Brian Alg said:

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Pivoting from this to putting taxpayers on the hook for development in Midtown.

Looks like you are good, though. Probably all clear to spend a ton.

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Some folks can't stand any victory, I suppose. Rezoning doesn't cost money. Partnering with outside business doesn't cost money. Tax relief doesn't cost money. That area is prime for development and you're wringing your hands?

Brian Alg said:

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Pivoting from this to putting taxpayers on the hook for development in Midtown.

Looks like you are good, though. Probably all clear to spend a ton.

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I'm not in the loop enough to know what they are, but if they City previously made commitments regarding Midtown they should honor them. It's not right to hang everyone who bought in Midtown out to dry because you changed your mind.

Whether or not they should have made those commitments is a different argument.

Richleau12 said:

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Brian Alg said:

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Pivoting from this to putting taxpayers on the hook for development in Midtown.

Looks like you are good, though. Probably all clear to spend a ton.

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Some folks can't stand any victory, I suppose. Rezoning doesn't cost money. Partnering with outside business doesn't cost money. Tax relief doesn't cost money. That area is prime for development and you're wringing your hands?

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Alg will never be happy. I can't understand why someone would choose to live here when they clearly hate being here.

ElephantRider said:

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Richleau12 said:

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Brian Alg said:

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Pivoting from this to putting taxpayers on the hook for development in Midtown.

Looks like you are good, though. Probably all clear to spend a ton.

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Some folks can't stand any victory, I suppose. Rezoning doesn't cost money. Partnering with outside business doesn't cost money. Tax relief doesn't cost money. That area is prime for development and you're wringing your hands?

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Alg will never be happy. I can't understand why someone would choose to live here when they clearly hate everything about this place.

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"No matter where you go, there you are." Perhaps some can never be happy regardless of location.

An echo chamber is as worthless as the internet paper it is printed on. I appreciate Algs viewpoints and participation.

Stucco said:

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An echo chamber is as worthless as the internet paper it is printed on. I appreciate Algs viewpoints and participation.

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No doubt. I appreciate Alg's viewpoint. I'm just so damn ready to see the acres of land between Pebble Creek and Wood Creek get filled in with businesses, restaurants, and shops that bring real value to South College Station. There's lots of demand and that area can become something really special. A small music venue, entertainment options, a walkable downtown main street style development could easily be had. That area is ripe and has been for years. Rezoning it to fill that void will be a huge step in creating real quality of life for the area and perhaps those with negative views of the town, might have their hearts melted with the quality.

Downtown?

College Station?

Those words don't go together.

I always thought of Northgate as Downtown. It's a shame seeing what's happening to it.

Bob Yancy said:

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ElephantRider said:

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BTU and CSU average load are both 400ish MW, and CSU is completely dependent upon BTU for transmission. All of our import comes from either the old switchyard at Gibbons (five circuits, I think, of 138) or Jack Creek up in Edge (two circuits of 138). Jack Creek ties directly to Oak Grove and Blue Jay interconnects at a BEC 138 station that is tied to Gibbons.

ERCOT has signed of on the BTU/TNMP proposal to run two circuits of 345 between Twin Oak in Bremond and the BTU station at RELLIS

Tenaska Frontier is tricky, because it's a dual-grid plant. It can provide power to ERCOT and MISO, but not at the same time. It must completely disconnect from one before connecting to the other, and MISO (Entergy) is much better
connected in the area.

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Two 345 kw overhead transmission lines cost $8.2 million a mile, require exhaustive regulatory approval, and would've likely taken a decade to get in there. That means for ten years those residents (two entire subdivisions and the Langford) would've lived in the fear and uncertainty of what's to come. Their property values would've likely taken a hit for the same reasons- fear and uncertainty. They likely would've been stuck not being able to sell and recapture equity and it would've gone on long after this staff and council were gone. The potential buyer is not a data center general contractor and there's no telling how many times the property would've traded hands before we had a clue who the end user was going to be.

It would've been an enduring testament to a bad strategic decision and it was a mistake to enter contract negotiations without consulting the citizens first.

It was an unforced error that should've never occurred. My expectation is that accountability will be had, and that major modifications to our procedures, particularly entering NDAs, will be made.

As one member of council, I formally apologize to the citizens and simultaneously thank them for bringing the facts forward.

Saying "the right decision was made in the end" is not enough. Full stop. We must do better and I want you all to know I feel that way. For what it's worth.

Respectfully, transparently, and apologetically,

Yancy '95

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Serious question, not rhetorical. When is staff going to be called to task for such incredible incompetence or worse, deviance? By deviance I mean a willingness to do harm to the community in order to build a resume for personal gain and promotion. If the city manager is not looking for a new job soon, I don't believe council is serious about correcting a multitude of unforced errors. And stop believing what staff is telling you. Get outside council to represent the city council and protect our interests against a rogue staff. The city attorney is only protecting the city manager and that's become very obvious.

As part of your open records request, did you ask for the city manager's ost recent contract extension? We need that info to be ,add public given what a terrible job he has done.

They are putting in a big one in the north Brazos valley, Leon county close to lake limestone. Almost 1k acres of prime hunting and ranching land will be gone soon. Sick of these damn things

When I left the council meeting in September, I told my wife on the way home I think we won the battle and lost the war.

This is a national issue. They tried to sneak one into an overeducated community and it failed miserably.

No surprise the topic of data centers have been coming up in my feed after we all researched before the meeting last September. They are going up everywhere and really fast.

What's not going up really fast is increased power generating capacity. I read Colorado just announces they are phasing out natural gas in homes over the next 10 years. Lets see how well that works out. They are getting a bunch of datacenters built in Colorado.

Tailgate88 said:

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Quote:

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BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) - Less than two weeks into the new year, city leaders in Bryan and College Station said they are working to make 2026 another productive year for both cities.

The City of College Station

College Station Mayor John Nichols said officials are planning several major changes to roads and areas around town, particularly near Texas A&M University.

…

The mayor added there will be more conversations this year about a potential data center in College Station and where it might be located.

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Bryan and College Station each set several citywide goals for 2026
https://www.kbtx.com/2026/01/12/bryan-college-station-each-set-several-citywide-goals-2026/

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This is why CoCS keeps building Taj Mahals

The KBTX story mischaracterized what Mayor Nichols actually said.

The Mayor said we're looking at regulations that might need to be in place if private property is targeted for a data center. The City is NOT considering or discussing any data centers and is certainly not trying to get a data center. We are looking at regulations to ensure no data centers could come into our City, especially on land we don't own or control.

Colin Killian
City of College Station Public Communications

Wow. That is essentially the exact opposite of what the story implied. I would be asking them for a public retraction / correction because as it's written it must have upset some citizens. Thanks for the clarification.

Wow. KBTX gets something wrong. LOL.

cstx-Killian said:

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The KBTX story mischaracterized what Mayor Nichols actually said.

The Mayor said we're looking at regulations that might need to be in place if private property is targeted for a data center. The City is NOT considering or discussing any data centers and is certainly not trying to get a data center. We are looking at regulations to ensure no data centers could come into our City, especially on land we don't own or control.

Colin Killian
City of College Station Public Communications

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Colin,
Please publish the complete transcript , in its entirity, of the Mayor's comments. Sadly, I have no trust in city officials or staff these days. These comments are a huge setback. If KBTX mis-quoted him, they should correct that publicly, including both their airways and this forum.
I look forward to reading exactly what the Mayor said.

Killian:
Mayor said we're looking at regulations, that might need to be in place if private property is targeted for a data center. The City is NOT considering or discussing any data centers and is certainly not trying to get a data center. We are looking at regulations to ensure no data centers could come into our City, especially on land we don't own or control.

Nichols:
While the city is not currently considering any data center proposals, Mayor Nichols said behind the scenes, the city could discuss city regulations for data centers and where they can be placed.
"The only thing we'll be revisiting on data centers is our regulations with respect to data centers, where they can be placed," Nichols said.

Still seems contradictory, like Nichols still wants one, and Killian says not in my city.

UhOhNoAgTag said:

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Killian:
Mayor said we're looking at regulations, that might need to be in place if private property is targeted for a data center. The City is NOT considering or discussing any data centers and is certainly not trying to get a data center. We are looking at regulations to ensure no data centers could come into our City, especially on land we don't own or control.

Nichols:
While the city is not currently considering any data center proposals, Mayor Nichols said behind the scenes, the city could discuss city regulations for data centers and where they can be placed.
"The only thing we'll be revisiting on data centers is our regulations with respect to data centers, where they can be placed," Nichols said.

Still seems contradictory, like Nichols still wants one, and Killian says not in my city.

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The mayor clearly bemoaned the loss of income the last Data Center would have brought the city*, in his interview with WTAW. This hasn't changed. Killian is simply saying "We don't say that part out loud. The simpletons might be listening."

*to our Mayor, and senior staff, the city does not include neighborhoods in particular, or residents in general. Ruining Spring Meadows? Sure, why not. Destroy MidTown? They're always wanting something to justify the extra taxes they pay. Crybabies.