City of San Marcos officials are taking the first steps in a process to overhaul transportation and parking in the downtown area.

At a joint workshop July 25, members of City Council and the San Marcos Planning and Zoning Commission discussed whether LBJ Drive and Guadalupe Street—both one-way thoroughfares—should be reconfigured to allow two-way traffic.

"We can do either one. It's not a matter of whether or not it will work," said Abby Gillfillan, the city's permit manager. "It's a matter of getting a decision made one way or the other and moving forward to improve roadways throughout the city."

Keeping one-way streets would be more affordable and offer more opportunities for sidewalks and bike lanes, Gillfillan said. Two-way streets offer better access to downtown business, slow traffic, are safer for pedestrians and are more intuitive for visitors, she added.

Council members said they preferred a switch to two-way traffic for LBJ Drive and Guadalupe Street because two-way traffic would help deliver visitors and shoppers downtown, rather than ushering them through the area.

"There's a little congestion, and it takes a little longer, but it's getting [drivers] to it and not going through it," Councilman John Thomaides said of downtown.

City staff members are also considering a downtown parking management district that could lead to parking meters and new short- and long-term parking spaces in a 25-block area of downtown.

"The perception is it's hard to get [downtown], it's hard to park, it's hard to do, I'm not going to do it," Planning Manager John Foreman said.

He said the goal of the management district includes supporting downtown as an employment center, creating a thriving center for small businesses and an entertainment district.

"Every successful downtown in America has a parking problem," said Matthew Lewis, the city's planning and development services director. "It's better to have a parking problem than to not have a parking problem."

Council members said they wanted more public input and would resume the discussions at a future council meeting.