HomeMy WebLinkAboutMisc.May 31, 2007
Jason Schubert
City of College Station
Planning and Development Services
P. O. Box 9960
College Station, Texas 77842
Hillel at Texas A & M
Project No. 07-500102
Dear Sirs,
Private Client Services
Specialty Assets
MAC T5172-030
P.O. Box 1458 (77902)
One O'Connor Plaza, Ste 300
Victoria,TX 77901
361 574-5691 Fax
Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.
This letter is written in objection to The Hillel at Texas A & M, Project No. 07-500102, insofar
as it concerns the rezoning of adjacent lands, possible develupfiient of the said site and future
traffic flows.
Wells Fargo Bank N. A. as Trustee of the William Henry Little Revocable Living Trust is owner
in trust of adjoining property at 806 Aberdeen of the City of College Station, Texas, being also
described as part of Lot Two (2) in Block No. Twenty One (2 1) in the Plan of College Park.
According to documents listed on the Planning and Development public web site, the owners
have applied to rezone the property from R-1 to P -Mud land use 50% residential and 50% non-
residential. The bank as trustee objects to this change in zoning. This resulting change will
significantly impact the value of the property we represent for the benefit of Mr. Little as it will
result in a change in the current use from residential to one of high rise building and retail space.
The development of the property into a high rise multifamily complex is not in the character of
the surrounding neighborhood. This area is and is adjoining a historical residential area of
College Station and any development of this magnitude will impact.
Also of concern is traffic flow. The current maps indicate the Aberdeen Street will be directly
impacted by the increase traffic to and from this complex. Its current use though minimal is
almost above capacity due to the width of the street.
Please accept this letter as an objection to the rezoning and development of the property for the
Hillel at Texas A & M.
Sincerely,
Vance Mitchell t
Trust Asset. Administrator
cc: William Little, Beneficiary
Kenneth Loke, Trust Officer
The Bryan -College Station Eagle > Printer Friendly Version Pagel of 2
The Bryan -College Stat i Eagle - Printer Friendly Page
Updated 6:38 AM on Saturday, May 26, 2007
Proposed College Station high-rise raises hackles
Neighbors fear effects of synagogue's $30 million expansion plans
By APRIL AVISON
Eagle Staff Writer
Residents of one of College Station's oldest neighborhoods sparred Friday with leaders of a local Jewish
synagogue who want to build a $30 million high-rise on George Bush Drive.
About 30 people gathered Friday afternoon at a meeting called by representatives of the Hillel Foundation.
Most in attendance said they were concerned about traffic that would be generated by the foundation's
proposed nine -story building, which would include 92 condominium units.
The foundation's current building sits on less than an acre at the corner of George Bush and Dexter drives.
The building serves as a center for Jewish services and activities, primarily for Texas A&M University
students. But the chapel isn't large enough to house visitors on most Friday evenings, and it doesn't have the
space to accommodate historical documents or community outreach programs, Rabbi Peter Tarlow said.
The building was constructed in 1957 and needs to be bulldozed, Tarlow told the residents.
The Hillel Foundation's board of directors hired architect Gordon Spencer and developers with Houston-based
Levcor Inc. to craft plans for a building that would include a chapel, a three-level parking garage and five
levels of condominiums.
The Hillel Foundation has filed a rezoning request that will be heard by College Station's Planning and Zoning
Commission on June 7. The City Council is scheduled to study the issue at its June 28 meeting.
If plans are approved, a yearlong construction process will begin in January, Tarlow said.
Although an early conceptual plan shows 2,000 square feet of retail space, that's a mistake, Tarlow said.
The condos will be marketed to former Texas A&M students and will be sold at a "high-end" price, in the
neighborhood of $600,000 per unit, said Don Reiser, a member of the Hillel Foundation's board of directors
who is spearheading the building project. The housing is needed to pay for the rest of the development,
Reiser explained, suggesting that the local Jewish community wouldn't be able to raise enough funds to pay
for a new chapel and parking area.
The building could be advantageous to the neighborhood, Reiser told residents Friday.
"If you have this building here, you're creating a buffer between the traffic [on George Bush Drive] and the
neighborhood you're trying to protect," he said. "I wouldn't deny that it's a major structure, but maybe that's an
advantage."
But residents said the building - which would be accessed from Dexter Drive - is going to generate
significantly more traffic on the old neighborhood's narrow streets. About 260 parking spaces are planned for
the development.
http://www.theeagle.com/includes/printpage.php 5/29/2007
The Bryan -College Station Eagle > Printer Friendly Version
Page 2 of 2
"Traffic over here is almost mind-b� ding right now," said resident Chary 'McCandless. "It's going to pour
out onto Dexter and then onto George Bush. All of us here are likely to agree you need more space. Is there a
way you can get more space, sans condos?"
Another area resident, Jerry Cooper, said he thinks it's a bad idea to build a large building in the midst of an
established neighborhood.
"It won't fit," he said. "It's out of proportion to the area. I'm going to ask the council to vote against it."
Several residents asked that the project be put off until it can be given further study and more public hearings.
"I think this is a great project in the wrong place," said Hugh Stearns, who asked Reiser to delay the project
and seek alternatives, such as swapping the site for another piece of land near the A&M campus. "We would
certainly perceive your empathy for our situation a lot better if you would act on it."
Reiser said he'd be happy to set up another discussion, since some residents may not have been able to
attend the meeting Friday.
"The reality of it is, I want your voice to be heard, and however it comes down, we'll live with it," he said.
• April Avison's e-mail address is april.avison@theeagle.com.
Printed from: http,,- /wJt w,10, e, fsag/e,cot -rVsgtorieslo5260r/oc-; 2007 )52605 ; )"I)p
http://www.theeagle.com/includes/printpage.php 5/29/2007