I think the first step City Council can take on the Town Lake Drive project is to trim the financial fat that exist in other operational areas to definitively line up the necessary funding to build the road. I've reviewed the budget in detail and know for certain (I.e., by the budget's own cash reserve thresholds) that we have millions already in the bank that could possibly be used to fund that project. Additionally, since impact fees are still a thing and would apply to future, private developments in those areas, the fees generated from those impact fees would, more or less, reimburse the City for the money it spends on the front side to get that development kick started.
I also agree with you, and share in your frustration, that the City can chase rabbits and put projects on the back burner and spend its time chasing new, shiny projects that come in the door afterwards. The data center deal that blew up in our face is a prime example of this. How do we correct this culture? By having a strong City Council that takes its role in managing City Staff seriously. I'm not talking about micro-managing staff, but rather asking for updates from staff on projects so that they stay on track. This is exactly what I do with the attorneys and staff in my office so I know it's a system that works.
Finally, to circle back on the question as to where I, personally, think a downtown district would work: I think the 100 acres of land where the Post Oak Mall is located would be perfect for that type of development. It checks the box for me in terms of being at the center of the two major arteries, especially since Hwy 30 is going to be converted to Interstate 14 in the upcoming years, and it's right next to Wolf Pen Creek Park and its amphitheater. It's located in a place that would allow for it to serve College Station AND Bryan residents, so it's centrally located for the entire "metropolitan" (for lack of a better term here) area, which would help diversify the business footprint that would be needed to sustain that type of development. Relatedly, College Station is getting a federal courthouse soon, which was created to help provide better access to justice for our area, so being central in the larger area makes the Post Oak area the ideal spot for a federal courthouse that could serve as an anchor building for a downtown area. For example, when I worked in downtown Houston, I lived in Katy and I worked with people from all over the Houston Metro area. Heck, Houston buses even run all the way out to Katy because there is enough downtown workforce living out there that it made sense to do that. But again, this is just my personal vision for something like that and isn't me talking out of two sides of my mouth here. Midtown's completion needs to be the focus. At the same time, I think there would be an opportunity for the development of one to benefit the other. For example, if Midtown became an option for retail shopping, stores in the mall could move to Midtown, which would keep the tax base even, AND simultaneously free up the opportunity for the private re-development of the Post Oak area into a downtown type of center.
But please know I'm not writing off Midtown being developed in such a way that it could serve as the downtown area that I see. If the development shapes into that because of the southern growth of the City, then I would be happy to be wrong. It's not an either/or situation for me. As long as progress is made in Midtown, and soon, I will be happy because the downtown idea is just that, an idea, whereas Midtown is a promise that needs to be kept.
I also agree with you, and share in your frustration, that the City can chase rabbits and put projects on the back burner and spend its time chasing new, shiny projects that come in the door afterwards. The data center deal that blew up in our face is a prime example of this. How do we correct this culture? By having a strong City Council that takes its role in managing City Staff seriously. I'm not talking about micro-managing staff, but rather asking for updates from staff on projects so that they stay on track. This is exactly what I do with the attorneys and staff in my office so I know it's a system that works.
Finally, to circle back on the question as to where I, personally, think a downtown district would work: I think the 100 acres of land where the Post Oak Mall is located would be perfect for that type of development. It checks the box for me in terms of being at the center of the two major arteries, especially since Hwy 30 is going to be converted to Interstate 14 in the upcoming years, and it's right next to Wolf Pen Creek Park and its amphitheater. It's located in a place that would allow for it to serve College Station AND Bryan residents, so it's centrally located for the entire "metropolitan" (for lack of a better term here) area, which would help diversify the business footprint that would be needed to sustain that type of development. Relatedly, College Station is getting a federal courthouse soon, which was created to help provide better access to justice for our area, so being central in the larger area makes the Post Oak area the ideal spot for a federal courthouse that could serve as an anchor building for a downtown area. For example, when I worked in downtown Houston, I lived in Katy and I worked with people from all over the Houston Metro area. Heck, Houston buses even run all the way out to Katy because there is enough downtown workforce living out there that it made sense to do that. But again, this is just my personal vision for something like that and isn't me talking out of two sides of my mouth here. Midtown's completion needs to be the focus. At the same time, I think there would be an opportunity for the development of one to benefit the other. For example, if Midtown became an option for retail shopping, stores in the mall could move to Midtown, which would keep the tax base even, AND simultaneously free up the opportunity for the private re-development of the Post Oak area into a downtown type of center.
But please know I'm not writing off Midtown being developed in such a way that it could serve as the downtown area that I see. If the development shapes into that because of the southern growth of the City, then I would be happy to be wrong. It's not an either/or situation for me. As long as progress is made in Midtown, and soon, I will be happy because the downtown idea is just that, an idea, whereas Midtown is a promise that needs to be kept.
