The Bryan city council has joined the College Station city council in delaying action on a proposal to change priorities in the jointly controlled biocorridor.
The Bryan council will revisit recommendations made by staff employees of both cities during a special meeting next Tuesday.
Bryan councilman Ben Hardeman, who is on the biocorridor board, says that group meets only when there is business to be considered. That means sometimes the board goes months without a meeting, and at other times there will be multiple meetings in a short period.
The Bryan council heard from supporters and opponents of changing the biocorridor’s land use to allow free standing apartment complexes.
Attorney Chris Peterson, who was involved in creating the joint agreement six years ago, said it was too soon to lift restrictions on land originally reserved for biomedical manufacturers.
Developer Spencer Clements…in charge of the neighboring ATLAS and Traditions…says no student housing would be built.
Last week, the College Station council voted to get a recommendation from the biocorridor board…which was left out of the loop by city staff.
Original story from last Thursday’s College Station council meeting:
This month marks six years since an interlocal agreement by the cities of College Station and Bryan created what’s known as the biocorridor.
Now, the councils are considering the option of using land once reserved for recruiting pharmaceutical and related corporations to build apartments.
Among the apartment supporters is developer Spencer Clements, who represents two neighboring projects…ATLAS and The Traditions.
A local attorney representing competing developers, Matt Doss, is opposed to additional apartments.
The College Station city council at its last meeting put the brakes on nearly all the proposals created by staff in both cities. That’s after councilman James Benham brought up the biocorridor’s advisory board was never given an opportunity to review the changes.
The council also delayed action on recommendations by city staff to reduce the authority of the biocorridor board. Mayor Karl Mooney and councilman Jerome Rektorik received support to consider sunseting the advisory body.
The biocorridor committee is composed of three members from each city and a representative from Texas A&M.
