The San Marcos River may see new Student Housing

The San Marcos river may be the site of new student apartments, YNN Austin reports.  The area is about 23 acres along the San Marcos River, east of I-35.  It is one of the last undeveloped spots of land along the river and the developer plans 300 high-end student apartments for the area.

The developer says the land is very attractive not only because it is next to the river, but because it also is close to downtown and to I-35.  The land is already zoned for future development and in the San Marcos master plan, it is recommended that the land be used for multi-family construction.

However, apartment zoning is a very divisive issue in San Marcos right now and the neighbors of the property are concerned with how a change to student apartments could change the character of the neighborhood.  They worry that student apartments would cause the area to become more student-friendly and drive families away.

Other nearby residents are concerned about the environmental impact of the development on the river, but the developer says the apartments would be sited away from the river, on an area that is currently an empty field.  The riverbank would remain in its natural state and in fact would have trails that would connect to the city's park system.