San Marcos City Council Approves Support For Two Low-Income Housing Projects

Staff Reports

The San Marcos City Council held a public hearing to receive comments for or against a resolution providing no objection to the submission of an application for low-income housing tax credits.

The proposed Lantana on Bastrop Multifamily Housing Project is located in the City’s ETJ at the intersection of Old Bastrop Hwy and Rattler Road.

During the public hearing and public comments, several residents spoke in favor of the project’s approval.

“As a former member of the workforce housing task force, I’ve come before you before on many of these requests,” Roland Saucedo said. “I truly hope you will support this project; I think Lantana has gone above and beyond to meet whatever concerns or requirements that you’ve had.”

Saucedo said his primary concern was how the city was continuing to put off projects like Lantana, who aim to bring the type of housing that the city really needs.

“This being our first housing possible project to pass for getting the tax incentive, we needed to make it a model project,” Melissa Derrick said. “We are no longer a wallflower city…and our citizens deserve the best we can provide them.”

According to staff, the applicant has expressed interest in pursuing annexation and a CD-4 zoning.

Lantana on Bastrop met six of the eight criteria for local tax exemption consideration.

The two criteria the proposed project did not meet being located with ½ mile walking distance of grocery, medical service and schools and redeveloping or renovating an existing multi-family complex.

The project will include a total of 216 income and rent-restricted units with 22 of those units restricted to households making 30% or less of Area Median Income (AMI), 22 units restricted to households making 40% or less of AMI, 60 units restricted to households making 50% or less AMI, and 112 units restricted to those making 70% or less AMI.

Shannon Mattingly, Director of Planning and Development Services, said, the developer will show 70 percent on their application with the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs but will enter a separate agreement with the City of the San Marcos that they will keep it at 60 percent unless they see a different demand.

In Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) Proposal, the project will provide the city with a monetary contribution of $11,000 annually.

Council approved the findings related to the application and imposing conditions for such non-objection unanimously.

The vote provided authorizations for the execution and submission of documents related to the application and for negotiation and execution of an agreement for the annual payment in lieu of taxes.

In other news, the city council voted unanimously to approve a resolution of no objection for an application for low incoming housing tax credits for the proposed Redwood Multifamily Housing project.

The proposed Redwood Multifamily Housing project will pay a fee in lieu of taxes in the initial amount of $75,000 and increasing by $1,500 annually.

Read the full agenda item for Lantana below.

Receive a Staff presentation and hold a Public Hearing to receive comments for or against Resolution 2020-28R, providing no objection to the submission of an application for low income housing tax credits to the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs for the proposed Lantana on Bastrop Multifamily Housing Project located at the intersection of South Old Bastrop Highway and Rattler Road; approving findings related to the application; imposing conditions for such non objection; including the requirement that the applicant make an annual payment in lieu of taxes in the amount of $11,000; providing authorizations for execution or submission of documents related to the application and for negotiation and execution of an agreement for the annual payment in lieu of taxes; and declaring an effective date.”