College Station City Council is expected to vote Feb. 26 on issuing a letter of intent that will serve as a roadmap for negotiations with The Station Baseball LLC, a development firm that has pitched creating an 80-acre, nine-field baseball complex in the Midtown area, Michael Ostrowski, College Station’s chief development officer, said in an interview.

Two-minute impact: The baseball complex is proposed for city-owned property in Midtown, a 200-acre vacant tract northeast of Costco off Midtown Drive. The proposal first came from a group called Southern Roots, which city officials said has now incorporated as The Station Baseball.

Some context: The 200-acre Midtown tract, which is zoned for light industrial use, was intended by the city to become a business park and primary job generator, Ostrowski said, but development has not taken off there yet.

Looking ahead: Should the council approve the letter of intent Feb. 26, the next step is to negotiate an economic development agreement to further outline the terms of the private-city partnership, Ostrowski said.

Decoraciones Sol Mexico held its grand opening on Feb. 15, owner Jaime Hernandez confirmed with Community Impact in a Feb. 16 interview.

What they offer: Specializing in weddings, quinceñeras and celebrations, Hernandez said Decoraciones Sol Mexico offers wedding gowns, quinceñera dresses and formal attire. The boutique also offers accessories, bouquets and party decorations.

• 3001 E. Villa Maria Road, Bryan

College Station Mayor John Nichols sat down with Community Impact to talk about how he came to the city of College Station, the future of development and how partnerships with Texas A&M will continue to shape the area.

The details: This interview has been edited down for length and clarity.

What was your journey to becoming the mayor of College Station?
I finished my career at Texas A&M after 44 years as a department head in agricultural economics, which is my general field. And one of those years, I traveled a lot around the state and the nation and got involved in a lot of business development.

What kinds of new business or development is the city working hardest to attract right now?
On the business side, we're working hard and very interested in the biotechnology, health care and animal health; being the home of Texas A&M University, we have a tremendous resource base and research technology development base here. 

Three Republican candidates are running for Texas Senate District 5 in the upcoming March primaries. 

The big picture: Candidates Larry Nance and Apollo Hernandez are challenging incumbent Charles Schwertner for the Republican nomination.

The winning Republican candidate will face the winner of the Democratic nomination in November. Candidates Kevin Nelson and Paul Thomasson are running in the Democratic primary, according to the Texas secretary of state's website. 

Members of the Texas Senate are elected for four-year terms with no term limits. District 5 encompasses portions of Brazos, Williamson, Walker, San Jacinto, Robertson, Milam, Madison, Limestone, Leon, Freestone and Bastrop counties, according to the district’s webpage.

What you need to know: Candidates were asked to keep responses under 50 words, answer the questions provided and avoid attacking opponents. Answers may have been edited or cut to adhere to those guidelines, or for style and clarity.