Revised zoning for the larger downtown area, tailored to the goals of the Downtown Master Plan and developed in conjunction with the community during April’s charrette, is now entering the public consideration phase, beginning with the Planning and Zoning Commission, who will evaluate the proposed changes at City Hall, Tuesday, June 22, 2010 at 6pm. All are welcome to attend and participate… [cont.]

On Friday evening, April 9, San Marcos citizens and community leaders got their first full glimpse of how a zoning code aligned with community goals might look. Susan Henderson, project director for the PlaceMakers consulting team led meeting attendees through components of a new code that will deliver on the promise of the San Marcos Downtown Master Plan. Henderson lays out the overview in a video in the continuation of this post. To see her complete presentation, go here (5.9mb .pdf)… [cont.]

How does it look so far? That was the question Thursday night at The Meeting Place, when some 50 people joined the project team for an open-house “pin-up” of work in progress.

By Friday night’s concluding presentation of the charrette week, the team will have taken the community’s suggestions and refined the proposal for aligning zoning rules in San Marcos with the City’s 2008 Downtown Master Plan… [cont.]

How can a zoning code support the goals of San Marcos leaders and citizens?

That’s the question that needed answering before all others this week, as citizens, city staffers, and a national consulting team have worked together to shape a code to implement the 2008 Downtown Master Plan. The collaboration is in the form of a charrette, an intensive, multiday workshop that moves quickly from idea-sorting to specific proposals for implementation… [cont.]

Downtown tours, orientation meetings, and Tuesday evening presentations to the community and to the San Marcos City Council put the project team on track to develop initial ideas to test on Thursday night. That’s when planners on the PlaceMakers consulting team present work in progress, including illustrations of how selected areas in San Marcos might develop under a new zoning code… [cont.]

Beginning with a kick-off presentation and workshop tonight at 4 p.m. at The Meeting Place, San Marcos is setting aside four days for an intensive public workshop to turn the community’s goals for the Downtown into an implementable plan.

“We’re proud of all the hard work we’ve done leading up to our charrette,” says Mayor Susan Narvaiz. “Now, we want everyone who’s interested to take part in this next big step…” [cont.]

The times and place are set. The team is ready. Now, all we need is you.

Our four-day “charrette” to shape rules for downtown development kicks off with an opening presentation at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, April 6, and concludes with a report of our collective effort on Friday, April 9, at 6 p.m. In between, we’ll have meetings to refine our thinking on everything from downtown parking to improving the adjacent neighborhoods… [cont.]

“For me, one of the big takeaways from our March meetings was a confirmation of the opportunity before San Marcos,” says Nathan Norris, a principal in the PlaceMakers consulting firm chosen to help San Marcos shape new regulations to guide growth.

“With the university providing economic stability, with the prospect of commuter rail, with an historic court house square already in place, San Marcos is particularly well-suited to make the most of growth and change. And change is coming. The question is, how to manage it…” [cont.]

It’s time to lay pivotal groundwork for the zoning update to implement the San Marcos Downtown Master Plan. We’d like to spend a couple hours with you on Monday night, March 8, bringing you up to speed and talking about physical and economic development. [cont.]