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City Council Meeting Minutes January 15, 2019 <br />Tonight, you have the opportunity to make a bold affirmative vote in <br />approving the SMART Terminal Development. From my experience traveling <br />this State for McCoy's, I can personally attest to the kind of economic engine a <br />terminal of this kind and size with road, rail, and airport access can bring to <br />the development of the tax base and jobs to the community fortunate enough <br />to land a development such as this. <br />I well know that a principal mandate of our city leaders is to provide <br />affordable housing, but I submit that the approval of this development will <br />provide hundreds of families in San Marcos and the surrounding counties with <br />good jobs paying well above the minimum wage allowing these citizens to <br />transition out of government sponsored affordable housing to housing that <br />they can afford. <br />I ask you tonight to step up, as other City Councils before you have done <br />when given an economic development opportunity such as this, and approve <br />this requested zoning change and abatement as a landmark economic <br />improvement to the well-being of our community and our citizens. I <br />respectfully ask that you vote to support the public good and to make our <br />community a better place to live, learn, work, and thrive by approving the <br />resolutions before you this evening." <br />Sabrina Chapa, stated she was disappointed the council voted to annex and <br />claims there is lack of transperancy for homeless, working class students. She <br />feels there is a lack of communication to the residents and most of the working <br />class do not know what is going on. She said people from California are going <br />to displace residents here and they are going to gentrify our land regardless. <br />She said the SMART Terminal Project will be fought completely and she would <br />like to see the City donate to non profits for a land trust. She stated that we <br />don't need growth but sustenance. <br />Ben Salinas, current student at Texas State, stated that we can't compare this <br />project to the outlet mall as it is closer to the river and will effect the <br />environment. He stated that in the UN report that was put out recently that we <br />have 20 years to get our act together. He threatened council by stating we will <br />keep record of the votes and remember this at election time. We don't <br />appreciate the older people trying to profit off our environment and we are <br />paying attention. We cant have our environment being destroyed any further. <br />Paula Saks, stated that she downsized from 30 acres to retire here and her <br />City of San Marcos Page 8 <br />