SAN MARCOS, Texas — San Marcos has created a Workforce Housing Task Force to address the city's housing gap.

Around 30 percent of housing in San Marcos is owner-occupied, according to the San Marcos Planning Department.

"We really have one of the lowest rates of owner occupancy certainly in the area," Planning Manager Abby Gillfillan said. "One of the things about home ownership is it adds some stability to a community.”

The problem is the median San Marcos family income is not enough to afford the average home.

"So, with $46,000, you can pretty much afford a home that's $150,000-$154,000. The median home price in San Marcos in 2017 according to the Multiple Listing Service was somewhere around $200,000," Gillfillan said.

That's where the new workforce housing task force comes in. It's comprised of community members hoping to provide diverse housing choices.

"Not everybody wants to make the choice to own a home but as people do, we want to make sure that those housing options are available for people who want to make that choice of home ownership," Gillfillan said.

Gillfillan said the statewide average of owner-occupied homes is opposite of San Marcos, with 70 percent of Texans owning their home.

"We want to make sure particularly for people who do want to stay that we are able to provide good housing choices that make San Marcos an attractive place to live and stay for a long time," Gillfillan said.

The task force hopes to have recommendations for city council in fall 2019.