After four years of planning, the San Marcos City Council passed the final reading of Code SMTX. The new land development code offers updated rules and regulation for land use in San Marcos, TX, located approximately 30 miles south of downtown Austin.

Since 2012, 1,800 single-family homes and 13,000 apartment and condo units have been built, which is why the city began planning its new code in 2014. According to Planning Manager Abby Gillfillan, the code offers protections for both current neighborhoods and “neighborhoods that don’t exist now,” she told KXAN-TV.

A good portion of the San Marcos population rents, rather than owns, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. More than 70% of homes and apartments in the city are rentals.

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