Brazos County District Judge Steve Smith has announced he is running for re-election next year.
He has presided over the 361st district court since 1999. Before that, he served as a county court at law judge and municipal judge in College Station.
Smith’s announcement follows a decision made this summer by J.D. Langley that he will retire from the bench in the 85th district court when he current term ends next year.
Details are released of a proposed $209 million dollar Northgate district development if land is sold by the College Station city council. The agenda for Thursday’s (January 9) council meeting includes possible action on the land sale to a private developer. That follows a public hearing on future development in Northgate. Associated with the land sale, the agenda includes a 132 page document from the proposed developer. The proposal includes a multi-family high rise residential building which does not disclose the number of floors. There is also a building for retail, another building for a police substation, a ride share pickup and dropoff area, a public plaza with restrooms, space to store trash containers, and a parking garage containing 878 spaces with 100 for city use and revenue would be split between the city and the developer. The proposal shows the developer will spend nearly $156 million dollars in direct construction costs, almost $41 million in soft costs, and the $13 million dollar cost to buy the land. Breaking down the overall direct construction costs, $151 million is direct costs, $3.7 million is for the city’s 100 parking spaces, $525,000 is towards the police substation, and $450,000 is towards public restrooms. Breaking down the overall soft costs, the developer will pay $3.9 million to the city of College Station for permits and other fees, $1.1 million will be paid in property taxes during construction, and the remainder will go towards other soft costs. Before the council considers the sale, the governing body will receive an update from city staff and take public comment regarding planning efforts for the entire Northgate district. Click HERE to read and download the proposed land sale contract. Click HERE to read and download pages 1-44 of the development proposal. Click HERE to read and download pages 45-88 of the development proposal. Click HERE to read and download pages 89-132 of the development proposal.
Project Unity is celebrating 30 years in the community with a ribbon cutting and open house at its new location on Wednesday. Project Unity’s mission is to empower individuals, children, youth, and families to reach their highest potential. Jeannie Mansill, Founder and President, says the celebration is also an opportunity to learn more about their organization. “We do a range of services today with that simple focus on the family unit and what they need in order to overcome their barriers and become successful,” says Mansill. Mansill says their new office space doubles their working space, which provides enough room for their staff, which has also doubled in the last year. Wednesday’s event is from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Project Unity’s new office located at 3833 South Texas Ave., Suite 150 in The Metro Center in Bryan. Listen to “Project Unity Celebrates 30th Anniversary with Ribbon Cutting and Open House” on Spreaker.
Brazos County judge Duane Peters tells Millican area residents that the process is going to start to designate county owned land as a landfill which is not going to be built. In February 2022, Peters told WTAW News that designating land as potential landfill space will protect all other county land from future landfills. Peters says the land near Millican is the best place for the designation because it was once used as a landfill. That location can now be considered since action was taken by state lawmakers to remove it from College Station’s ETJ, or extra territorial jurisdiction. Peters also said in his 2022 interview with WTAW News that the landfill designation does not prevent the land from being developed for another purpose. Click below to hear comments from Duane Peters in his February 2022 interview with WTAW News: News release from Brazos County: Brazos County is not building a landfill, nor does the county government want a landfill. Texas Health and Safety Code Sect. 364.012 dictates a county must designate land as potential landfill space in order to protect all other county land from potential future landfills. With no designated landfill space, any private company could buy up a large amount of land and begin the process of building a landfill and Brazos County would have no recourse to stop them. By having a designated plot of land as the only place a landfill could be built in Brazos County, the commissioners court would be able to intervene if a company wanted to bring in a landfill. The land in Millican under consideration for this designation was once used as a landfill. Any property damage that surrounding land might incur as a result of having land designated for landfill purposes has already occurred. That’s what makes this particular piece of land the best place for this designation. To reiterate, just because this land is designated as potential landfill space does not mean the county has any desire for a landfill. This action is strictly to protect the county from future landfill development.
Bryan Broadcasting Corporation