Bryan to make vacant space available for tech start-ups

  • By MATTHEW WATKINS

  • Posted: Wednesday, January 26, 2011 7:00 a.m.
  • Text size: A A A


The city of Bryan hopes to turn some of its vacant office space into an incubator for new technology companies.


The City Council on Tuesday voted to lease the basement level of the city-owned Federal Building in Downtown Bryan to AdventGX Corp. AdventGX will then rent that 3,700-square-foot property to start-ups looking for an inexpensive place to grow.


"What we are hoping to do is grow science and technology start-ups and give them the backing and the resources and services they are needing to grow their businesses," said Cody Marx Bailey, creative services director for AdventGX.


The city bought the Federal Building in the '90s and rents the first floor to the General Services Administration. The basement was previously occupied by Brazos County, which recently moved to a new site.


The basement space will be called the Science and Technology Center in Downtown Bryan and its founders hope it will house web and iPhone app developers, visualization companies, database businesses and people doing creative services like social media work and marketing. Most of those companies will only have a few workers, Bailey said.


"A lot of it is going to be things born out of Texas A&M," he said. "That is the big fish in town."


Bailey said he is already talking with a fledgling microscope company.


AdventGX will provide an inexpensive workspace with Internet, telephones and a conference room. But it will also offer camaraderie and networking opportunities with businesses facing the same struggles, Bailey said.


The lease with AdventGX is for four years. The company will pay the city 80 percent of the rent it collects. The rest will go toward office maintenance -- toilet paper, coffee and Internet, Bailey said.


The project will provide AdventGX an opportunity to build relationships with the companies using the space, which may be valuable if they are able to expand, Bailey said.


"That doesn't mean we will be the exclusive provider for their services," he said. "We just want to be in the middle of it and make sure it is a success."


Under the lease, AdventGX has six months to build its revenue. It must pay the city at least $1,000 a month for the next 18 months and $2,000 a month for the following two years.


The council unanimously approved the lease with no discussion.


Deputy City Manager Joey Dunn called the plan a "win-win" for the city. The space had been sitting unoccupied, meaning any revenue will be a slight bonus.


But the goal for the site, he said, is to spur high-tech growth in downtown Bryan.


"We believe they are bringing in new business and ... we hope there will be spin-offs and companies like that will go and buy another building downtown or expand in the area," he said.


In other action, the council:


* Voted to rename Harvey Mitchell School Drive near Austin's Colony Parkway. The new name will be Bullinger Creek Drive.


* Joined an interlocal agreement for joint elections with Wixon Valley. Under the agreement, Bryan will conduct the May 14 municipal election for the smaller city northeast of Bryan. Wixon Valley will pay for the costs of operating a precinct inside the city.

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