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1. INTRODUCTION AND PROJECT UNDERSTANDING The City of San Marcos has been experiencing rapid growth for the past several years. Since the 1980 census the population is estimated to have increased by approximately 30 percent. Given its location in the center of the Austin-San Antonio growth corridor and the presence of the university and other cultural and natural attractions, San Marcos is expected to continue to experience development pressures for many years to come. Growth is generally beneficial for a city but not without some costs. This is especially true in terms of traffic impacts. Increased enrollment at Southwest Texas State University, development at Rivergate and the other two municipal utility districts, establishment of a new industry or the expansion of an existing one can all have major impacts on the amount and pattern of traffic in San Marcos. One cost of increased traffic is the need for road network improvements. Other costs include time lost due to traffic congestion, personal and property damage from increased accidents, and less efficient use of the existing transportation network. Based on discussions with city staff and the team's knowledge of San Marcos, the City's objectives in conducting this study are essentially twofold: 1. to respond more effectively and equitably to existing and pro- posed development; and 2. to better plan for long range improvements. In short, the City needs a mechanism for determining the traffic impacts of various land uses. To this end, the City has undertaken the task of developing a traffic demand modeling system. Such a system, when operational, will have multiple applications and provide a valuable planning tool to San Marcos. This farsighted approach, in combination with the City's award-winning Master Plan and the land use and transportation policies contained therein, will better equip San Marcos to effectively and efficiently plan for growth. To achieve these goals and provide the City with the necessary tools for assessing traffic impacts, the consultants propose the scope of work outlined in this proposal. Building on the team's extensive experience in comprehensive and transportation planning and working closely with city staff, the following key activities will be performed: 1. an assessment of existing data; 2. delineation of traffic serial zones; 3. an evaluation of traffic impact models; 4. procedures for development of the data base; and 5. a program for implementation with special consideration given to the Master Plan. All of the work performed will consider the special issues and needs of San Mar'cos, especially in terms of unique traffic generators. The final product will be a report of the findings, including appropriate tables, figures, and maps, as well as strategies for implementation of the recommendations. In addition, evaluation of models could include recommendations of specific trans- portation software to use in conjunction with the City's existing traffic models and computer capabilities. The specific tasks are discussed in more detail in the following chapter. 1