Visitors to San Marcos’ vibrant North City neighborhood will instantly notice the new downtown district’s cool vibe, modern architecture, bustling energy and ‘green’ footprint.
Artful succulent plantings and green infrastructure solutions hint at the numerous elements of sustainability incorporated into the district’s design above ground. And there’s plenty of innovation beneath the feet of foodies visiting the area’s vibrant eateries, families relaxing in the airy outdoor spaces and Cal State San Marcos students walking to class when school’s in session.
Yet with just 25 percent of the overall North City project currently developed, there’s even more excitement on the horizon. The completed project will include 1,500+ new housing units (both single-family and higher density residential units), new retailers, innovative office and commercial spaces, community events and a 20-acre Discovery Park in North City’s residential community west of Twin Oaks Valley Road.
At the foundation of it all is state-of-the-art green infrastructure. A high-tech stormwater management system is built-in under the sidewalks and medians. The City of San Marcos, in partnership with developer Sea Breeze Properties and Stevens Cresto Engineering, installed 80 trees and 1,200 innovative modular suspended pavement units called DeepRoot Silva Cells, (along with inlets and storm drains), which collect and treat urban runoff. Special grates and soils designed for biofiltration enable the capture and treatment of urban runoff and retain it to nourish the trees.
The new technology increases water conservation and reduces the amount of potable water that’s needed for irrigation. The San Diego region typically gets 10 inches of rainfall each year, yet April brought nearly half of the average yearly rainfall in just six days. Thanks to North City’s new innovative footprint, more than 80,000 gallons of stormwater were captured and treated through bioretention offered by Silva Cells, significantly improving the quality of stormwater runoff. The system helps keep San Marcos waterways clean by reducing the amount of runoff and pollution that flows into our creeks, streams and the ocean.
This kind of innovation and sustainable infrastructure are key benchmarks for the future as San Marcos continues to grow. Expect to see more mixed-use, green infrastructure development projects in the near future, including: North City West, Discovery Park and El Dorado Apartments.
Here’s how to stay up to date on North City and the latest City of San Marcos projects
