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City Council Meeting Minutes June 25, 2020 <br />Hughson noted that much of this area is already zoned such that tall buildings <br />are allowed. <br />Mr. Winter will look at what is permitted. He will look at this as being a design <br />use instead of a land use issue. <br />Council Member Gonzales inquired about the Victory Gardens area off <br />Guadalupe Street; he wants to make sure we protect these neighbors and have <br />proper transition. Traffic impact is a concern in this area. Consensus by the <br />Council and Commission is to look at transition areas and ensure we protect <br />residential areas that are in and next to the developing downtown. <br />Discussion Questions: <br />#1 Are there any other design topics you would like to see addressed in this <br />project? Are there any design topics that should be strengthened in this <br />project? <br />Council Member Derrick asked Mr. Winter to look at our town and tell us <br />what will bind us seamlessly to having this transition from the Approach, <br />University Edge, to Downtown? What one design element would help connect <br />these areas seamlessly? Mr. Winter will work on this. <br />Mayor Hughson noted simple things could be done to make a building fit in. <br />On the Texas State campus, the Jackson Hall dormitory was a 12 -story white <br />box. A few years ago it was repainted beige and with brown stripes painted <br />horizontally to make it look similar to the LBJ Student Center next door. <br />Little things can make a big difference. <br />Council Member Baker noted the idea was mentioned of design excellence, <br />that these are minimums in most things, but he would like a clear statement as <br />to what design excellence means to us. What can we use as a city to incentivize <br />those design standards. Look at corridors and how they may utilize massing <br />and transition when going into downtown. Can we bring historical landmarks <br />to life? Consensus by the Council and Commission is to have a statement that <br />we seek overall historical in nature to some extent. <br />Commissioner Haverland is concerned about making such constrained <br />guidelines that we would lose some flexibility in future development. Mayor <br />said this can be addressed after we have the report and we refine the wording. <br />Mr. Winter stated that we weren't specific enough in certain areas before, but <br />this does not mean dictating standards down to the doorknobs. <br />City of San Marcos Page 10 <br />