THE SAN MARCOS GREEN ALLEY INITIATIVE

Often overlooked, alleys are resilient pieces of infrastructure, readily adapting over centuries to meet the needs of the current day. Today, North American cities of all sizes are increasingly converting gray alleys to green infrastructure. Inspired by this movement, as well as the local efforts for Downtown Vitality, Stormwater Management, and City plans for alley reconstructions, The San Marcos Green Alley Initiative is the collective effort of local advocates to support a comprehensive 21st century vision for Green Alleys in San Marcos.

With a pristine river ecosystem just east of downtown, growing demands for more liveable, walkable environments, and increasing climate and social crises, downtown alleys in San Marcos are revealed through this initiative to be powerful stormwater tools - with the capacity to capture nearly half a million gallons of stormwater and filter over 10,720 pounds of total suspended solids a year if converted to green reconstructions. This potential is further augmented by the social and economic benefits that can result from the quality of improved public space as further demonstrated by this visioning effort.

Today, the Green Alley Initiative team is working closely with the City of San Marcos to encourage adoption and design of Green Alleys in downtown San Marcos. The Kissing Alley Capitol Improvements Project, which is scheduled to start construction in 2025, is serving as a pilot project for the use of permeable pavers in alleyways - but community outreach to gather support for the larger project is still ongoing. If you or your organization wish to learn more about getting involved with this effort, please contact us!

The San Marcos Green Alley Initiative document was prepared by Tristan Roger and Sarah Simpson of Colorspace and is a collaborative effort with Elizabeth Arceneaux, P.E., Environmental Engineer and Aspen Navarro with The Meadows Center for Water and The Environment. To date, the concept has been endorsed by the San Marcos River Foundation, Downtown Association of San Marcos, San Marcos Greenbelt Alliance, Sustainable San Marcos, San Marcos Chamber of Commerce, Mermaid Society of Texas, Greater San Marcos Partnership, and The Hill Country Alliance.

To download the document, please fill out the form below.