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A committee will look into the details of a requested development agreement before the San Marcos City Council votes to approve or deny it.
At its meeting Tuesday, the council decided to let a committee comprising of Mayor Jane Hughson and council member Saul Gonzales to look into a development agreement request involving 813 acres on Ranch Road 12 at Fulton Ranch Road, adjacent to La Cima. The property is within the San Marcos extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) with plans for possible annexation as development occurs.
“There has not been a full analysis done on it,” city planning chief Shannon Mattingly said about the proposed development. “Engineering and utilities have not looked at all the information.”
Mattingly said the proposed development would include single family, multifamily, retail and commercial, along with open space and parkland. The current plans include townhomes and two multifamily developments – one with 340 units and one with 380.
“Maybe we can keep the La Cima committee, since it’s across the street,” Hughson said, “or maybe we don’t.”
Council member Melissa Derrick pointed out that creating another neighborhood could be problematic.
“We have approved so many single-family neighborhoods and none of them has come online yet except Trace is starting to get there,” she said, noting that La Cima and Mystic Canyon – both near the proposed development – are also in the works and could create a glut in the housing market.
“I know they do their market research,” she said of developers, “but do they know how many people are applying?”
Derrick also pointed out that a large development in the ETJ creates sprawl.
“I’m a little burned out on annexing, too,” she said.
Mayor Pro Tem Lisa Prewitt noted that there would be concerns about impervious cover because of the property’s location in the Edwards Aquifer recharge zone.
Hughson asked the council members if they wanted to look into it further before making a decision.
“I’m not a really big fan of extending further into the county,” council member Mark Rockeymoore said, but added that he is willing to look a little further into it.
“I have concerns because of the recharge zone,” council member Joca Marquez said.
“I’m okay as long as there are no economic incentives,” Prewitt said.
Derrick agreed with Prewitt, and council members Gonzales and Ed Mihalkanin said they would be willing to look into the proposal further.
“We find out what we find out,” Hughson said.
Hughson and Gonzales took on the task of looking into the proposed development and coming back to council with more information.
