CITY OF SAN MARCOS
The San Marcos Municipal Court has relocated to a new facility at 350 Barnes Drive, Suite 105, moving from the Hays County Government Center on Stagecoach Trail. The City marked the opening of the new facility with a groundbreaking ceremony on Sept. 26.
Municipal Court has been at the Government Center location since 2013. The city learned in 2023 that its lease there would not be renewed.
This new location, expected to be the home of the Court for the next 20 years, is the result of extensive planning and hard work across multiple city departments, according to a City of San Marcos spokesperson.
In March 2024, the property at 350 Barnes Drive was identified as an ideal space and location for the new court, according to the city. In May 2024, FGM Architects was hired to develop schematic design documents and a probable cost estimate for building out the interior space to serve the Municipal Court function.
The schematic design was completed in August 2024 and provided the assurance that the space will properly serve the Municipal Court function. The anticipated buildout cost, which includes interior buildout plus the upgrade of major systems to convert the building into an office space environment is estimated at $2.6 million.
Every effort has been made to use as much of the interior finish-out as possible to minimize total build out costs, according to the city. Because of the significant cost, staff recommended a 20-year lease term. During the term of the lease, the city will be given a right-offirst refusal if the landlord decides to sell the building.
At specific intervals during the lease, the city has the right to terminate the lease if the building has not been acquired by the city by those interval periods.
The interior of the new Municipal Court on Barnes Drive, “an ideal space and location for the new court,” according to the city. Photo courtesy the City of San Marcos
