San Marcos' 1995 Consolidated Plan was borne out of long range vision for the growth of the community with special attention to housing and community development. Citizens will receive a concise overview of the city's housing and community development problems, the proposed 5-year goals, planning strategies to address the problems, and the specific projects funded through the city's 1995 CDBG entitlement.
The City proposes to continue its clearance and demolition of substandard structures in an effort to remove slum and blighted conditions; make cleared lots available for infill housing; assist in the preservation and expansion of housing stock; assist in increasing the quantity and quality of social services; coordination of efforts among city departments and public agencies; restoration of historic properties, and addressing the need for removal of architectural barriers.
The City's Consolidated Plan also includes and Action Plan constituting an application for funds under on of HUD's formula programs, the Community Development Block Grant program (CDBG), for a total of $740,000. These funds, partnership with local public and private resources, will support the activities to be funded for the 1995 program year.
A large portion of the plan was developed through active citizen
participation which included the CDBG grant process, the city's Master Plan, and
the Task Force for a Better San Marcos project, and the City's Human Services
Advisory Board. City staff presented the concept of the Consolidated Plan and
Strategy throughout the process at joint meetings of human services agencies
such as the Interagency Council. Citizen participation was also invited and
accepted at a public hearings held on April 4 and April 24, 1995.
The City of San Marcos is located at the center of the Austin-San Antonio Growth Corridor. Austin, the State's capital, is located 26 miles to the north and San Antonio is located 45 minutes to the south on Interstate Highway 35.
San Marcos, often referred to as the "Gateway to the Hill Country", is a city of natural beauty. The City has on average 230 days of sunshine, an annual average temperature of 68 degrees, and 33.75 inches of annual rainfall. It is also home to the seventh largest university in the state, Southwest Texas State University, which has a student population of 20,000.
San Marcos is located within the Austin Metropolitan Statistical Area which has a median family income of $41, 800 (1990 U.S. Census) and a population of 28743. The city is 69% low/mod with all eight of its census tracts containing populations with low/mod percentages of 51%.
The City is ethnically diverse and as per the 1990 Census is made up of 56.4% Anglo, 37.4% Hispanic, 5% Black, and with 1% of the population being listed as other. .
All three major segments of the population have shown increases from the 1980 census. Independent population estimates put the total population at 36,000 persons, which is over 7,000 persons more than the official 1990 census. However, the ethnic makeup and projections of the city remains the same in the independent reports.
The most predominant areas of minority concentration in the city are the Dunbar and Victory Gardens neighborhoods. These neighborhoods exist in census tracts 104 (57.1% l/m) and 105 (83.4% l/m) and are in some of the earliest developed sites. They contain populations greater than 51% black and hispanic combined.
A large student population exists in both census tracts 102 (76.2% l/m) and
103.01 (80.9% l/m). Though students are dispersed throughout the city, Census
Tracts (CT) 102 and 103.01 contain a large percentage of multifamily units.
Census tract 102 also encompasses the university.
The needs section of the plan outlines the extent of need by various groups for housing, and the problems in community development that needs to be addressed. As described more fully in the Housing and Homeless Needs Assessment section of this CPS, the following housing and non-housing community development needs have been identified and are listed in alphabetical order:
Cost Burden: Many low income renter households are rent-burdened, that is, they pay in excess of 30 percent of their housing income for housing.
Elderly Housing: The elderly represent a significant percentage of the City's population. Many low income elderly residents need affordable housing, often with convalescent facilities.
Homelessness: Homelessness is not currently a serious problem in the City, but the presence of homeless persons in the community has continued to increase and is expected to continue trending upward with natural population growth.
Housing Rehabilitation: A 1990 land use survey conducted by the city showed that the majority of the local housing stock (87.5%) would be classified as "conservable", meaning that the units were structurally sound but required more repair than would be provided through regular maintenance. Less than 2% of the housing stock was classified as "substandard" or "dilapidated".
Housing Shortage: There is a shortage in the number of housing units available and affordable to low income residents. The continued increase in demand for housing will cause rents to remain high and force low income persons to relocate to illegal subdivisions outside of the city limits.
Overcrowding: Housing overcrowding is a growing problem, particularly with the City's low income households and large families. Seventy-four percent of all rental units with 5 or more persons were overcrowded as per the 1990 Census. Of these households, 84% were those with incomes between 31-50% of median income.
The City of San Marcos has seen limited activity in single family construction in the last five (5) years. Multifamily construction has been non-existent during that time span. During those same five years the City has seen an increase in economic development activity and increased enrollment in both the university and the public school system. The housing opportunities are far out-shadowed by the demand.
The 1990 Census identified 10,923 housing units for the city; 3,112 were owner occupied and 6.737 were renter occupied for a total of 9,849 occupied units. The census count identified 1,074 (9%) units as being vacant. The City believes the vacant units to be much less than the official count with local estimates closer to <2%.
There are few opportunities for persons to purchase homes under $60,000, in San Marcos the average price for a three bedroom home is $81,400 (MLS). This has forced many low and moderate income persons to purchase manufactured homes and move into subdivisions outside of the city limits. It is currently a seller's market, as homes are on the market less than 90 days (MLS).
53 percent of households in San Marcos were experiencing housing problems as per the 1990 Census, the problems included overcrowding and/or physical problems (poor of lacking plumbing and/or kitchen facilities, roof damage, foundation problems, etc.).
There exists no comprehensive study of the extent of homelessness in the community. Agencies involved with providing support services to homeless persons have reported an increase in persons assisted. The City is planning to obtain further information and coordinate the collection of data with the support agencies within the following twelve months.
There is a need for the development of neighborhood facilities that provide recreational facilities for youth and the elderly and empowerment training for persons requiring educational assistance and job-training; many portions of the city are lacking adequate sidewalks; park facilities are requiring upgrades and repairs; many human services agencies have outgrown there facilities and need additional space; and additional assistance is required for economic development activities focusing on small business.
As per the 1990 Census, 7,033 of the city's households reside in structures
built prior to 1979 - this represents 71% of all households. It has been
calculated that 41% of all units built prior to 1979 contain a level of
lead-based paint and with 52% of all households being classified as very low-
and low-income, it represents a disproportionate amount of risk distributed to
the city's low-income residents.
The Strategic plan lays out a long-term (five year) strategy to deal with housing and community development needs.
The City is fortunate to have many public service agencies and governmental entities - both county and state - that are aggressive in pursuing alternative sources of funding and will prove to be major contributors in addressing the concerns raised by the plan. As a means of addressing the needs of the community, the city has included an inventory of Federal, State, and local programs available to carry out the plan. The strategy contains the following community priorities:
It will take full commitments from all stakeholders in the community to see these goals through fruition. The goals are ambitious ones and will require access to many resources including those from Federal, state, and private entities.
Within the scope of the Consolidated Plan and Strategy's Five Year Strategy, the City will actively pursue and support agencies in pursuit of public and private funding for affordable housing projects. The City cannot meet the need presented by very low- and low-income residents for both single family and multifamily development and must resort to resources beyond the scope of CDBG to engage in housing activities. Recently the San Marcos Housing Authority received federal funding to implement its Family Self-Sufficiency Program to assist low-income first time homebuyers. Southside Community Center, a Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO), received federal funding to develop a multifamily project for the elderly.
The City will continue to support applications by all interested and qualified agencies seeking funding for housing programs. Through cooperative efforts, the City will seek to obtain HOME funds from the state for additional housing initiatives.
A comprehensive assessment of the homeless population in San Marcos will be performed over during the term of the Five Year Strategy.
Improve Neighborhoods and Facilities Used for Community Services and Activities
This encompasses the development of two neighborhood facilities located in areas of low- income concentration that will be used for educational and recreational purposes, the renovation of park facilities (pool and tennis courts), clearance and demolition of substandard structures, and the clearance of overgrown lots and removal of junk vehicles.
Services to Youth
The community is committed to the continued enhancement of opportunities for its children, especially those deemed to be at-risk, through health care programs, educational and empowerment programs, and support/counseling services. The programs include the involvement of case workers for both the children and parents and involves life skills training for the entire family.
Service Strategies for Increasing Economic Development
The City has been very active in its pursuit of economic development through a strong relationship with the Chamber of Commerce/Greater San Marcos Economic Development Council and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. The City will continue to strive to develop economic development opportunities which utilize incentives offered through CDBG and other state and federal programs to address the needs of low-income residents.
Improve Community's Planning and Management
The City will continue to improve its capacity to address its community development needs and effectively manage related programs and activities. The CDBG program will be used to complete the City's latest master plan in an effort to continue its development of strategic planning for community development.
Lead Based Paint: The City's plan includes an evaluation of lead-based paint hazards in the city and a statement of commitment to prevent childhood lead poisoning.
Public Housing Strategies: The plan discusses the goals and objectives for improving and maintain the inventory of public housing located within the city.
Coordination: It is imperative that all entities involved are organized properly so that the plan can be implemented and meet its proposed short and long-term goals. The plan discusses the roles of all stakeholders involved in the process which includes the City's various departments, public service agencies, other governmental agencies, and the private sector.
The City's plan contains a detailed description of all priorities identified
through the planning process.
The fifth major section of the CPS provides a description of the priorities and activities that will be implemented by the City and other stakeholders over a twelve month period beginning July 1, 1995 and ending June 30, 1996. The Action Plan will identify the populations that will be served and the resources that will be utilized during the first year of the five year term covered by the CPS.
The Action Plan incorporates the proposed uses of the City's FY95 CDBG fund which is anticipated to be $740,000 as well as funds secured by other agencies and local sources. The City has identified eighteen projects (18) of which eight (8) are illustrated on the proposed project map, thereby showing their geographic impact.
The Proposed Project Map shows that all of the projects undertaken are located in census tracts that have a low-income population greater that 51%, and a majority of the projects are located in areas that have minority populations greater than 60%. The remaining projects serve a limited clientele and therefore cannot be pinpointed to a specific geographic location but will serve low-income persons from throughout the community.
1995 projects include:
The Plan summarizes the plan of action for housing in the current program year. The plan will address the number and type of housing that will be undertaken .
The City actively supports its fair housing ordinance and other agencies, such as the San Marcos Housing Authority, towards the assurance of fair housing for all residents.
Included in the report is the process by which the City will monitor ongoing activities.
MAP 2 depicts points of interest and low-moderate income areas.
MAP 3 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, and minority concentration levels.
MAP 4 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, and unemployment levels.
MAP 5 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects.
MAP 6 depicts Neighborhood Segments and streets with proposed HUD funded projects; in addition, a table provides information about the project(s).
Mr. Chris Parez
CD Coordinator
(512) 393-8235
