SAN MARCOS, Texas — The San Marcos City Council held a special session Thursday afternoon to create an ordinance related to permitting for old buildings in the city.
The ordinance would affect any building built in 1939 – 80 years ago – or before. It would give the City at least 90 days before issuing a permit for demolition. Violating the ordinance would result in a $2,000 fine.
“So much is getting torn down so quickly that we just see the heritage and all the things that we're familiar with just going,” said Diana Brown, a preservationist in San Marcos.
She attended a “funeral” for the historic San Marcos Telephone Company building over the weekend, which was torn down.
“Growth is good,” she said. “I think that there are ways that it can be done so you don't have to tear down the old buildings. You can integrate them into the new buildings."
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Some residents were concerned about the way the City passed the ordinance, without public comment.
“I was really surprised to learn the way they're going about it,” said Phil Hutchinson, a former member of the City’s planning and zoning commission.
City council members shared emails and their conversations with community members during their discussion on Thursday night.
“Any law or ordinance passed with limited to no citizen input or engagement is just bad form and bad public policy,” said Miguel Arredondo, a trustee for San Marcos CISD.
The council made several amendments to the ordinance during their meeting to make the new rules less harsh for residents and their homes, like allowing residents to tear down sheds or barns on their own property without needing a permit.
The new ordinance will last for 120 days while City officials work to update the city code.
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