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by Steve Helsing - BFM March :: April 25, 2008
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 Living in San Marcos has always been one of the joys of being a Texas State University student. Most students first bring up the river as being one of the big assets of life at Texas State. Ease of getting around the downtown area, however, does not rank high on the list of plusses. Sure, parts of downtown San Marcos have their charm, but overall not one of the main reasons to love the city. That could be about to change.
Imagine a downtown where pedestrians, motorists and cyclists all travel the streets safely and in harmony, where parking doesn’t pose a problem, where there are no utility poles to mar the scenery, where people have easy access to the area from the interstate and where landscaping touches enhance the beauty and charm of the area.
These are all aspects of the new San Marcos Downtown Master Plan. The first draft document for downtown improvements has been drawn up and final recommendations for downtown improvements could reach the San Marcos City Council in the next few months.
Mayor Susan Narvaiz says the Improvement Plan has been a long time coming. “We appointed a task force to look into what a central business district should be and how to get ahead of the curve in bringing new businesses and offices to San Marcos,” the mayor stated. “We wanted input from both business people and citizens on what they would like to see.”
The consulting firm of Broaddus and Associates drew up the Master Plan. If the name sounds familiar, that’s because it is the same firm that worked on the Texas State University Master Plan. “That will bring continuity of design thought, making us all (San Marcos and Texas State) one community,” according to Narvaiz.
Recommendations in the first draft of the Downtown Master Plan include funding the operation and maintenance for commuter rail service; creating a parking strategy that could include construction of one or more parking garages; changing Guadalupe and LBJ from one-way to two-way streets; enhancing hike and bike trails; burying electrical lines; and creating gateways into downtown, especially from the interstate.
All items on the Master Plan are not set in stone. They are merely ideas and some may get opposition from the community. For example, one recommendation is to allow buildings as tall as six stories in the downtown area and there are many who feel the reduced visibility these buildings would cause is not worth it. Other ideas will have to go through a lot of red tape. “Anything in the plan that has to do with the river will have to go through environmental impact studies,” according to Narvaiz. “And highway exits have to be coordinated with TXDOT.”
Still, enough ideas exist to move forward to make downtown San Marcos an area of pride. “This has been a public process. This has come together with no policy from the City Council,” says the mayor. “There’s still a long way to go, but I’m looking forward to getting to the next stage.”
So what is the next stage? “The next draft will go to the Planning Commission, who will then make recommendations to the City Council,” according to Narvaiz. “Then we will set the priorities. Some of the items are small things we can do now, like landscaping and underground utilities. Others will require more discussion and work. I think we should also work on a commuter rail station right away.”
The Downtown Master Plan is not just a city concern. It involves the city, the county, private citizens and business. Narvaiz says “We’ll be looking a private and public partnerships, county and city partnerships. We will consider increasing taxes on developments to help bring in even more development dollars. Somewhere down the road the citizens may be asked to vote on a bond issue to help fund some of the larger ideas.”
For its part, Hays County is considering the consolidation of county offices and leaving behind their downtown San Marcos office space. The city of San Marcos will work with the county on selling that property to the city. In turn, Narvaiz says the city could then use that space, working with private partners to establish a mix of retail shops and loft apartments.
As of press time, there is no set timetable for implementation of any aspect of the Downtown Master Plan. “The Assistant City Manager (Laurie Anderson) says until the next draft of the Plan is presented, we can’t even think about a timetable,” Narvaiz stated. “The next draft probably will come in about 60 days (around mid-April). At that point we can start thinking about a timeline.”
In the meantime, you can check out the first rough draft presentation. Click on the “Community Presentation 11-28-07” link at:
http://www.ci.san-marcos.tx.us/departments/planning/DowntownMasterPlan.htm
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What does the Texas State Students’ approving FBS football really mean?
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by Jody Campbell - BFM March Issue :: April 22, 2008
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 Currently, a huge opportunity for Texas State lies in the hands of the University. The outcome of this move to FBS could drastically change how people in Texas and the rest of the country see Texas State University. Of course, the approval means much more than just changing football classifications. The students’ recent approval to fund the move to FBS will allow Texas State to reach the athletic potential that most of us believe is possible.
Among other things, this move will help build new athletic facilities and improve upon existing facilities. We could see a football stadium that seats 25,000 fans, an improved press box, as well as a remarkable game day experience that we will all be able to enjoy not only as students but as alumni. We would have the opportunity to come back to Bobcat Stadium as alumni and see our Bobcats take on the likes of Houston, SMU, UTEP, Rice, and maybe even Oklahoma State or Baylor. This could bring in additional revenue and national recognition to our university. Before you naysayers declare this as impossible, don’t forget that a former Southland Conference foe, Troy, was able to bring in the Big 12’s Oklahoma State Cowboys and defeat them this past season.
Not only does this give Texas State the opportunity to compete at the highest level in college football, it also elevates every sport in which Texas State participates. For example, the student fees will allow two of our most nationally competitive sports, Baseball and Softball, to take their programs to a different level. As of now both teams are very competitive, but through the additional student fees, we will be able to build a new Baseball and Softball Complex. This new complex will allow the Bobcats to bring in top competition for non-conference games, which give these respective teams the experience needed to excel in conference, as well as prepare themselves for the NCAA tournament. Furthermore, the new facilities will allow Texas State recruiters to bring in the best talent available to this University that we all love.
Changing conferences would also place Texas State into a conference that often receives multiple NCAA tournament bids in volleyball, basketball, and baseball. Currently, we are in the Southland Conference. Generally speaking, the conference is a one bid conference for all sports aforementioned. This means if you don’t win the conference tournament, you are sitting at home when it comes time for the NCAA tournament. This in turn nullifies any success that the Bobcats may or may not have had during the regular season.
All of this being said, there is no guarantee that Texas State will land itself in the FBS and consequently in a different conference. However, since we already compete at the highest collegiate level in every sport except football, with the students’ vote to move to FBS it is now very possible for Texas State to have the facilities necessary to be even more competitive, regardless of the conference the Bobcats are in. After all the facilities are built, Texas State would have a football atmosphere that is very attractive, allowing us to either be competitive at the FBS level or possibly dominant at the FCS level. Seems like a win-win situation for our Bobcats.
The students have now set a new vision for what Texas State is to become- a University with not only solid academic rigor, but also some of the finest collegiate athletic programs within the Lone Star State. Because of the Texas State students’ vision and dedication, the future is now brighter than ever at the Rising Star of Texas.
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