03241997 Regular Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

7g-r Final Report March 1997 Implementation Strategy It is essential to plan for, stimulate, and facilitate tourism just as the community does for other types of economic development. For this reason, we recommend the formation of a tourism development organization (TDO). Purposes of the tourism development organization: 1. To advance a market-driven strategy for tourism development through close coordination with local tourism marketing and with regional and state tourism associations. 2. To facilitate creation and retention of businesses and activities that carry out the community's vision of tourism. This may include actual recruiting of certain businesses or types of businesses and coordination and promotion of public/private partnerships to support appropriate activities. 3. To stimulate development of appropriate businesses and activities. This may include working with the Chambers of Commerce, the Corridor Business Incubator, and the Main Street Project to locate space, make useful contacts, and facilitate financing. A suggested organizational chart is found in the Appendices of this report. Recommendations or the ABCs of Tourism Development A) This report should be adopted by the City Council as an addendum to the City's Master Plan, San Marcos Horizons, adopted 26 February 1996. I) Clean, Safe, and Beautiful City B) Frequent trash pick-up and regularly scheduled clean-ups, especially after special events, in the downtown area. * C) Permanent night police patrols on downtown streets.* D) Increased security lighting in downtown areas.* E) Improve and maintain sidewalks and crosswalks.* F) Enforce curfew law. * G) Consistent building, fire, electrical, and plumbing code enforcement. H) Improve riverbanks and river parkland through further development of river park trail system, bank erosion control and improved landscaping and weed control in line with the proposed City Park renovations recommended by the Parks and Recreation Department. I) Link the downtown and the San Marcos River parks through landscaping. J) Increased cleanliness and beauty of river through frequent trash clean-ups of the river. K) Create zoning ordinance to require new buildings to conform to historic styles in the CBD historic neighborhood.* L) Improve city entrances through landscaping, signage, code and zoning Mayor's Blue Ribbon Committee on Tourism Development Page 18