Vision SMTX Appendix Adopted 2024

APPENDIX D: POLICY BASELINE AND DEVELOPMENT

The 2021 Downtown Architectural Standards & Guidelines Update was adopted in March of 2021. In January 2020, the San Marcos City Council provided direction to update the design standards and guidelines using the guidance of the previous consultants, Winter & Company. The year-long project included community input, policy guidance, and stakeholder expertise to create new standards and guidelines for Downtown San Marcos. Key topics addressed in the update included: · Massing of larger buildings to promote compatibility with traditional scale of downtown · Variety in articulation of facades to be more in scale with design traditions · Treatment of building materials · Street level design to provide sense of place and activate the public realm · Transitions from higher density zones to abutting sensitive edges The City Fire Department Community Risk Assessment, conducted in 2020, determines the probability and risk of occurrence of fire according to land uses. For example, open space zoning and low-density residential development are considered low risk. Moderate risk zoning would include medium-density residential development, low-intensity retail, and professional office or business. High-risk zoning includes mixed-use areas, high-density residential, industrial, warehousing, and large retail, or mercantile centers. Fire stations play an integral role in the delivery of emergency services for several reasons. A station’s location will dictate, to a large degree, response times to emergencies. A poorly located station can mean the difference between confining a fire to a single room and losing the structure. Fire stations also need to be designed to adequately house equipment and apparatus, as well as meet the needs of the organization and its personnel. It is important to research needs based on service-demand, response times, types of emergencies, and projected growth prior to making a station placement commitment.

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SAN MARCOS COMPREHENSIVE PLAN 2024