08.18.20 Regular Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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City Council Meeting Minutes August 18, 2020 make the best decisions on protecting neighborhoods in the final revisions of the Land Development Code. Karen Brown spoke on the Land Development Code. She is aware of the effort labeled "Affordable Housing" that calls for significant revisions to the Land Development Code. She and her husband are heavily involved in volunteer efforts to assist economically disadvantaged members of the community. Many developers are destroying neighborhoods by building large apartment complexes and business properties in existing neighborhoods, driving up taxes which makes it difficult for low and even middle-income people to continue to live in their neighborhoods. Some are asking the Council to dilute the Land Development Code in the interest of providing "Affordable Housing". She feels this weakens the Land Development Code and will do more to enrich developers than to benefit the economically disadvantaged in our community. She want Council to continue to make the best decisions for protecting residents in their neighborhoods in their final revisions of the Land Development Code. Kimberly Meitzen, spoke on the City Council's original vote for the removal of Cape's Dam. Council has been informed of the science on the ecological benefits of removing Cape's Dam and she shared statistics on low head dam related deaths in Texas (20 total since 1995) and specifically the San Marcos River (7 deaths since 1995 with one of those occurring at the mill race falls in 2017). Council already had to approve costly repairs for Rio Vista Dam, and will continue to do so each time it is damaged by flooding. Cape's Dam needs to be removed. Why when multiple agencies are working extensively to acquire grants for environmental enhancement of this reach would the City of San Marcos disregard them and make a decision to continue harming and degrading the health of the San Marcos River by repairing a dam that no longer serves its intended purpose? Why decide to sustain (and maintain) a structural hazard in the San Marcos River? Why make a decision that will continue to spend taxpayer's money on future repairs (which will be required)? The City of San Marcos can have an east side river park that commemorates the settlement history of this region and we can tell that story without continuing to degrade the San Marcos River by keeping it dammed. Griffin Spell, spoke in support of the recommendations made by the Planning & Zoning Commission, the Historic Preservation Commission, and members of the Department of Planning and Development Services for amendments to the City's Development Code (Item 26). Unfortunately, the City is in competition with numerous out-of-town investors with deep pockets, who are City of San Marcos Page 3