Action at a recent special meeting of the Bryan city council included the proposed signature playground at Midtown Park. The contract was terminated between the council and the company that was hired to design the playground. That’s after trying since September of 2023 to come up with playground features and stay within a budget of $4.5 million dollars…of which $2 million is from a private foundation. The city will pursue other undisclosed options and will pay an undisclosed amount to the company for making multiple design options.
As construction continues on the first phase of a data center on the RELLIS campus, the Bryan city council approved changing the formula of economic incentives being given to for phase two of the project. Phase two would be a $700 million dollar data and research center. The 230,000 square foot building containing offices and classrooms would eventually employ 100 hundred and generate an annual payroll of more than $7 million dollars. In exchange, the ten year agreement would save the owner $13 million dollars in city property taxes and the city would receive new revenue of $23 million dollars. That revenue includes more than $1 million that must be spent on quality of life programs that includes parks, senior and youth services, career and technology training, and economic development.