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I 1 Background Sector 2 is primarily a residen- tial area comprised mostly of sin- gle- family homes. It has large amounts of vacant land, particularly in the areas west of the Westover neighborhood and along Ranch Road 12 near Craddock Ave, The Westover and Southwest Hills neighborhoods have more rentals and some duplexes, while the newer Castle Forest and Franklin Square neighborhoods, as well as the older Oak Heights neighbor- hood, are more owner - occupied. Sector 2 is located in the north- west portion of the city, including 1.26 square miles (about 7% of the city) and encompassing Greater Castle Forest, Oak Heights, South- west Hills, Weatherford Heights and portions of the Westover neighborhood. The sector is gen- erally bounded by Ranch Road 12, Midway & Prospect Streets and the city limits. Sector 2 includes the San Marcos City Cemetery. Sector 2 includes some areas above the Balcones Escarpment near Ranch Road 12, and gradually steps down to the Blacklland Prai- rie in a series of two bluffs to the south and east. The area is charac- terized by rocky, shallow soil. Most of the vacant land is brushy pas- ture. Wonder World Park and its fault -line cave is adjacent to Sector 2. Additional caves in the Sector include Ezell's Cave, owned by the Nature Conservancy, and another cave on private land. Sector 2 also includes the 9 acre Prospect Pre- serve and 30 acres of another adjacent preserve. Topography ranges from 641 feet to 812 feet. The northwestern and southwest- ern portions of the sector lies in the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone with the remainder in the 5cctor 2 Technical Update May 1, 2007 Navigating the Sector 2 Update: Future Land Use Existing Zoning Sector Demographics Thoroughfare Plan Future Implementation Sector Goals: The growing Franklin Square • "Walkable ", pedestrian - friendly neighborhood in northern Sector 2 neighborhoods Transition Zone. Sector 2 is lo- cated in the Purgatory Creek watershed. Sector 2 is not as heavily influ- enced by the university, with higher percentages of family house- holds, single - family dwellings, owner - occupied units, and a higher median age and household size. Major Changes and Accomplishments The City adopted a new Land Development Code in 2004, which contained several new policies inspired by goals listed in the Sec- tor 2 Plan as well as other sectors. The standards providing significant impact to Sector 2 in furthering its goals include residential landscap- ing requirements, lighting standards and screening between incompati- ble land uses. New development is required to include pedestrian - friendly features such as sidewalks and trails. 2006 saw the end to a city-wide rezoning process following adop- tion of the new Land Development Code in 2004, better synchronizing the Zoning Map with the Future Land Use Map. Implementation of the Future Land Use Map appears most notably on the zoning map through establishment of public use zoning in the western portion of the sector for use as open space near the proposed Wonder World Drive. Also, implementation ap- pears on a more micro level throughout the Greater Castle Forest neighborhood with estab- lishment of new parks. The only significant difference between the two maps pertains to the Weatherford Tract and the areas near the intersection of Bishop Street and Craddock Avenue. With the recent completion of Craddock Avenue, zoning changes are more likely and should compli- ment the Future Land Use Map. The Weatherford Tract at the southeast corner of Craddock Avenue and Ranch Road 12 has a mix of single - family residential zoning and planned development district, while the Future Land Use Map reflects commercial at the corner with medium - density resi- dential surrounding. Overall, the future land use designations and zoning reflects the existing family- oriented charac- ter of the sector, with develop- ment of commercial and mixed use properties expected as the resi- dential population grows. Franklin Square, in the northwestern por- tion of the sector, continues to grow with a traditional neighbor- hood format and represents the Recently completed improvements along Craddock Avenue majority of new housing in the western portions of San Marcos. Construction of Wonder World Drive should begin Winter 2008. Craddock Avenue was re- cently completed and includes medians and a bicycle /pedestrian path. Summer 2006 saw the com- pletion of much of the street grid in the Oak Heights and Southwest Hills neighborhoods, though por- tions of Hillyer and Nevada Streets were excluded. Also, sidewalks were added among the neighbor- hoods and particularly near Crock- ett Elementary School. In addition, an ADA trail is being developed in the Purgatory Greenspace. • Safe, well connected bicycling routes on all major streets • Traffic calming to reduce "Cut - through" traffic • Improved internal circulation in new commercial development to prevent traffic problems common in "strip commercial development • Context - sensitive street design giving equal value to vehicular movement, community aesthetics, pedestrian and cyclist safety, and streets should not sacrifice safety of neighborhood residents for additional traffic and higher speeds • Establish bicycling routes on all major streets to connect neighbor- hoods with desirable destinations • Promote interconnected street grid in future development, including completion of existing grid • "Neighborhood friendly" develop- ment mitigating negative impacts of higher intensity uses • Preserve & enhance visual character through variety of design require- ments • Promote high quality, attractive development along Wonder World Drive, Craddock Avenue, Bishop Street and Ranch Road 12 as com- munity gateways City of San Marcos, Texas Planning & Development Services