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Council approves annexation of 162.6 acres in Innovation Corridor; zoning could allow data center
Summary
Bryan City Council approved an owner-requested annexation of 162.6 acres on the city’s west side and a proposed zoning mix that would explicitly allow data-center uses; staff said required studies (flood, traffic, utilities) and site-plan review would set mitigation measures.
Bryan City Council voted to approve an owner-requested annexation (ANN 205-2) of roughly 162.6 acres on the city’s west side, a tract staff said sits in the city’s Innovation Corridor and is adjacent to the RELLIS campus. Planning and Development staff described a zoning configuration that would combine a Planned Development Mixed-use (PDM) district with Innovation Corridor retail/services along State Highway 21 and said the PDM would explicitly define data center as an allowed land use.
Planning and Development staff told the council the proposed PDM and overlay regulations would include building-design and articulation requirements, screening and soundproofing standards, additional setbacks and buffers from residential areas, and other development requirements designed to mitigate potential negative impacts tied to data centers. “The PDM would be able to accommodate a data center as well as essential municipal uses to serve that data center, general office, and some outdoor storage,” the Planning and Development staff said in presentation remarks. Staff also noted that Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously recommended approval at its hearing.
Council members emphasized that the annexation and proposed zoning are conceptual and that any actual development would require additional technical review. The council discussed OSR realignment and planned road connections that staff said would serve future phases of development at and around the RELLIS campus. Councilman Salvato pressed staff on natural-resource impacts, particularly water and power; staff said a closed-loop water system is not required by the zoning text but could be provided as infrastructure directly related to a data center, and that city utilities do not currently reach the property and would be required and extended during site plan phase.
The council moved and, after a second, approved the annexation by voice vote; the chair called for ayes, no opposed voices were recorded and the motion carried. Staff and council members stressed several required follow-ups — a flood study, traffic impact analysis, and utility extensions — that will be required if and when developers submit site plans.
