The construction for Campus Pointe, a mixed-use urban village available for the region to use, will begin in 2014 and replace some of the buildings of the University Apartments.
This development will require apartment complexes College View, Avenue A and Hensel to be vacated by June 2013 and demolished to make room for the project. Although the newer apartments built in 2010 will remain, other amenities will be built there instead.
Texas A&M gave Midway, the developer, a ground lease to start this project, said Carol Binzer, director of administrative and support services of Residence Life. The new development isnt going to be a new apartment complex. The company believes they can use the property for other opportunities and build revenue by using the space differently.
“We’re extremely excited, said Johnathan Brinsden, chief operation officer of Midway. All three of us on the executive team are Aggies.”
The project, located at the northeast corner of University and South College Avenue, will be developed and built in phases. Phase one will begin by 2014, phase two by 2018 and phase three in 2022. A hotel and the centerpiece of Campus Pointe will be built in phase one, while other amenities including high-end restaurants, retail components, game day condos and various forms of entertainment will be built in phases two and three.
The goal is for it to be a destination place for the College Station and Bryan area, said Phillip Ray, chief business development officer of the Texas A&M University System. This will be a place where people can come to stay, especially in the hotel. This project is a community that I think is going to serve not only the University, but the region as a whole.
To help make Bryan feel more welcome, a new road will be paved near the College Station/Bryan statue to allow easier access to Bryan residents.
Development of this $600 million project will occur during the next 10 to 20 years. There will be plenty of green space and pedestrian-friendly areas to go along with the shops, restaurants and other buildings.
We want this to be a place where people come to visit for the day, Ray said. I think it will be the hub of our community because if you come to College Station right now, you mainly just come for the University.
Ray said that right now there is some confusion about what Campus Point is meant to be. Because of that, Campus Pointes name may be rebranded in the future.
Brinsden said that Campus Pointe will create a true regional community destination. It wont just focus on the University.
We want the Bryan and College Station community to feel like its theirs too. We want everyone to feel welcome from different regions, said Phillip.
“It will be a great development and project and we have great pride in having the opportunity to do something for the community,” said Brinsden