San Marcos considers downtown transportation changes

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.