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Jan. 8th, 2009

A Jelly Morning…

Blogging from the Village Café in Downtown Bryan during JellyBCS.

 

At 9:00am when I arrived at the Village Café there were only three people in the café; the person behind the counter and two guys sitting on the couches in the middle of the room with their laptops out. However, an hour later there were about a dozen people in the café, with five laptops on the tables behind the couches. A sat and drank my coffee, which was actually very good, and shared a table and power strip with someone.

 

My favorite part about the Village Café is the five clocks above the counter that show the time in five different cities: Bryan, College Station, Brenham, Anderson, and Cameron. Clever. Very clever.

 

There are several paintings throughout the café, and they all carry a certain tone. There are all full of color and have a unique style to them; my favorite of the paintings is of a mushroom cloud in front of a green sky over a black abyss. The paintings are all by local artist Todd AngusPaul Reynolds of Milano, Texas; AngusPaul’s work has been featured at the Arts Center formerly known as Romei in College Station and at the Frame Gallery in Dwntown Bryan. AngusPaul’s web site includes three pages of galleries of his paintings, and information about his work and how you can contact the artist.

 

The Village Café has in calm and mellow mood, and feels much more like the coffee houses that I have been to in other cities and towns than anything else in the area. Sweet Eugene’s is a pleasant coffee house, but you are much more likely to find a bible study or have to deal with the crush of studying students than you are to find interesting conversation and good music. The music helps set the mood at the café; think Incubus. It is relaxing, and unobtrusive.

 

One of the more interesting things about coming back to the Brazos Valley after eight years of living around the country and world is the transformation of Downtown Bryan. Since I have moved back to the Brazos Valley about a year and a half ago the area has continued to evolve, and I have found Bryan to begin to seem more and more like the antithesis of College Station. If Aggies at the Dixie Chicken want to keep College Station “normal” then we should continue to help create strangeness in Bryan. So, stop into the Village Café and add a little Jelly to your life.


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Jul. 9th, 2008

Change in Complexion…

How the development of Downtown Bryan may have unintended consequences.
 
In an article in the Bryan-College Station Eagle yesterday it was reported that there is a movement called Brazos Now that is promoting high-density development on the northern section of Downtown Bryan. According to the article at least fifty signatures and been collected on an online petition. There are currently (as of 5:00pm) over 200 digital signatures on the petition at BrazosNow.com. The organizers have a goal of 1,000 signatures.
 
Downtown Bryan has seen what could be called a revival in the last ten years.
 
The area is now would could be described as the antithesis to North Gate and College Station. . Downtown Bryan offers a unique atmosphere, and unique events, like the Texas Reds Festival and First Friday. Downtown Bryan is home to the only predominately GLBT night club, Halo, and is home to many other business that are more focused on alternative and liberal crowds such as Revolution Café and Bar. There is a growing art scene with new galleries moving to downtown, and established galleries like the Frame Gallery doing well
 
Bryan is an older city than College Station, and has a much more diverse population. According to the US Census Bureau 67,774 people live in Bryan, and Bryan is 17.7% African-American, 27.8% Latino, and 13.3% people of other backgrounds. Compared to College Station that is 5.4% African-American, 10.0% Latino, and 4.5% people of other backgrounds. Also, the cost of living in Bryan is lower than College Station, and it is less expensive to own a home. The median value of owner-occupied housing units Bryan is $78,900 compared to $119,500 in College Station.
 
Most of northern Downtown Bryan is surrounded by neighborhoods and residential areas, in fact residential areas approach Downtown as close as Parker Avenue. Many old and historic neighborhoods can be found in Bryan, where 50% of residents own their homes compared to 30% in College Station. There is much less of a transient population in Bryan, unlike in College Station. While people may have deep roots at Texas A&M University, families and community members have deep roots in Bryan.
 
Developing Downtown is good for the community, but it must be done with concern for the residents that live in and around Downtown Bryan. Revitalization of downtown and historic districts has had the affect of gentrification, in places such as Houston’s historic wards: First Ward, Third Ward, Forth Ward, and Sixth Wards. The process has changed neighborhoods in Portland as noted by the New York Times and the Washington Post.
 
Another important aspect of developing Downtown is Twin City Mission, and raising the $5.5 million to build a new homeless shelter. According to an article in the Eagle the new, about 10 blocks from the current location facility is being planned for 16.3 acres and will increase the capacity of the mission from 64 to 127 bed. This shelter provides an essential service, and  about $3 million still must be raised. Donate to the mission at TwinCityMission.org.
 
The petition does note that the “Downtown is an important historical and cultural asset that plays a critical role in the community’s future” and that the City of Bryan should “consider only developers with experience in historic preservation projects of more than $1,000,000 gross budget, to ensure sensitivity to the surrounding historic properties.” However, at this time this blogger cannot endorse or sign a petition that does not recognize that residents of Downtown Bryan and surrounding areas must be protected.
 
Developing Downtown Bryan is good for the community, and if done right it can bring in new businesses and new jobs. It can also bring in more money for the community to improve neighborhoods and schools without displacing residents that have made Bryan their home and make the community what it is. The Bryan City Council and Bryan residents need to insist on open planning decision making process, which takes into account the best for both the business community and the residential community.
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