Why isn't the property owner making all of these upgrades? Preventing all this "neglect?"

Eccel group took one of the biggest dumps on Northgate and invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in improvements.
If more businesses in that area did the same the "signature area" of College Station would not look like such a dump. The La Bodega improvements they made are impressive also.

Lets hope it works out. Sounds like it's gone to arbitration.

A restaurant like Eccell will have a hard time without good parking.

In the meantime we have lots of other good local restaurants that have opened up since and are ready and happy to serve you. Time to move on...change is never easy around here.

Uhh, can't you park in Northgate garage and walk maybe two blocks to the restaurant, or park in the metered lot and walk one half block?

[This message has been edited by Wildmen03 (edited 12/4/2013 8:50a).]

Let's hope - and trust - those in charge will make the right decisions.

This came up in the great whine about the price to park at Northgate to go to O'Bannon's. Yes, in fact you can park a few blocks away and walk.

The Fitz deal doesn't seem bad, but there have been other shady deals on NG by this group. Library/Crooked Path comes to mind first.

Duplicate post

[This message has been edited by coach dub (edited 12/4/2013 9:48a).]

Of course the Eccell group is in bed with CharlieB and his illegal debit card surcharge scam. What comes around, goes around.

If this were the Cafe Eccell of 10-15 years ago I would say they were worth fighting for, but they have been surpassed in this town.

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Yes, in fact you can park a few blocks away and walk.

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You can, but people don't. Especially at night.

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Yes, in fact you can park a few blocks away and walk.

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Unless you have a handicapped person in your party.

I hope the people that won't park and walk a couple of blocks never go eat or go to a show in downtown Houston or really in any large city.

And don't go to the Galleria, either. You park in a garage and walk forever inside that building. You can't drive your car into the building and park on the ice rink in front of Needless Markup to buy your Christmas gifts.

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You can, but people don't. Especially at night.

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People don't park and walk across the Northgate area at night? Get the hell outta here.

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You can, but people don't. Especially at night.

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People don't park and walk across the Northgate area at night? Get the hell outta here.

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Sure they do, if they're going to bars or live on campus. Eccell wants those spaces because their clientele doesn't want to walk.

So they cater to lazy unrealistic people?

I haven't eaten there in awhile but I don't recall a majority of their diners being disabled and/or obese, so I can't imagine their clientele "doesn't want to walk."

So if I show up and the adjacent parking lot is full, and I have to park in the metered lot or garage, they won't won't serve me because they don't cater to my type of people?

Why don't y'all go talk to the Eccell Group and tell them how unreasonable they are being to want parking spaces for their customers.

[This message has been edited by techno-ag (edited 12/4/2013 12:29p).]

Are Cafe Eccell, La Bodega and Layne's all owned by the same people/group?

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Why don't y'all go talk to the Eccell Group

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That is funny, because that was my first piece of advice to you in this thread.

In 2002, Dallis was quoted as saying "There will never be a parking problem at Northgate anymore,""Northgate represents a lot of Aggie tradition," he said. "We want the area to grow."

http://www.thebatt.com/2.8500/northgate-parking-charges-reduced-1.1213409#.Up_k2MRDtrU

Students and customers previously frustrated with parking fees in the Northgate area will find little to complain about since a vote was made to decrease parking rates effective earlier this month.
All on-street meter parking is now free after 5 p.m., and the Promenade lot behind Northgate charges $.25 per hour from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. and $.50 per hour after 5 p.m., down from $1.50 per hour prior to March 8, said Northgate businessman Costa Dallis.
Prepaid parking is available in the Northgate Parking Garage on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights for $2.
The Northgate District Association and the City of College Station decided to lower fees to ease customer complaints and increase business activity, Dallis said.
"It is a great thing for the city and the merchants," he said. "We want students to know that we appreciate them. It is a very positive change."
There were many complaints about garage parking on weekends because traffic backed up at night when customers paid tickets, Dallis said. Under the new prepaying system, a $2 ticket can be purchased on entrance to the garage, providing a more efficient exit.
The garage hourly rate also decreased from $1 per hour to $.50 per hour, Dallis said. The garage provides 713 spaces of parking at Northgate, totaling approximately 1,000 spaces for the area.
"There will never be a parking problem at Northgate anymore," he said.
City Manager Tom Brymer said the parking rate decrease will have a very positive impact for both customers and merchants.
"We want the students to experience the ease and affordable pricing," Brymer said. "We hope to provide a more positive experience and see increased utilization."
A group of Northgate merchants composing the Northgate District Association, along with the city, identified the need for more fair parking rates for students, Dallis said. Several meetings resulted in the proposal for the current rates.
"The city was very helpful and gracious," Dallis said. "They want the area to be inviting."
The changes have come just in time for the Northgate Music Festival this Thursday through Saturday, Dallis said.
The decreased rates provide students with access to businesses located on Northgate at a more affordable rate, Dallis said. This improvement is hoped to eliminate a major discouragement students and customers had about parking in the area.
"Northgate represents a lot of Aggie tradition," he said. "We want the area to grow."


[This message has been edited by Yuccadoo (edited 12/4/2013 8:33p).]

Maybe we need light rail from the Northgate garage to Eccell.

or one of these

I've seen those in Austin. Highly entertaining.

La Bodega is pretty good. Cafe Eccell has seen better days though a and the leasees and should have purchased the land - they knew what they were dealing with

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Are Cafe Eccell, La Bodega and Layne's all owned by the same people/group?

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Cafe Eccell and La Bodega: yes. Layne's is not related to those two.

This stood out in the attached article regarding REQUIRED parking and the purchase: "According to the economic development agreement passed Thursday, the Asset Plus is required to complete a $30 million four-to-eight story development with a parking garage and commercial component no later than 2016."


http://www.theeagle.com/news/local/article_ba24bdd8-56c1-537e-becc-79d05e776da1.html?mode=jqm

College Station sells off plot of land
By ALLEN REED allen.reed@theeagle.com | Updated 9 months ago

College Station has approved an agreement to sell city-owned land near Northgate, which includes Café Eccell, for the development of multi-family housing.

Council members at Thursday's meeting voted unanimously to sell the property to developer Asset Plus for $3 million. The parties plan to close the deal in June.

The 3.36 acres, known as the First Street development, fall between Wellborn Road, Church Avenue, 1st Street and Louise Avenue. The city leases nearly half of the land to the cafe, and the rest is protected by a notable and distinguished fence. The city originally started the acquisition of the block in 1997 for a game-day condominium project that fell through.

The sale price for the property is $3.6 million, minus a $600,000 economic development grant. City officials said the original

agreed-upon sales price when the city and developer started negotiations in 2011 was $3 million. The grant, they said, ensures the sales price is the same as the original agreed-upon price, and does not account for the inflation in land value after a price was set.

"I am thrilled ... with disposing of city property which is not doing really anything for us," said Councilman Jess Fields. "...I look forward to this development continuing the success of the Northgate area and being economically beneficial for our citizens."

Staff and council were very clear that they want the cafe, which is housed inside the original city hall building, to remain intact. The majority of council's discussion pertained to placing a historical plaque on the cafe, and included in the economic development agreement is a clause that the developer and Café Eccell work together to keep the pizza and wine bistro in place.

All parties were on board with the idea on Thursday.

"How could I not be excited with them investing as much money as they are in the project?" cafe owner Costa Dallis said. "We're behind it, we're supportive."

Not much is known about what will be built on the land. Barrett Kirk, senior vice president of development for Asset Plus, said the company did not want to invest heavily into designs until the land was secured. According to the economic development agreement passed Thursday, the Asset Plus is required to complete a $30 million four-to-eight story development with a parking garage and commercial component no later than 2016.

"We're really excited to have Café Eccell as part of our project, we really consider them an amenity that will make us have a much better project because of them," Kirk said. "They're established, well operated, certainly know what they're doing and we look forward to a long-lasting relationship with them."



[This message has been edited by Yuccadoo (edited 12/5/2013 4:50a).]

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This stood out in the attached article regarding REQUIRED parking and the purchase: "According to the economic development agreement passed Thursday, the Asset Plus is required to complete a $30 million four-to-eight story development with a parking garage and commercial component no later than 2016."

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If I remember correctly what WTAW reported yesterday, there is a deadline coming up for the developer in January. If they miss it, this whole thing may fall through.

BioBio....Doesn't Vision 2020 have all the light rail covered?

Oh wait, that part of Vision 2020 was removed. 8> )

[This message has been edited by Yuccadoo (edited 12/5/2013 1:00p).]

Well if there is a requirement for a parking garage on the site, I guess that answers the Great Parking Question.

Edit: also, I thought this was funny:

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The 3.36 acres, known as the First Street development, fall between Wellborn Road, Church Avenue, 1st Street and Louise Avenue. The city leases nearly half of the land to the cafe, and the rest is protected by a notable and distinguished fence.

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[This message has been edited by bossycowcow (edited 12/5/2013 1:04p).]

It makes me disgusted that the City of College Station throws their historical buildings under the bus for money! Is there NO heart to preserve the past of College Station? The exhibit at the George Bush library was disheartening... now another building destroyed! Ugh. What a shame.

[This message has been edited by TexAgs staff (edited 12/17/2013 5:37p).]

Well this took a turn for the worse.

http://www.theeagle.com/news/local/article_2c8c5236-97f9-5a6c-a61e-59fe6c91d3b2.html

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Cafe Eccell's owners say College Station has given them until midnight Tuesday to vacate their current, city-owned location.

The written notice of their need to vacate came by mail Thursday without warning, said Costa Dallis, who co-owns the restaurant with his brother, Andreas Dallis.

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