline implementation of public and private installations and repairs. D.13. Incorporate on-street rain gardens, green infrastructure, and additional street trees into streetscape design as much as possible to achieve street and system wide watershed and stormwater impacts/benefits and communicate the environmental, social, and economic benefits. D.14. Create a dedicated management strategy that incorporates a permanent funding stream and/or staffing increases to account for maintenance needs associated with green infrastructure and enhanced streetscape improvements including amenities, landscaping, and materials. OVERARCHING RECOMMENDATIONS Streetscapes are one of the primary ways people experience Downtown San Marcos as they travel between destinations or are just out for a walk or bike ride. Streetscapes also typically take up 1/4 or 1/3 of all land downtown making them a key opportunity to achieve the goals of downtown. Certain streets have been identified as priorities in this section to improve safety and the public realm experience for all users. While all streets prioritize pedestrians in Downtown, certain streets are also prioritized for bicyclists and transit. Rights-of-way in Downtown are limited, and greatly varied, so different opportunities exist accordingly. Overarching recommendations for this topic are outlined below, with key concepts explored in more detail on the following pages.

Town/ Gown Collaboration

Sustainability

SAN MARCOS DOWNTOWN AREA PLAN

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