Apartment growth is under scrutiny

How many more apartment complexes do we need on the river?

None. Currently, we have one, east of IH-35.

This complex made the flooding worse in 2015, just as residents of San Marcos predicted it would.

The complex was approved by the city council in 2013. Many residents protested this decision.

The San Marcos Downtown Plan Plus will be on the city council agenda on Tuesday, Oct. 17.

The plan has three options for CM Allen. This street is right next to the river.

Option 2 is a park on CM Allen.

The park would have flood mitigation features. Grants could help fund the park. Now the CM Allen park may be only a vision.

But if we don’t have a vision, the park will never happen.

What about the other two options? Each shows big apartment complexes along CM Allen.

More apartments on the river?!

Today, small buildings and parking lots line CM Allen.

Some pervious cover exists between the buildings and parking lots.

The small buildings and lots do not concentrate the floodwater as big buildings would.

For reminders of the 2015 floods, go to You-Tube. Call up “Flood of Growth,” a documentary about the May 2015 flood. Also on YouTube, search on “San Marcos TX October 2015 Flood.”

Then watch a short drone video of the October 2015 flood near and on CM Allen.

To prevent flooding from happening again, please send an email to the city council at this address: councilmembers@sanmarcostx. gov.

Urge them to choose Option 2.

Or call the city clerk at 512-393-8090 and leave a message for the city council. Again, ask the council to vote for Option 2.

Or attend the city council meeting Tuesday, Oct. 17, 6 pm at 630 E. Hopkins.

By the way, 30 apartment complexes are under construction in San Marcos now. Their construction value is $655, 129,114. That is more than half a BILLION dollars.

This information comes from the city: “Multi Family Project Status Report April 2023.”

Thank you.

Camille Phillips San Marcos