Downtown Mobility Hub in San Marcos

January/February 2020 Main Street Matters

By Josie Faletta, Main Street Manager, San Marcos

In 2015, a vacant lot sat in the middle of Downtown San Marcos. Previously home to Sunshine Cleaners, the city acquired the lot but didn’t make immediate moves due to the fact that it was a brownfield site from years of leached cleaning chemicals. The empty, underutilized space became an unintended pet relief area, and was leaning toward blight when several community members decided to dream big. This is the story of how a literal trash pit was transformed into San Marcos’ brand new Downtown Mobility Hub, which opened November 18, 2019. It’s also a lesson on the importance of community-driven and supported placemaking projects, and the role Main Street Programs can play as facilitators and change-makers.

In 2016, Main Street’s Economic Vitality Committee identified the empty lot at 214 E. Hutchison Street as their primary project for the year. The committee began generating ideas, and the concept of a downtown mobility hub was formed. The Design Committee was brought in to brainstorm potential amenities for the space, and the committees worked together to build a vision. The Advisory Board at the time included a City Council member who was passionate about multi-modal transportation, and she helped carry the project when Main Street presented it to council. This support was integral to the success of the project, as it was developed and backed by community members, who were empowered to become the staunchest champions of the mobility hub.

Before and After.jpg

In 2018, three years after the original spark, the Downtown Mobility Hub was included in the Fiscal Year 2019 budget as a Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) project, and we celebrated the ribbon cutting this past November! The mini park now features seating and shade structures, a mobility-focused mural, and native plant species. It has electrical outlets throughout to support events. It hosts a bike corral, air pump, and repair station. The water fountain has streams for people, dogs, and water bottles. There is still a pet relief area! This one is grassy and includes signage, baggies, and a trash receptacle. The lot also includes three parking spaces, though future plans call for installation of an electric charging station, and promotion of priority parking for rideshare.

It’s now 2020, and we know that a space is only as successful as its activation. To that end, our program is busy planning for ways to bring the public to their new Mobility Hub. In December, we decorated one of the shade structures with lighting, ornaments, mistletoe, and greenery for the holidays. For February, we’re planning a Love Downtown décor theme. We have initiated partnerships with our San Marcos Arts Commission for potential public art initiatives and our San Marcos Public Library to curate the Little Free Library we are in the process of building. Our team added the Downtown Mobility Hub as a Google location, so that it can be geotagged on social media.

In short, the work doesn’t end! The staff, board, and community members who developed this idea are not all still in the picture, yet we carry their legacy forward. This is the beauty of Main Street, the sometimes – minute progress of incremental change. We each have our part to play in that process. Perhaps you are the one who sparks an idea which will become a successful project five years down the road. Maybe you’ll be fortunate enough to see the completion of a project, and have the opportunity to do the “fun stuff” like build a little library or dream up seasonal art installations. Wherever you are in that process, I wish you all the best!

Additional information

Ribbon Cutting Event

Ribbon Cutting Event

Timeline:

  • 2016 – several groups of community activists begin separately brainstorming alternate uses for a tiny, city-owned vacant lot

  • 2017 – Task Force is determined by City Council, community input collected, design rendered by consultant Kimley-Horn

  • 2018 – the Downtown Mobility Hub is included in FY 2019 CIP Budget

  • 2019 – Mobility Hub is constructed summer 2019

  • November 18, 2019 – ribbon cutting for newly completed Downtown Mobility Hub

  • Present – Main Street works to activate space

Amenities:

  • 3 parking spaces

  • Water fountain for people, 4-legged pets, and water bottles

  • Bike corral parking x2

  • Bike repair station

  • Bike air pump

  • Mural – mobility focus

  • Green space

  • Picnic tables

  • Shade

  • Electricity

  • Dog waste station

  • Trash and recycling receptacles x2 of each

  • Rain garden

  • Native plants, trees, and flowers