Gateway To Downtown Poised To Undergo Major Transformation

“The View on the Square project will both benefit from and help drive the redevelopment of the area from Grove Street to Hopkins Street and LBJ Drive to Guadalupe Drive.”

by, Terra Rivers, Managing Editor

Tuttle Lumber Company closed on the sale of their Guadalupe Street property to developer & builder, JSDI CELMARK, Inc. on Monday, Feb. 6.

The View on the Square will sit atop the 3.27-acre lot that was home to Tuttle Lumber for over sixty years. Those buildings will soon be gone and replaced with a “luxury” five-story student housing development.

The student housing will offer one bedroom, two bedroom and four bedroom units. The units will be fully furnished with stainless steel appliances, granite countertops and 55” TVS.

Residents will have access to a two-story clubhouse, a fitness facility, conference room and community kitchen.  Other amenities include a dog park, pool, ping-pong, basketball and sand volleyball.

The View has at least seven other complexes in Texas—locations include Cedar Park, Dallas and Fort Worth.

But the View isn’t the only project for this part of San Marcos. Hops & Grain are transforming the former Hays County Justice Center into a taproom and a brewing facility. The Austin-based brewing company announced the plan in June of 2016.

Owner Josh Hare projects the facility will eventually be able to produce 20,000 barrels of beer on its own annually. Hops & Grain hopes to begin production out of the San Marcos location this August or September. The tasting room is projected to open this October.

Kent Finlay died in 2015 leaving the patrons of the Cheatham Street Warehouse uncertain of the venue’s future. However, in December 2016, it was announced the venue had been bought by country music star Randy Rogers.

Rogers told Community Impact he intended to maintain Finlay’s legacy and the character of Cheatham Street Warehouse.

However, Rogers announced a few changes would be made to the music venue. The country music star intends to add a food service and permanent patio.

Cheatham Street Warehouse and the former Hays County Justice Center are only two of several projects in what some call the “Gateway to downtown.”

“With the announcements related to Cheatham Street Warehouse, the former Hays County Justice Center directly across the street, and other developments I am aware of that are in the works in this part of the City,” Thomas Rhodes, a partner with ETR Development Consulting, said. “The View on the Square project will both benefit from and help drive the redevelopment of the area from Grove Street to Hopkins Street and LBJ Drive to Guadalupe Drive.”

Tuttle Lumber Company’s doors opened for business in 1950. Since then, it has become a large part of San Marcos’s history.

Tuttle announced its Grand Retirement Store sale in February 2015. On March 15, the hardware store closed its doors permanently.

The store sold everything from power tools to paint and rented out large equipment. After the recession had hit, the lumber and building material industry lost interest and business.

The owner, Don Gilbreath, said the recession changed him. In its aftermath, he became more concerned with serving his customers over earning a profit in the store.

Within months of its closure, Gilbreath and his family received an offer on the property from a development company. However, the involved parties were faced with several hurdles, which took two years to resolve.

“My wife and I feel very blessed,” Gilbreath said. “After an almost 2-year process, my family and I are finally able to close a major chapter in our lives related to a 38-year history with Tuttle Lumber Company. My family and I are excited to pursue the next chapters of our lives.”

Rhodes said no one anticipated the two historic floods and several utility issues when the property originally went under contract. However, the development team and the city worked together to address the issues and bring the site up to code and ordinance, he said.

“Getting to this point truly required a team effort,” Gilbreath said. “We feel very privileged to have been able to work with such an able, competent and persistent team through many difficult and unexpected situations related to the future redevelopment of the property.”

Located at 228 S. Guadalupe St, the former hardware store has been rezoned as a T-5 zone. The new owners, The View on the Square, will build a five-story student housing development. The new watershed protection plan has already been approved by San Marcos Planning and Zoning.

The project’s next step will be to begin applying for building and site permits.

“This project will be a substantial economic driver in an area that is already anticipating a substantial transformation,” Rhodes said. “The gateway corridor into our downtown will look substantially different in a couple of years. It’s an exciting time to be in San Marcos, and it has been an honor to work with the property owner and developer on one of the more challenging projects that I have been involved with in my career.”