San Marcos City Council Slated To Consider CUP, CDBG Action Plan And More

By, Terra Rivers, Managing Editor

The San Marcos City Council are slated to hold a public hearing to receive comments for or against a conditional use permit to allow a Purpose-Built Student Housing Development.

The property is located in the 100 Block of South Guadalupe Street between West San Antonio and West MLK Drive.

On May 28, San Marcos Planning and Zoning Commissioners voted 7-1 to recommend denial of the CUP request by 75 Sylvan Street LLC.

According to the agenda, the properties included in the request are currently owned by multiple individuals and consist of retail, restaurant, office, and commercial uses. Currently, the applicant has the properties under contract.

Staff’s analysis notes that the property sits on the longest block front within downtown San Marcos and will exceed the maximum block perimeter of 2,000 feet permitted in CD-5D.

According to the agenda, the applicant is proposing a Pedestrian Passage on the ground level, which would allow pedestrian access to Telephone Alley.

The proposed project will be a maximum of five stories tall and will contain office, retail, and restaurant spaces as well as residential.

Staff recommends approval of the CUP with the following conditions:

1. Approval of this request for “Purpose Built Student Housing” does not waive any development code regulations, whether or not they are represented in the submitted back up material;
2. Any proposed building must meet the requirements of all City Codes and Ordinances;
3. Streetscape improvements shall be required to extend to the intersection of San Antonio and Guadalupe Street;
4. There shall be no balconies or patios permitted on the building facing Telephone Alley;
5. The Pedestrian Passage shall be a minimum of two stories in height, with pedestrian level entrances on both sides, sufficient internal lighting, and a minimum glazing requirement of 70% on the clubhouse and lobby walls facing the Pedestrian Passage;
6. The applicant shall work with the City to mitigate noise and light nuisances associated with the parking garage;
7. There shall be a minimum of one operable building entrance/exit every 100 feet (on average) along the street frontage;
8. Smoke barriers shall be provided to subdivide every story that contains R-2 occupancies, into no fewer than two smoke compartments. Such stories shall be divided into smoke compartments of not more than 22,500 square feet;
9. A means of egress shall be provided from each smoke compartment created by smoke barriers without having to return through the smoke compartment from which means of egress originated;
10. All plans shall be reviewed, at the expense of the permit applicant, by a third party, as approved by the COSM, for compliance with the fire codes as adopted by the COSM. Any expenses for the plans review shall be the responsibility of the permit applicant and paid directly to the third party. The cost of these expenses will be in addition to any permit fees required by the COSM. Final approval of the submitted plans shall remain the authority of the COSM;
11. Full dedication and construction of Telephone Alley adjacent to this project shall be required at the time of development;
12. All perimeter roadways shall be fully repaired after construction;
13. Double occupancy of bedrooms shall be prohibited;
14. The project will construct a minimum parking ratio of .75 spaces per bedroom, and pay the fee-in-lieu for the remaining parking space per bedroom requirement to meet the full 1.05 parking spaces per bedroom requirement;
15. The project will provide an annual report of the number of students vs. the number of non-student residents by a ratio of bedrooms; and
16. The project shall meet the Green Building Standard Silver Program.

According to staff, if passed, the property will trigger streetscape improvements within the Right-of-way in front of the development, including wide sidewalks, street trees, and the installation of on-street parking.

With P&Z’s denial, the request will require an affirmative vote of six members of the City Council for approval.

In other news, the council will consider the approval of Resolution 2019-121R adopting the Community Development Block Grant Action Plan that provides the allocation of $680,998.00 CDBG funds for Program Year 2019.

Council will also discuss and consider appointments to fill vacant positions of one Media Representative and one Health Care Industry Representative on the Census 2020 Complete Count Committee.