Residents voice opposition of neighborhood development

Several residents from the Victory Gardens neighborhood voiced their concerns regarding a development proposal requesting for a warehouse and distribution facility in the area during last week’s  Planning and Zoning Commission meeting. 

A presentation was given by Dalton Dueitt, planner for the City of San Marcos, giving details regarding the request on behalf of Max Developers, Inc., for an alternative compliance to the protective yard installation requirements that would be needed for the 312 Camacho Street location. 

During the presentation, Dueitt explained that in the Heavy Industrial District, a type C or D protective yard is required along the interior side lot lines that are adjacent to a Single Family - 4.5 District.

Daily Record photo by Colton Ashabranner

With the applicant intending on preserving the existing warehouse on the property, a 20-foot buffer that is free of any building encroachment couldn’t be obtained for all portions of the required protective yard. Therefore, the applicant is requesting an alternative compliance to the minimum depth requirement for Type C Protective Yards to be 14 feet and 8 inches. 

Following the presentation, a public hearing was held where the commission received a slew of comments both in person and written in, in opposition and with questions about the proposed development. 

“There’s senior citizens there [at Camacho Street] and they tell me that hopefully it’s something that’s not going back and forth, real busy, the streets,” said Rudy Rodriguez, resident of Camacho Street. 

Others who spoke questioned what traffic would look like in the area and how it would impact the neighborhood as well as flooding and noise concerns that could arise with a new manufacturing and distribution facility. 

While there was much opposition, there was also some support for the proposal. 

Carina Boston Pinales, who worked closely with the owner of the property, spoke of the jobs that this project would bring along with other benefits of the development. 

“The fact that we have basically an economic development project in front of us, this item in front of you today moving forward would help the process in getting this project to its completion and activate its sight,” Pinales said. 

After the public hearing, Commissioner Lupe Costilla made a motion to deny the proposal with a second from Commissioner Amy Meeks. 

Commissioner Zach Sombrano further clarified that if the proposal were to be denied, the property is still a Heavy Industrial zoning district and the only way it would change would be if the property owner decides to have less intense zoning. 

Commissioner Jim Garber also shared his concerns in regards to the flooding and draining as well as how the park located in the neighborhood would be heavily impacted. Garber also mentioned that there was not a neighborhood meeting previously held regarding the issue prior to discussion that evening. 

“For their reference, is this something that maybe in the future they need to address because, if they’re going to be looking at the possibility of something else being in that property then that would be a concern to me, it already is a concern to me because I know a lot of those people that are right in that area that would be impacted,” Costilla said. 

The warehouse was first constructed in the 1940s and is identified as a ‘Medium Priority’ on My Historic SMTX Resources Survey. Due to this identification, demolition in whole or in part of the warehouse is subject to the review by the Historic Preservation Commission under the city’s demolition delay ordinance.

“We were wanting this to happen so we can actually show the plans because I have the intention of having an organized neighborhood meeting but this has to happen so we can show what’s actually going to happen,” Pinales said 

As the commissioners went around the table, they agreed upon listening to the neighborhood residents and those speaking up with concerns. Ultimately, the commission unanimously voted to deny the proposal.