Citizen comment:
There were 12 speakers, and only one topic: Flock Cameras
- 10 people: they’re authoritarian and hijacked by ICE. Hard no.
- 2 people: they keep us safe! yay cameras.
Lots and lots of details when we get to that item.
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Item 10: The Downtown TIRZ
TIRZ stands for “Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone”. What this means is that we’re going to put more resources into a fixed area. TIRZ #5 is the Downtown TIRZ.
Here is the boundary of it:
Here’s how a TIRZ works: First, you fix a baseline year. For the downtown, it’s 2011. Back then, the whole region had a taxable value of $103 million.
San Marcos always gets to keep the taxes on $103 million. But the value of the land keeps growing. San Marcos agrees to split the taxes 70-30 on all the value added above $103 million, until the TIRZ runs out. (Hays County is also part of the deal.)
So in 2025, the land is now worth about $550 million. San Marcos keeps the taxes on the $103 million base, and then splits the taxes on the other $447 million. All told, the TIRZ gets about $1.2 million from San Marcos, and another $600K from the county, in 2025.
What does the TIRZ do with the money? The rules are that they have to spend it all on enhancing the downtown, which is supposed to increase its tax value all over again.
Today they’re adding a little bit extra to their plan. Here’s what they want to do:
The TIRZ expires in 2027. After that, the city keeps all the tax revenue on that district.
Fine! Everyone likes it.
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Item 12: Rezoning 24 acres on Wonderworld and 123.
Here’s a little patch of land:
Here’s what it looks like if you’re going south on 123, on the Wonderworld overpass:
The developers want to make it CD-5.
What is CD-5?
In theory, CD-5 is supposed to feel like a cozy, dense downtown area where you have shops and apartments and all kinds of nifty things, kinda like on Sesame Street:
But inevitably, it always ends up looking like this:
Relentlessly giant apartment complexes.
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What about some stores and restaurants?
I’m not actually opposed to giant complexes! Housing is great. But this intersection is a great spot for some stores and commerce, no? It’s a constant drumbeat that the east side needs more commerce.
Jane brings this up: “Will you all put in some commerce?”
Developer: “Who can say? We’re so mysterious!”
Jane: “It would be really great.”
But then no one on Council actually does anything.
COUNCIL!! You have powers! There are zoning overlays and Planned Development Districts, where developers agree to make some portion of a development into commerce.
But here’s Council:
So Council just tells the developer, “Fingers crossed! Thoughts and prayers for commerce!” and leaves it at that.
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Is this re-zoning a good idea? Let’s be a little systematic about it:
Five Questions For New Developments
Price Tag to the City: Will it bring in taxes that pay for itself, over the lifespan of the infrastructure and future repair? How much will it cost to extend roads, utilities, on fire and police coverage, on water and wastewater?
There’s a lot of development around this already, and this will be dense. This is a good financially for the city. A+
Housing stock: How long will it take to build? How much housing will it provide? What is the forecasted housing deficit at that point? Is it targeting a price-point that serves what San Marcos needs?
We’re still in a housing deficit, and more housing is good. So I’m fine with this.
Environment: Is it on the aquifer? Is it in a flood zone? Will it create run off into the river?Are we looking at sprawl? Is it uniformly single-family homes?
Not environmentally sensitive, not a flood zone. And it won’t be sprawl, because CD-5 has to be dense. So doing well here, too.
Social: Is it meaningfully mixed income? Is it near existing SMCISD schools and amenities?
I doubt it will be meaningfully mixed income. Developers don’t care. It drives me crazy though – wealth segregation is a societal problem.
It is very close to two elementary schools, Goodnight middle school, and SMHS, and also Bonham pre-K. There are some restaurants near those schools.
The San Marxist Special: Is it a mixed-income blend of single family houses, four-plexes, and eight-plexes, all mixed together? With schools, shops, restaurants, and public community space sprinkled throughout? Is it walkable?
This is literally what CD-5 should be. A Marxist blogger can dream.
My $0.02: If I were on Council, I’d push hard for a zoning overlay that guaranteed some commerce. But if that was impossible, I’d vote yes, anyway.
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The vote on rezoning:
Everyone: YES!
No one: no.
So there you have it.
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Item 6: Mural at the Price Center. (Cousin to Panic! at the Disco.)
This item is peak ridiculous, in all the best ways. This is why I love local politics: everyone’s a regular person, and regular people are totally absurd.
This is the Price Center:
It’s right behind Tantra, facing San Antonio St:
It’s mostly a public event space – there are concerts and shows inside, people rent it out for parties, there are market days where you can buy stuff from vendors, etc.
Here’s the front steps:
No one ever uses this entrance. You walk around through the garden to go in.
Today’s item is about a mosaic mural to go on the front steps. In other words, it’s a single picture that will be cut into strips, and go on the risers, like this:
Maybe you’ve seen a photo of the proposed mosaic! If you haven’t yet seen it, I’m going to withhold it until the end of this item, for maximum comedic value.
Because this is what Jane Hughson posted to the message boards ahead of time:
This mosaic definitely involves cacti, and Jane is NOT a fan.
During the meeting, Jane brings up more points:
- The mural is beautiful! But the cactus? Hard no.
- We’re trying not to have spiky plants like yucca downtown, because they are hazardous if someone falls in them.
- We’re not Arizona. Feh, Arizona!
- Cacti are prickly and unwelcoming.
Lorenzo agrees: it does hurt to fall in a cactus.
City Staff: Some artists like cacti! It’s subjective.
Amanda: Cacti stand for our cultural heritage in Mexico!
Alyssa: I love ’em. Also they’re delicious.
Shane: If we asked the artist to take out the cactus and re-do it, and they said no, what are the sunk costs?
Answer: $1000.
Saul: I guess I’m a yes, because I don’t want to waste $1000.
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ARE YOU READY TO SEE SOME CACTI?
Pause for a second.
Before you see it, I want you to picture an unwelcoming, prickly mayor cactus. Get a good visual image in your head, before you scroll down. What kind of cactus would be too hostile for the front steps?
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Ready??
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READY??
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Here’s the proposed artwork:
Guys. GUYS. It’s so beautiful. It’s mostly prickly pear flowers, more than anything else. There’s nothing remotely hostile here.
This is the mural that we almost killed for being too prickly! What a world.
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The vote on the beautiful mural:
Yes, we love it!! : Amanda, Alyssa, Saul, Shane, and Matthew
Ow, thorns: Lorenzo, Jane
So there you have it. Small town politics, eh?
The San Marxist 