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An artist’s rendering of the 75 Sylvan Project — a student housing development that would stretch from South Guadalupe Street between West San Antonio Street and West MLK. Submitted photo

Controversial development revived

75 Sylvan Project makes its way back to City Council
Sunday, September 29, 2019

A controversial student housing development is back on City Council’s docket on Monday.

The proposed student housing development would be located in the 100 Block of South Guadalupe Street between West San Antonio Street and West MLK Drive. On May 28, the Planning and Zoning Commission denied a request for a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for the project requested by 75 Sylvan, LLC. Then on June 18, council postponed a vote on the project and created a committee consisting of Mayor Jane Hughson, Council member Melissa Derrick and Council Member Joca Marquez to review the project.

According to the agenda item, the committee met on July 22, but there was no resolution.

Issues discussed at the meeting included “the possibility of the project being a Low Income Housing Tax Credit project, the project design, the possibility that the applicant purchase additional property within the Historic District in order to develop the entire block, and if the applicant would be amenable to developing the project as a standard multifamily project with all the requested CUP conditions instead of as a purpose built student oriented housing project.”

The purpose built student housing development is back on Council’s agenda in the form of a resolution, which would approve a CUP for the project.

In other business, Council will consider awarding a design contract to Cobb, Fendley & Associates, Inc. for the reconstruction of Kissing Alley. The project comes as part of a multi-year phased Capital Improvement Project for the reconstruction of downtown alleys.

Additionally, council will vote to extend Ordinance 2019-19, which puts a 90-day delay on the issuance of demolition permits for buildings that are deemed historically significant or are 80 years or older. The temporary ordinance was adopted on June 27 and will potentially be extended for an additional 90 days.

Council will vote to accept a grant from The Recycling Partnership, a 501(c)

(3) organization, which has selected San Marcos as one of three cities to pilot a recycling program.

According to the agenda item request, “The oneyear agreement states the Recycling Partnership will help create new educational material and provide the materials to be passed out, purchase up to 4,000 in-unit recycle bins to be distributed by Resource Recovery, and provide funds to pay interns to conduct a pilot valet recycling service for up to 2,000 individual multifamily apartment units.”

Council will vote to approve a Public Transit System Interlocal Agreement with the Capital Area Rural Transportation System (CARTS) for transit services in urbanized areas.

During a work session — slated to begin at 3 p.m. — council will receive a presentation by Brendan Cox, director of policing strategies at the LEAD National Support Bureau, regarding a Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program.

City Council will meet on Monday at 6 p.m. at City Hall, 630 E. Hopkins St. due to National Night Out, which will take place during council’s regular Tuesday meeting time.

San Marcos Record

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