San Marcos officials: We're 'hamstrung' in effort to sell $4M property

Council members noted that Hays County found success disposing of county-owned properties in downtown San Marcos this fall, including the former justice center, which sold in October for $1.25 million.

"We, as a city, cannot do what the county did for all their downtown properties that they sold at or above their appraised rate," Councilman John Thomaides said. "They have professionals that market those types of properties, and clearly we didn't have that same expertise.

"Cities should have the same ability to dispose of their property and get market value for it. We shouldn't be hamstrung with the process we have now."

Council members also discussed the results of a nonbinding election Nov. 6 in which 76 percent of San Marcos voters said they want the city to acquire Cape's Camp, an undeveloped property on the San Marcos River east of I-35, for parkland.

"Certainly there's interest," Guerrero said. "It's just a matter of how do we go about fulfilling that goal?"

The discussion did not require action from the council. In January, council members are scheduled to consider whether to approve a rezoning request to develop 25 acres of Cape's Camp as a 306-unit, 1,000-bedroom apartment complex.

San Marcos residents have expressed vocal opposition to the project, which received preliminary approval from the city's Planning and Zoning Commission in November.

Cape's Camp is about 70 acres in size and was appraised at about $5.5 million.