Protect the River protests tax incentive for $267M film studio at San Marcos City Hall

“This all started with the news that the city council voted to provide a film studio tax incentives to build on the La Cima development on the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone,” said Protect the River organizer Xandria Quichocho. “That is the piece that city council actually has the power to change and amend at this moment. The goal is to get them to reconsider this tax incentive.”

Quichocho wished the city was more transparent with residents when it comes to agreements like the movie studio.

During the protest, different members of Protect the River went up the city hall steps and addressed the crowd on why they love the river and why it’s important to them. One person that spoke to the over 150 people was San Marcos City Council member Maxfield Baker.

Listening to speakers.

Photo by Gabriel Romero

Baker said the tax incentive will be reviewed again at the July 5 city council meeting because council members Saul Gonzales and Alyssa Garza chose to review the economic incentive. He added that at the August city council meeting, there will be a discussion of the recharge zone and water sustainability moving forward, to which the crowd roared in response.

Council member Maxfield Baker speaking to the Protect the River group.

Photo by Gabriel Romero

“I think one of the things that I was frustrated with, and I think a lot of people here today are frustrated with, is we’re literally incentivizing someone to build on the recharge zone,” Baker said. “It’s not that they could do it by right it’s that we’re giving them a big tax break to do it. So you know, when will the project be built without that tax break? We don’t know, would you see the same economic benefits? Probably.”

People brought and created signs in front of San Marcos City Hall.

Photo by Gabriel Romero

On June 7, city council approved a Chapter 380 Economic Development Incentive agreement with Hill Country Group LLC that will allow the group’s $267 million, 820,000-square-foot movie studio facility to be built, according to a MySA report. The studio will be on the La Cima property and is expected to be completed by August 2025.

Brittany Martin, from San Marcos, actually moved to the city a few years ago solely off her love of the San Marcos River.

“I love the city. I care a lot about the river and the wildlife there. It is an important part of the city,” Martin said during the protest. “I have enough trouble affording rent and having a film studio here in the city would raise rent even more, we don’t need that here.”

MySA reached out to the City of San Marcos for comment.