La Cima Partners With San Marcos Academy To Establish La Cima Good Neighbor Grant

“As the La Cima neighborhood roads were completed and construction on model homes began, La Cima and the Academy began to meet regarding a partnership to benefit families who wanted their children to attend SMA,” Scott said.

By, Andrew Blanton | Exclusive To Corridor News

The San Marcos Chamber of Commerce was in attendance Thursday to welcome the La Cima development to the community.

The Business After Hours social included a ribbon cutting ceremony for two viewing homes on Lady Bug Road. La Cima is located west of I-35 at 2503 Old Ranch Road 12.

“This has been years in the making, and we really appreciate all of the support of everybody here,” developer Eric Willis said, moments before the novelty-sized gold scissors kicked off the evening.

La Cima sits next to the San Marcos Academy, one of the oldest private institutions in the city.  The Christian institution started in 1907 on the Texas State University campus and moved to its current location in 1982.

“Working with La Cima and Eric Wills have just been hand in glove,” Brian Guenther, President of San Marcos Academy, said. “They have really partnered with us as far as construction, and the water lines, sewage, and the fencing. It’s just been a fantastic experience with them, and we look forward to continuing with the families that come in.”

The San Marcos Academy currently has 253 enrolled students from kindergarten through 12th grade. They partnered with La Cima to offer a $2,000 grant to every student that moves into the neighborhood. The grant will be applied toward the tuition of each student. Tuition costs differ by grade level and between boarding and day school.

La Cima Good Neighbor Grant will be available until the development reaches full build out. The new development agreement with the City of San Marcos, approved in May 2018, will allow for 2,800/2,950 housing units in total. The development includes 2,800 single-family homes and a multifamily housing complex in the commercial district.

“The grant was born out of a discussion between the SMA Development Office and the La Cima developer. This was to develop a collaborative working relationship between SMA and our La Cima neighbors,” Guenther said.

“Throughout our dealings with La Cima, they have been very supportive and congenial, offering to sponsor our Homecoming football program and including the Academy on their website as a private school option in our community,” Jimmie Scott, President Emeritus of San Marcos Academy, said. “As the La Cima neighborhood roads were completed and construction on model homes began, La Cima and the Academy began to meet regarding a partnership to benefit families who wanted their children to attend SMA. After a couple of meetings, an agreement was reached that resulted in the La Cima Good Neighbor Grant.”

The development includes 35.6 acres of dedicated parkland as well as 700.2 acres of preserved open space as part of the purgatory creek natural area.

Willis said that partnering with local schools is essential to ensuring future residents are a welcome part of the community. They currently sponsor programs with Hernandez Elementary, San Marcos High school, and other schools in the area.

“We’ve had a really good relationship working with the city staff, county staff, and all the elected officials,” Willis said. “We continue to do things where we’re looking at how we can add and modify our community, and they have been open to working with us on that.”