Howdy!

Before we get too far down this path, please give me a "right track, wrong track" assessment on the following:

Sports Anchored Business Park @ College Station's Midtown (300 acres)

1) Business park consisting of higher density office lots with a focus on small to medium sized businesses (SMBs) with an economic development overlay in cooperation with the Greater Brazos Partnership (GBP). In the event larger businesses want in, flexibility for combining lots for larger buildings allowed. Strong marketing campaign entices job creators to "locate your HQ here." Fountain. Trails. Greenspace. Vibe. Jobs jobs jobs. Sell the lots to generate property tax revenue.

2) Youth Baseball and Softball Complex, designed right. Ground lease the land in a mostly private sector development. Conveys back to taxpayer upon expiration of lease. During ensuing decades, private sector management and maintenance. Public Private Partnership (P3) promotion of facility for travel ball tournament destination.

3) Mixed Use Retail on the 28 acres next to Costco, and incentivized at the Town Lake Drive and Midtown Drive intersection area. (Near and around the Midtown Lake (big pond, really)) Restaurants, shops, walkable.

4) Texas Independence Park - press on with current plan, with a focus on connectivity, particularly pedestrian connectivity between Texas Independence Park and the Midtown Sports & Business Park.

5) City to make further infrastructure investment in the district it insisted on creating over a decade ago. Specifically:

a) Connect Town Lake to the highway. Wake the area up. Commit to connectivity.

b) city invests in district gateway signage that was highlighted as so crucial by our own consultant years ago. (See image).

c) Brand the Rock Prairie water tower when it's due for repainting.

d) complete the full width of Midtown Drive on a reasonable timeline because, well, it's awkward and arguably unsafe.

So, there you have it. Council has discussed all of these items in part and parcel, but a mini-planning / visioning session is about to kick off for Midtown and I thought an encapsulation of those discussions was warranted in a clean, new post.

Please think on this. Please give constructive feedback. While we've discussed these in fits and starts, this is the plan I feel we should pursue at this time, and I want your thoughts, please.

Respectfully

Yancy '95

Valen said:

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Councilman, this comes straight from the consultants the city hired to help the city with their economic development master plan. Do you think there could be space inside your business park to help young entrepreneurs? Do you think this would address some of the threats being highlighted by the consultants when it comes to growth as well as young professionals?

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Valen Cepak yes, TIP Strategies has held up a mirror and while we don't like what we see, the truth hurts sometimes and the mirror never lies- except in department store dressing rooms and the circus.

We need to look to job creation as, for the most part, we haven't incentivized many primary jobs in College Station, Texas since Fujifilm, while the City of Bryan has secured thousands of good paying jobs.

We can fix that for the benefit of the entire BCS community. It just takes political will. I won't stop banging the drum til we succeed or the citizens send me home.

Respectfully

Yancy '95

It was mentioned in your first point, but I'd like to emphasize that the City should take a more proactive and aggressive approach to recruiting new businesses and jobs to College Station.

We have one of the largest and most talented universities in the country right in our backyard. We need to do more to retain that talent here, rather than educating students only to send them off to major metro areas.
From what I understand, the City's current approach tends to be reactive, waiting for opportunities to come to them, rather than actively seeking out and pursuing those opportunities. That mindset needs to shift.

We should be reaching out to businesses first and showing them why College Station is worth their investment and risk.

Additionally, TAMU students shouldn't have to leave for major cities just to gain internships and long term careers. Those opportunities should exist right here in College Station.

I realize this may be beyond what you initially asked, but my hope is that Midtown can serve as a catalyst for this vision.

hydes11 said:

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It was mentioned in your first point, but I'd like to emphasize that the City should take a more proactive and aggressive approach to recruiting new businesses and jobs to College Station.

We have one of the largest and most talented universities in the country right in our backyard. We need to do more to retain that talent here, rather than educating students only to send them off to major metro areas.
From what I understand, the City's current approach tends to be reactive, waiting for opportunities to come to them, rather than actively seeking out and pursuing those opportunities. That mindset needs to shift.

We should be reaching out to businesses first and showing them why College Station is worth their investment and risk.

Additionally, TAMU students shouldn't have to leave for major cities just to gain internships and long term careers. Those opportunities should exist right here in College Station.

I realize this may be beyond what you initially asked, but my hope is that Midtown can serve as a catalyst for this vision.

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Could not have been more perfectly stated thank you

Respectfully

Yancy '95

UhOhNoAgTag said:

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Wasn't that plan retired last year due to lack of activity/interest?

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Inside City Hall, yes- but apparently not among the public where Midtown is concerned. And the medical piece is the only part that went according to the original plan. Thank you, Baylor Scott & White for forever changing and improving the landscape for healthcare in our community.

Respectfully

Yancy '95

hydes11 said:

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Additionally, TAMU students shouldn't have to leave for major cities just to gain internships and long term careers. Those opportunities should exist right here in College Station.

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To add to that, they WANT to stay here. They would even take less pay to be here, there are just very few opportunities. So many have to leave to go to Houston/DFW/S.A. to get a start with the hope to come back after they get 20 yrs of experience.

It would be amazing for CS to have a strong, vibrant young professional community. The desire for them to stay is STRONG.

Love the idea of keeping as much TAMU talent here as possible - they want to stay but the city has targeted them as the cause of all our problems and many can't wait to get out of here.

Jobs are a good start but we also have to have places for them to live that aren't apartments filled with undergrads and they can BUY into - thus creating roots and commitment to the community. We can't continue only wanting to build homes over 500k and expect to have anything but an aging retirement types community with frozen tax rates (over 65) overburdening the next generation

txgardengirl said:

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Love the idea of keeping as much TAMU talent here as possible - they want to stay but the city has targeted them as the cause of all our problems and many can't wait to get out of here.

Jobs are a good start but we also have to have places for them to live that aren't apartments filled with undergrads and they can BUY into - thus creating roots and commitment to the community. We can't continue only wanting to build homes over 500k and expect to have anything but an aging retirement types community with frozen tax rates (over 65) overburdening the next generation

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Those over 65 have paid into the system long enough and are on a limited income.

UhOhNoAgTag said:

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txgardengirl said:

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Love the idea of keeping as much TAMU talent here as possible - they want to stay but the city has targeted them as the cause of all our problems and many can't wait to get out of here.

Jobs are a good start but we also have to have places for them to live that aren't apartments filled with undergrads and they can BUY into - thus creating roots and commitment to the community. We can't continue only wanting to build homes over 500k and expect to have anything but an aging retirement types community with frozen tax rates (over 65) overburdening the next generation

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Those over 65 have paid into the system long enough and are on a limited income.

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I have no problem with the tax freeze. I just don't want us piling on additional fees on those younger than 65 as they try to make their way, which we are doing unfortunately. Impact fees, parks dedication fees and heavier developer requirements in infrastructure all inure to the detriment of people trying to buy a home today, and weren't assessed at all and/or to the same degree when I bought my first home.

Slowly but steadily, our housing market has been the frog in the heated water. Now it's come to a boil and it's time to take the pot off the burner.

Respectfully

Yancy '95

Bob, you know my opinion on this as I've mentioned it in discussion…

We need some mechanism by which we attract these up and coming tech companies. We need to lean in and press on this to make it happen.

Just saying we want it, and attracting another call center like Wayfair, Decision One, or ViaSat isn't what you need.

Pardon me for being blunt, but the same guys who thought the data center was a good idea frankly aren't the team to make that happen.

travii99 said:

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I love it. Thank you Mr. Yancy for your continued efforts here!

I would like to respond to the connectivity aspect of the discussion. Spring Meadows and Woodland Hills has a nice emergency connector road between them that has direct access to the 300 acres. I would LOVE to see incorporated into this plan a pedestrian bridge and trail connecting these two neighborhoods with the new development in the 300 acres for ease of access, improved pedestrian/bike mobility and increased trail system. See the red line in the image:

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I noticed that the other day. Public safety could have unbelievably quick access without punching corporate parkway through. That was always self-imposed.

By the time you connect trails with the neighborhoods and the sports anchored business park and Texas Independence Park, you've got a fantastic trailway system second to none!

Fun stuff to contemplate! How truly special this area could be.

Respectfully

Yancy '95

Bob, thanks for putting this together. This ticks most of my boxes and I believe would really help reduce some of the RPMD tax burden for those of us living in Midtown. I just got my bill which exceeds $3600. Thank goodness I'm a senior and can spread payments over 6 months. I can only imagine how hard this is on our neighbors who are first-time home buyers!

We really appreciate you!

In addition to the baseball fields and road extension, I'd like to see an "adult" version of Century Square out south. The area around Midtown lake is the perfect spot.

UhOhNoAgTag said:

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In addition to the baseball fields and road extension, I'd like to see an "adult" version of Century Square out south. The area around Midtown lake is the perfect spot.

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The private sector is working on that actively. The private sector is also on the ballfields and only want minority participation from the city, and land- which you guys are often eager for the city to divest the taxpayer of anyway. The SMBs that go into the biz park, if we do it and I hope we do, will fund and build their own sites and pay their taxes (less perhaps, subject to council approval, modest incentives). The Midtown developer is ready to pay his half of Town Lake Drive connecting to the highway.

If we play our cards right, we can make a silk purse from a sow's ear, increase the QOL and the tax base and the employment base and leverage mutually beneficial private sector partnerships to get there.

I'm hopeful. As one member of council.

Respectfully yours,

Bob Yancy '95

I'm not going to speak for other grads, but I graduated in 22 and will get my master's in 26.

I'll put it simply, there's something special here. I've been all over the world and have stories to tell with unique experiences from all over the place. I also had a great gig going for me in my hometown, had a decent reputation, and relationships with most.

I chose to stay here and have been here since 2017 because I truly fell in love with this place. There's a reason Forbes and so many others rank this place as the number 1 place for people to retire to. For a lot of returning Aggies, it's to return to the place they remember being the happiest. I've had the same experience; I've fallen in love with this place because of the community, because of the way people encourage one another and want others to succeed. It's the reason we have one of the most active and most successful chambers of commerce in the country.

I don't have family here, I don't have a legacy in this town, I didn't know anyone when I got here, yet I fell in love with it to the point where I ran for office because I want to make sure my nephews get to grow up here and experience what many of us have gotten to experience here.

I personally know many from all over the country who want to work or serve here, and the opportunities just don't exist fully yet. We're getting there, and it is getting better, but there is still work to be done.

I think Amazon drones are a good example of innovation jobs that I think would thrive here (not the drone industry near neighborhoods that was just dumb). I met many young adults who loved working there and working on the "future"; we need more of that.

Just my own personal testimonial of why I think this place is so special.

I love the ball park idea. It going to be great for the local baseball and softball kids. It's going to generate revenue and bring growth to the mid town area.

I think the rest of the area can still be utilized for businesses and restaurants.

I don't love the medical district branding. I think if the ballpark is brought in, then the branding should reflect or tie into that.

Aggieland Proud said:

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At a recent council meeting, the director of the Langford brought up that Carroll Fancher is a private street open to the public and mentioned that the city takes no responsibility for the speeding, traffic, or maintenance of the street. Should that not also be addressed at this time? She seemed to make a credible argument to me that the city has some responsibility since it has been open for public use. All of that was new to me as I had no idea Carroll Fancher was a private street.

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That road is a "Public Way" that also serves as the fire lane for the property. We set up a speed monitoring device awhile back and found the average speed was 28 mph with approximately 1000 vehicles per day. For reference, a typical neighborhood cul-de-sac experiences 250 trips per day and a typical neighborhood street experiences 1000 - 2000.

I am guilty of using that street regularly. I need to speak with the director to find out what has her concerned, because when I'm on it I never encounter other cars. There must be some local youngster with glass packs that punches it down that road occasionally? Not sure.

I don't want to be dismissive of anyone's concerns and will follow up. I do know we have traffic calming challenges all over town, such as Victoria Avenue.

Respectfully

Yancy '95

If I have said this once I will say it a million more times:

Nearly all of those things outlined in that presentation are beyond councils immediate ability to control.

Significant help would be required on the funding side for initial start up and even running of those programs from the Federal or State government.

However, what I do not see is what council can do, measurably, in the near term/medium to achieve policy goals.

Zoning this little area or that little area is "going to war by inches" -- to borrow a phase.

This, our economy, needs local dollars to stay local. Nothing different than keeping water here... 'fiscal irrigation' anyone? We are an island in a rural sea and this intimates the necessity for a more self sustaining fiscal model.

If you want local business to start, you need the capital (money) in the economy that provides the market to do so. These points from the consultant are putting the cart WAY WAY before the horse.

We can talk all day about how wonderful small and local businesses should be here but WHAT MONEY is there in the private market to spend on those dream'y' small businesses.

The answer is NONE. Zero. So why would any small business start here if they do not have customers.

We have to end this financial one way street where money - tax dollars - are scooped out of the economy and sent else where.

Again... if we do not want water (necessary for life) leaving why would we want money (necessary for prosperity) leaving? ~40%+ of a taxed dollar in COCS goes -- leaves forever -- in the form of debt payments.

It is a simple fact that unless addressed will not lead to anything but the spinning of wheels.

GiG'em