Update: April 14, 10:30 a.m.
The city of San Marcos has said the developer has declined to take their project to City Council.
Had the project gone forward to City Council, it would have come with the Planning and Zoning Commission's recommendation of denial. Council could have overturned that recommendation with a supermajority vote. Had Council upheld the commission's vote, the developer would have been barred from brining it back for one year.
Posted April 13, 1:45 p.m.
A developer’s request to build a 120-room hotel, 164-unit apartment complex and retail space on the nearly five-acre site that formerly housed San Marcos CISD’s Phoenix and Rebound schools was recommended for denial by the San Marcos Planning and Zoning Commission on April 12.
The proposal, known as the Lindsey Hill development, will go to City Council with a recommendation against approval. Council could still approve the proposal, but that would require a supermajority of six votes.
After the meeting, David Lerman, of Guadalupe-RE, which was proposing the project, said it was too early to know what the development group's next steps would be.
During the public hearing many residents spoke against the proposal.
Dahlia Woods, who recently moved from Dallas to San Marcos, purchased a home in one of San Marcos’ historic districts. She said she supports “gentle and creative progress,” but the Lindsey Hill proposal was too much.
“I’m not opposed to development,” she said. “However this project is out of place in this community. We have a property that is ripe for development. It is a potentially fabulous location for something appropriate for our historic neighborhood.”
Linda Coker, a San Marcos resident who serves on the San Marcos Heritage Association and with the Hays County Historical Commission, said San Marcos’ profile has been elevated compared to where it was a few years ago. She said she believes the city should be selective in what sort of projects are allowed to be built.
“We are the place people want to be between the two big cities people don’t want to be in anymore,” she said. “We don’t have to take every project that comes along. We don’t have to accept the first person who asks us to the prom.”
"Our vision and interest in working with this site is to restore this property ... in a way that is respectful and is appropriate for the two communities we hope to link through this."
— David Lerman, Lindsey Hill project developer
Lerman said at the April 12 meeting that he and his business partner, Mark Berins, spent months meeting with community leaders, studying the city’s comprehensive plan and learning about the history of the Lindsey Hill site. He said he hoped the development would serve as a transition and link between the downtown and historic neighborhoods.
“I appreciate the sentiments that were expressed and concerns about what happens if we let someone come in from out of town, abuse us and leave,” Lerman said at the meeting. “Those aren’t our values. That’s not our goal. That’s not our intention.”
Lerman referenced the site’s history as a hub of community life and education dating back to the 19th century.
“The downtown and the historic districts are the jewels of this community. It’s what separates San Marcos from everything else that exists up and down I-35,” he said at the meeting. “Our vision and interest in working with this site is to restore this property to that role in a way that is respectful and is appropriate for the two communities we hope to link through this.”
Commissioners generally agreed the proposal looked good, but the density and mix of uses proposed near the historic neighborhoods were essentially nonstarters.
“It’s a great idea,” Commissioner Travis Kelsey said. “It’s just the wrong location. In all the years I’ve been on here, I’ve seen us attack the neighborhoods in this town—not me, I didn’t vote for [those proposals]—but we’ve got to protect the neighborhoods.”
Commissioners Lee Porterfield and Shawn Dupont voted against denial of the project.
[g-gallery gid="144505"]
Commissioner Angie Ramirez said it was the first time in three years she walked into a meeting without a clear idea of how she was going to vote, a situation she called “a nightmare.”
Ramirez disagreed with those who spoke in opposition of the project, saying she believed the project is walkable from downtown. Ramirez, who owns a clothing company, also said the project could encourage more retail activity downtown beyond late night alcohol sales.
“I’ve struggled for the last several years to have a good, viable retail business downtown,” Ramirez said. “One of the reasons it’s real hard for a lot of us is because there is not a lot of money spent downtown outside of bars late at night.”
The property is currently zoned as a public district, which would allow a variety of uses including bed and breakfasts, farmers markets, sorority and fraternity houses and duplexes. The developer would only need to obtain building permits in order to proceed with those uses.
Multifamily housing is also allowable in public districts, but would require the Planning and Zoning Commission to approve a conditional use permit.
Correction: April 13, 2:04 p.m. This story has been corrected to reflect that it was Lee Porterfield and Shawn Dupont who voted against denial of the proposal.
