AGENDA CAPTION:
Title
Receive a presentation from Staff and project consultants, Winter and Company, on the update to the downtown design standards and guidelines; and provide direction to Staff.
Body
Meeting date: December 10, 2020
Department: Planning and Development Services
Amount & Source of Funding
Funds Required: n/a
Account Number: n/a
Funds Available: n/a
Account Name: n/a
Fiscal Note:
Prior Council Action: n/a
City Council Strategic Initiative:
Downtown Vitality
Comprehensive Plan Element (s):
☐ Economic Development - Choose an item.
☐ Environment & Resource Protection - Choose an item.
☐ Land Use - Choose an item.
☐ Neighborhoods & Housing - Choose an item.
☐ Parks, Public Spaces & Facilities - Choose an item.
☐ Transportation - Choose an item.
☐ Core Services
☒ Not Applicable
Master Plan:
Vision San Marcos - A River Runs Through Us
Background Information:
Project Background
In 2012, the City contracted with Winter & Company to develop and adopt Downtown Design Guidelines and Architectural Standards to regulate the look and feel of new buildings in the downtown area. The standards and guidelines adopted in 2012 were carried over into the new San Marcos Development Code and into Appendix A of the San Marcos Design Manual in 2018. Both standards and guidelines are utilized when reviewing new development in the downtown area.
In January, 2020, the San Marcos City Council provided direction to update the design standards and guidelines using the guidance of the previous consultants, Winter & Company. The update to the design standards and guidelines is intended to include new standards to address design issues, new graphics to clearly illustrate the standards and guidelines, and shall be tailored to various contexts within downtown. Key topics to be addressed include:
• Massing of larger buildings to promote compatibility with traditional scale of downtown;
• Variety in articulation of facades to be more in scale with design traditions;
• Treatment of building materials;
• Street level design to provide sense of place and activate the public realm; and
• Transitions from higher density zones to abutting sensitive edges.
Past Events
City staff and Winter and Company have hosted several events in order to better understand community feedback on downtown design. Events included three focus groups, a Community Kickoff survey, a Virtual Community Workshop and survey, and a Joint Planning and Zoning Commission/City Council Workshop.
Upcoming Events
Staff and Winter and Company have compiled community input and will be presenting proposed recommendations to the Development Code (design standards) and the Design Manual (design guidelines) during the workshop presentation. Redlined proposed recommendations are included in the Public Draft that is included in the workshop packet. City staff is also hosting several additional events in December to gather community input on the Public Draft (see the attached memo). Following the public review period of the Public Draft all City Council, Planning Commission, Focus Group, and community input will be compiled and reviewed for additional potential changes to the proposed standards and guidelines. A Final Draft incorporating this input will be created and will be presented to the Planning Commission and City Council for consideration in February and March of 2021.
Workshop Packet Attachments
Included in the workshop packet are the following attachments:
• Attachment A: Learn about Architectural Design - FAQ
• Attachment B: Public Draft Redlined Development Code (Design standards)
• Attachment C: Public Draft Redlined Design Manual (Design guidelines)
• Attachment D: Example Models (explains key differences between current and proposed recommendations for varied massing and neighborhoods transitions requirements)
• Attachment E: Presentation
Council Committee, Board/Commission Action:
N/A
Alternatives:
N/A
Recommendation:
N/A