San Marcos City Council Denies Street Name Change, Postpones Multifamily Affordable Housing Tax Credit Item

Staff Reports

On Tuesday, Feb. 5, the San Marcos City Council considered a potential name change for a section of Hunter Rd and a resolution of no opposition for a multifamily affordable housing development to apply for low incoming housing tax credits.

The first public hearing was held regarding the proposal to change the name of Hunter Road between West San Antonio Street and Wonder World to West Hopkins Street.

According to the agenda, the proposed name change was to “eliminate multiple street names along the continuity of a single street.”

However, during the public hearing, several residents spoke against the name change citing the daunting imposition it would place on residents, whose addresses fell on the section of Hunter Road.

Residents would be required to change their address, which would be a “lengthy and tedious” process for residents.

A resident suggested council consider placing a sign, which identified and directed drivers to Hopkins and Hunter to alleviate the confusion.

Following the public hearing, Council member Melissa Derrick made a motion to deny the street name change.

Derrick said her reasoning for the denial was she understood the impact the name change would have on the residents whose addresses fell on that section of Hunter Road.  

Council member Lisa Prewitt said she agreed with the denial and asked staff to look at whether council could add signs to identify the roads more clearly.

The motion to deny the name change passed 7-0.

Council also held a public hearing regarding the city providing no objection to the submission of an application for low income housing tax credits to the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs.

The property is currently zoned Multifamily-24 (MF-24) and is the site of the proposed Riverstone Multifamily Housing Project located at 1430 Wonder World Drive.

Council members discussed concerns about the development staying affordable housing should the management company change some time in the future.

According to staff, the project meets five out of the eight criteria outlined by the City of San Marcos’s Affordable Housing Policy. The five criteria met by the property are as follows:

• No Exemption from local taxes is provided
• The proposed units address a housing need identified in this housing policy or in the city’s current consolidated plan for HUD programs.
• The project is located within a high or medium intensity zone on the preferred scenario map.
• The project is located within a half mile walking distance from services such as grocery, medical facilities and schools.
• The project is located within one quarter mile walking distance of a proposed or existing bus stop on a current or planned transit route.

Several council members expressed concerns regarding some of the requirements tenants would have to meet in order to be approved.

According to the developer, an applicant, who was deemed eligible for affordable housing, could potentially be approved even if some of the tenant did not meet some of the tenant requirements.

Council member Prewitt made a motion to postpone the item until the project had gone before the city’s affordable housing committee for discussion.  

The motion to postpone the item passed 7-0.