San Marcos Main Street Nets Series of Awards, Grants

“Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Downtown San Marcos is building on its great architectural history by creating a lively sidewalk experience for visitors including cafés,” said Lori Schwarz, AICP, Chair of Great Places in Texas Selection Committee.

The San Marcos Main Street Program announced on Monday, April 12 that their efforts in beautifying and improving downtown have recently won multiple awards, grants, and recognition.

Main Street invited the partners, Advisory Board, committee members and the public to attend the formal Proclamation at City Hall to celebrate the awards and grants together as a community on April 16 at 4 p.m., followed by a reception in the lobby that featured the famous Texas Main Street Cake.

“Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Downtown San Marcos is building on its great architectural history by creating a lively sidewalk experience for visitors including cafés,” said Lori Schwarz, AICP, Chair of Great Places in Texas Selection Committee.

Samantha Armbruster, Main Street Program Manager, said, “It’s been so exciting to see partners like American Planning Association – Texas Chapter and Burditt Land|Place visit our downtown and fall in love with it. We know our volunteers and locals have affection for the heart of our community, so it’s especially rewarding to see these visiting organizations show recognition and want to contribute to its improvement.”

Main Street’s recent accomplishments on behalf of Downtown San Marcos are:

Downtown San Marcos Recognized as a “2018 Great Place in Texas” 

The Texas Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA) selected Downtown San Marcos as a “Great Neighborhood” for the 2018 Great Places in Texas program. Each year, APA TX recognizes outstanding communities and places that represent the best in planning and community impact. More information about this prestigious designation can be found at www.greatplacesintexas.com.

Burditt Selects Downtown San Marcos to Receive Planning and Design Services

Burditt Land Place has selected Downtown San Marcos as the recipient of its Planning for Place project. As the lone recipient of this project, the City of San Marcos will receive a donation of Planning and Design Services dedicated toward the development of a conceptual master plan for Kissing Alley.

San Marcos Receives National Accreditation as a Main Street City

Under this designation, the San Marcos Main Street program can continue its mission to maintain the unique, historic nature of downtown and is proud to commemorate another successful year. San Marcos has consistently maintained this accreditation each year since the designation’s origins and remains one of the longest-running programs in the state.

Main Street Launches DowntownTX.org

Main Street, in partnership with the Texas Historical Commission, has launched a new online database, Downtowntx.org. The database functions as a property inventory which allows users to search and access specific information regarding downtown properties. More information can be found at sanmarcostx.gov/downtowntx.

Lower Colorado River Authority Awards $1,000 toward Downtown Beautification

LCRA provides energy, water and community services for the people of Texas. As part of its Steps Forward program, LCRA has selected Downtown San Marcos to receive both grant funding and volunteer efforts toward beautification projects. On April 6, LCRA employees will donate time downtown to help with several beautification efforts including power washing, painting, sidewalk clean-up, and planting.

Keep America Beautiful Awards $5,000 in Grant Funding.

Each year, Keep America Beautiful selects 42 cities across the country to receive the Cigarette Litter Prevention Program (CLPP) grant. The City of San Marcos Main Street Program was chosen as a grant recipient for 2018, due to current efforts at cigarette litter reduction. The grant includes $5,000 for the purchase of ash receptacles and educational outreach materials, as well as other items related to the prevention of cigarette litter.

For more information or to view the full schedule of events for Main Street visit the Facebook page @downtownsmtx or email the San Marcos Main Street Program at mainstreet@sanmarcostx.gov.

About the San Marcos Main Street Program:

San Marcos was designated in 1986 as an official Main Street City by the Texas Historical Commission and the National Trust for Historic Preservation and remains one of the oldest Main Street programs in the state. The vision of the San Marcos Main Street Program is to foster a downtown that is a unique and culturally vibrant destination, where local business thrive and people of all ages can connect, create and celebrate.