College Station City Council approved a series of zoning changes and development-related items at its March 26 meeting, clearing the way for new construction, redevelopment of a long-vacant commercial property and updates to how large projects are reviewed.

Turkey Creek Road: Council members approved changes allowing a multi-family housing development on about 7 acres at 8650 Turkey Creek Road, next to Lake Walk at Traditions.

The former Applebee's: The council approved rezoning for 1.24 acres at 200 Texas Ave., the site of the former Applebee’s restaurant off University Drive. The project is expected to bring a Hampton Inn hotel to the site.

Another change: The council approved multiple easement abandonments tied to upcoming construction projects and property improvements. Sites include Culpepper at TAMU subdivision and Mission Ranch subdivision.

Final takeaways: All zoning and development-related items were approved unanimously, pointing to continued redevelopment activity across College Station as the city plans for future growth. Recent census data suggests Aggieland has grown by close to 20,000 residents since 2020.

Texas A&M’s new Meat Sciences & Technology Center will be housed on the university’s main campus, following a vote by the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents during a special meeting March 27 to pivot from a previously planned site for the facility at Texas A&M-RELLIS, located in Bryan.

The gist: Following the board’s vote, the new 85,600-square-foot Meat Sciences & Technology Center will be built along Finfeather Road on West Campus and serve as the anchor of a future agriculture district, according to a March 30 news release from the university system.

Quote of note: “This is exactly where this program belongs,” board Chairman Robert Albritton said in the release. “At the center of campus, at the center of our mission, and at the center of an industry that matters to every Texan.”

Looking ahead: Construction on the center is slated to finish in 2028.

Looking for something fun to do in Aggieland this weekend? Check out this weekend’s roundup of events happening April 3-5. This list is not comprehensive, and events are subject to change.

Keep in mind, city offices in Bryan and city facilities and offices in College Station will be closed April 3 for the Good Friday holiday. 

First Friday
Downtown Bryan hosts its monthly block party featuring live music, performances, artists and activities while shops and restaurants stay open late. 

• April 3, 5-10 p.m.
• Free (admission)
• Historic Downtown Bryan, 110 S. Main St., Bryan

• April 3-4, 7 p.m.
• $5-$10
• 3705 E. 29th St., Bryan

• April 4, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
• Free (admission)
• 1500 Harvey Road, College Station

Four astronauts boarded the Orion spacecraft on April 1 and lifted off that evening from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida as part of Artemis 2, NASA’s first manned lunar mission since Apollo 17 in 1972.

What you need to know: Artemis 2 is sending NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen on a 10-day mission to orbit the Earth and moon, according to NASA’s website.

Quote of note: “Building on the uncrewed Artemis I mission, which sent Orion 1.4 million miles beyond the moon and back, Artemis II will begin with two Earth orbits including a high‑Earth orbit before the crew embarks on a trajectory that will take them thousands of miles beyond the lunar far side—the farthest any humans will have traveled from Earth," Texas A&M professor Dr. Bonnie Dunbar, a former NASA astronaut who has flown five shuttle missions, said in the release.