Podcast: College Station eco-devo 101
By Jay Socol, Public Communications Director
We hear it all the time: “Hey, College Station, how come you don’t bring a [fill in the blank] to town?”
The other side of that is, “Hey, bozos, why do you keep bringing more [fill in the blank] to our city?”
First, some of you have anger issues. Seriously, though, a lot of people don’t understand:
- What the city can be credited for bringing to town.
- What the city should not be credited/blamed for bringing to town.
- What our economic development staff is actively recruiting to CS.
In this episode of AUIYB, Economic Development Director Natalie Ruiz and I discuss all these points, as well as some things about Post Oak Mall you may not know. (cliffhanger!)
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About the Blogger
Jay Socol (@jaysocol) is starting his 11th year as College Station’s public communications director. A 1991 graduate of Texas A&M. Jay has also been communications director for the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service, public information officer for the City of Bryan, and news director at several Bryan-College Station area radio stations. A native of Breckenridge, he also serves as president of the Texas Association of Municipal Information Officers.
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Game day parking doesn’t have to be a hassle
By Julie Caler, Code Enforcement Supervisor
For football fans, following their favorite team to Kyle Field can be tricky. With tens of thousands of fans descending on a relatively small area, finding a place to park their vehicles can be daunting.
Visitors understandably want to park as close to the stadium as possible, and that creates challenges for our guests and residents, especially in the Southside neighborhood. Making sure everyone abides by our city parking ordinances is a significant test for city staff, too.
Our parking ordinances are designed to make our streets and neighborhoods safe. Emergency vehicles need to be able to respond if required, and cars must be kept off yards to prevent fires, broken meters, broken gas lines, and other problems. The College Station Police Department, Code Enforcement, and the Northgate District staff work together to ensure a safe environment for you on game day.
Street Parking
Many of the streets in the Southside area were developed years ago and are exceptionally narrow. Police officers will be looking for vehicles parked illegally, including those facing traffic, blocking fire hydrants, parking too close to stop signs, blocking intersections, and parking in no-parking zones, to name a few. You also can’t directly block a driveway, but that doesn’t mean you can’t park across the street.
Some of these are violations of state law, and a few are towable offenses. If you are parked illegally in certain areas, your vehicle will likely be towed. If you discover your vehicle has been towed, call the Police Department’s non-emergency number at 979-764-3600.
Yard Parking
Code Enforcement Staff will be actively looking for vehicles parking in yards. We discourage residents from illegally selling parking spots on their property. If we find a vehicle parked in the yard, we issue a warning to the resident in person and with a letter. If it’s a rental property, we also inform the property owner and management company.
If the violation happens again on another game day, we may issue a citation or court summons for the property owner and resident. If you have any questions about this or any other city ordinance, call Code Enforcement at 979-764-6363.
Northgate Parking
The Northgate District provides safe and affordable parking options, including the Northgate Parking Garage, which is just a short walk to Kyle Field. The special game day rate is $25. Parking in the garage means you don’t have to worry about parking in the wrong place or being towed.
We also have limited parking available on certain Northgate streets and in the surface parking lot. The game day rate for both options is $3.50 an hour and is applicable from 6 a.m. Saturday until 3 a.m. Sunday.
For more information about the Northgate Parking Garage, including the availability of parking spaces, call 979-764-6313.
For general questions about parking or Code Enforcement, please feel free to contact me at 979-764-6363 or jcaler@cstx.gov.
Game Day Information
Here are some maps and other information that we hope will move you around town as quickly as possible on Aggie game days:
- Northgate Parking
- Live Traffic, Pre-Paid Parking (Destination Aggieland app >>)
- Where to Park
- RV Parking at Tarrow Park
- Texas A&M Transportation Services Game Day Guide
- Kyle Field Game Day
- Kyle Field Clear Bag Policy
- Shuttle Routes
- Best Postgame Traffic Routes
- Tailgating in Aggieland
- Aggie Fan Zone
Gig ‘em, Aggies!
About the Blogger
Code Enforcement Supervisor Julie Caler has been with the City of College Station for almost two decades.
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Podcast: Breakfast you’ll be la Gladeleine about
By Jay Socol, Public Communications Director
In this podcast episode, College Station Economic Development Director Natalie Ruiz returns to talk about new restaurants, office space, commercial expansion and more. We also dive into an email from a pod listener (we have one!) who expressed concerns about what feels like constant expansion in College Station.
All Up In Your Business is now available via Podbean, Apple Podcasts/iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, and Stitcher.
About the Blogger
Jay Socol (@jaysocol) is in his 10th year as College Station’s public communications director. A 1991 graduate of Texas A&M. Jay has also been communications director for the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service, public information officer for the City of Bryan, and news director at several Bryan-College Station area radio stations. A native of Breckenridge, he also serves as president of the Texas Association of Municipal Information Officers.
If you found value in this blog post, please share it with your social network and friends!
Podcast: Culpeppers are legacy residential, retail developers who still have plans
By Jay Socol, Public Communications Director
If you’ve lived in College Station or Bryan more than a minute, then you probably know about the Culpepper family. If not, then you’re certainly living, shopping, dining or being entertained in spaces that were developed by the Culpeppers.
President/CEO of Culpepper Realty Co. Jack Culpepper and General Counsel Larry Haskins talked to me about the beginnings of the family business, its early successes throughout the twin cities (and beyond) — and even gave some hints about their next redevelopment moves on property just across from Texas A&M. Hint: Think of the space where IHOP, Schlotzsky’s and Hurricane Harry’s are located — across from Century Square.
There’s great insight from a family that’s already invested in College Station for nine decades, with its fourth generation already working on the next big announcement.
All Up In Your Business is now available via Podbean, Apple Podcasts/iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, and Stitcher.
About the Blogger
Jay Socol (@jaysocol) is in his 10th year as College Station’s public communications director. A 1991 graduate of Texas A&M. Jay has also been communications director for the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service, public information officer for the City of Bryan, and news director at several Bryan-College Station area radio stations. A native of Breckenridge, he also serves as president of the Texas Association of Municipal Information Officers.
If you found value in this blog post, please share it with your social network and friends!
Podcast: Real talk about Gringo’s and Buc-ee’s
By Jay Socol, Public Communications Director
College Station Economic Development Director Natalie Ruiz and I had a jaunty (thanks, thesaurus!) podcast discussion this week about some businesses either recently on the ground or that we at least have a really good shot at.
But we also talked about one that appeared to be a sure thing until it wasn’t: Gringo’s.
Others topics we cover:
- How genuine the interest is from Buc-ee’s in a College Station location vs. Nat’s own wishful thinking?
- Why does it matter so much that the extensions to Lakeway Drive and Pebble Creek Parkway are now open? (Hint: Midtown)
For those brave enough to sample the video version of this episode, we apologize profusely for obscuring Nat’s face with the new microphone. A partial Nat eclipse is definitely visible to the naked eye.
About the Blogger
Jay Socol (@jaysocol) is in his 10th year as College Station’s public communications director. A 1991 graduate of Texas A&M. Jay has also been communications director for the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service, public information officer for the City of Bryan, and news director at several Bryan-College Station area radio stations. A native of Breckenridge, he also serves as president of the Texas Association of Municipal Information Officers.
If you found value in this blog post, please share it with your social network and friends!
Podcast: How Krispy Kreme finally came to town
By Jay Socol, Public Communications Director
Like BBQ, burgers, tacos — or any other food type you can think of — donuts are a pretty personal thing for people. College Station has a variety of options, all with loyal followings.
But long-suffering fans of Krispy Kreme can finally rejoice: The red light of happiness is in Aggieland.
Franchisee Brian Davis doesn’t have the typical connection with College Station or with Texas A&M University. He talked to us about why he chose College Station, why the Harvey Road location was actually his second choice, how it takes nearly 100 people to operate a single location, and how he plans on giving back to a community that he’s only spent limited time in.
Enjoy this first episode of All Up In Your Business!
About the Blogger
Jay Socol (@jaysocol) is in his 10th year as College Station’s public communications director. A 1991 graduate of Texas A&M. Jay has also been communications director for the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service, public information officer for the City of Bryan, and news director at several Bryan-College Station area radio stations. A native of Breckenridge, he also serves as president of the Texas Association of Municipal Information Officers.
If you found value in this blog post, please share it with your social network and friends!
