San Marcos Receives Grant To Off-Set Cost Of 2017 Sink Creek Property Purchase

Staff Reports

On July 30, the City of San Marcos announced it will receive a grant from the United States Forest Service to fund the land purchase of Sink Creek Community Forest Tract. 

According to the city, the project marks the first community forest and open space program grant awarded to a project in Texas. 

The City purchased the 102-acre tract through a three-year lease with The Trust for Public Land in 2017 for a total purchase price of $1.27 million. City Council approved the lease-purchase agreement with the expectation that external funding sources would be sought to match the commitment of public funds.

According to staff, the property is located near Country Estates. The property, which was formerly owned by Texas State University, drains into Sink Creek.

“The city targeted this property for conservation so it can serve as a buffer from development in a particularly sensitive area,” said City of San Marcos Urban Forester Kelly Eby. “By awarding these funds to the City, the U.S. Forest Service is joining our efforts to achieve strategic environmental planning.”

In 2017, the city signed the lease-purchase agreement for a price tag of $1,270,000 to be paid in three installments of $423,333. 

According to the city, the property will be purchased using the following sources of funding:

• $35,000 from Burdine Johnson Grant
• $50,000 from Hershey Foundation
• $60,000 from Malcolm C. Damuth Foundation
• $423,500 from USFS
• $711,667 from the sale of the Leah Tract

The federal financial assistance granted through the Community Forest and Open Space Program of the U.S. Forest Service, a total of $423,500, will be applied towards this year’s third and final installment payment for the Sink Creek property acquisition.

The land is located in the Upper San Marcos Watershed and Sink Creek connects to the sensitive headwaters of the San Marcos River.

The area includes limestone cliffs, ancient live oak trees and plentiful wildlife. The land will remain open space, where it will help protect the water quality of the river, foster the native ecosystem and mitigate some of the urban heat island effect as the city expands.

Texas State University, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, The Trust for Public Land, The Meadows Center, San Marcos Greenbelt Alliance, San Marcos River Foundation, and the San Marcos Habitat Conservation Plan helped the city to secure the property.

For more information, contact Drew Wells at dwells@sanmarcostx.gov.