On Jan. 15, San Marcos City Council gave final approval to a developer's plan to build an apartment complex on Cape's Camp, a parcel of land on the San Marcos River east of I-35.

It was City Council's second time to consider the measure after voting 5-2 on Jan. 7 to rezone the property for multifamily development. During both deliberations, Councilmen Jude Prather and John Thomaides cast the two dissenting votes.

"It's not my place to question what my colleagues have voted on," Thomaides said Jan. 15. "Have we truly looked at all our options? I don't think we have. I know we haven't."

Dozens of people staged a peaceful protest before the meeting to oppose the development, saying the land should be preserved for parks and open space.

Melissa Derrick, one of the organizers of the protest, said she wished the city council would consider other options such as retail for Cape's Camp.

"Thompson's Island is sacred river land to us," Derrick said. "We're river people, this is why we live here, this is why everyone chooses to be in San Marcos. It's not because there's so much going on here. It's because of the beauty and the river and the small-town feel."

Under the agreement reached with the City of San Marcos, the developer will donate 20 acres of riverfront property, including Thompson's Island, for city-owned parkland. Director of Development Services Matthew Lewis said the land will be dedicated to the city at the time of platting, at a date to be determined.

The developer, The Dovetail Companies of Athens, Ga., plans to build a 306-unit, 1,000-bedroom apartment complex for Texas State University students on the 25 remaining acres.

During the Jan. 15 deliberations, the council voted to strengthen requirements that Dovetail provide adequate bus service for apartment residents traveling to the Texas State campus. Council members also voted to add requirements for future upkeep of the apartments, known as The Woodlands at San Marcos.

"The project has to be maintained forever," said Councilman Shane Scott, who moved to add the requirements.

During the meeting, San Marcos Police Chief Howard Williams told council members that he expects the apartments to attract young, high-risk tenants.

"If I lived there, I'd party like a rock star, too," Thomaides said.