A $25 million dollar project in the Northgate district is the subject of a lawsuit filed this week in Brazos County District Court.
Last February, the College Station City Council voted to sell three acres at Wellborn and Church to a Houston developer for a multi-story complex of housing, parking, and retail.
One of the conditions was to negotiate the relocation of Cafe Eccell, which would lose its more than 20 year home in the original city hall building.
The restaurant owners claim the developers have not exercised good faith by eliminating any off-street parking at a new location.
And the owners believe their current lease with the city gives them the first right to purchase the land, which according to the lawsuit they offered more than the developer but was recently rejected by the council.
City Manager Kelly Templin says the restaurant owners have postponed “a meticulous, year-long, public process intended to bring quality private investment to Northgate.”
For now, a temporary restraining order has blocked the land sale and the judge assigned the case has named a mediator in an attempt to resolve the matter.
And the clock keeps ticking for the developer, according to city officials. The developer has until January 2016 to complete the project.