The San Marcos City Council’s vote on the SMART (San Marcos Air, Rail and Truck) Terminal has been postponed until March 19, according to city staff.
At council’s last meeting, City Manager Bert Lumbreras said that council would be considering a formal Chapter 380 economic development agreement with SMART Terminal developers, along with the annexation and rezoning of the land for the terminal, at its March 5 meeting. However, according to director of communications for the city Kristy Stark, the item was pulled from the March 5 agenda at Katerra’s request. Katerra is a manufacturing firm that is slated to be the first tenant of the industrial rail park. The city approved an economic development agreement with Katerra in October 2018.
At its Feb. 19 meeting, council had met in executive session to discuss a Chapter 380 agreement with the SMART Terminal but did not take action on it. Members of a citizens’ group called SMARTER San Marcos, which opposes the development, spoke to the council and voiced their concerns about the potential environmental effects of the rail terminal, especially on the San Marcos River, which is less than 1,300 feet from the edge of the proposed development.
