Tonight the city council will take up the matters of the rezoning and annexation of 934 acres of land along State Highway 80 and Farm to Market Road 1984 for the development of the SMART Terminal industrial rail park.
Council will receive a staff presentation and hold a public hearing on a proposed amendment to the city’s zoning map to designate the acreage as Heavy Industrial. In December, the Planning and Zoning Commission recommended denial of the zoning change, but last week after receiving additional information the commission recommended approval. Approximately 66 acres of the land in question is slated to be the site of the Katerra manufacturing facility that will offer more than 500 jobs at more than $15 an hour based on an economic development agreement with the city. In exchange, the city is providing tax incentives and waiving certain development standards for those 66 acres.
Council is also set to consider, on the first of two readings, an ordinance annexing the 934 acres and approving a service plan for the area. There has been some concern about portions of the acreage lying outside the San Marcos extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) and within the Martindale ETJ. However, city officials have said they are in talks with the city of Martindale regarding the overlap to reach a settlement.
