COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) – After years of setbacks, College Station is finally moving forward with a major outdoor destination in its growing Midtown district.<\/p>\n
On Thursday night, College Station City Council unanimously approved a $7 million construction contract with Skanska USA Building Inc<\/a> for Texas Independence Park at Midtown, a 68-acre public park planned for Rock Prairie Road. <\/p>\n For Midtown residents like Jerry and Shelby Behm, the vote was a long time coming. When the couple moved to Midtown in September 2021, they were drawn by a promise: a vibrant, mixed-use community where people could live, shop and gather.<\/p>\n \u201cWe moved out here for that initial vision that was kind of promised to the area, a shared kind of retail, commercial, residential kind of space,\u201d Jerry Behm said.<\/p>\n But as years passed and development stalled, Shelby became one of Midtown\u2019s most vocal advocates<\/a> at city council meetings, with Jerry right by her side. <\/p>\n The couple, along with their dog Remy, pushed the city at every turn to invest in the area they call home.<\/p>\n This week, that push paid off.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m definitely excited for Independence Park,\u201d Jerry said. \u201cIt\u2019s kind of the first step to the investment in Midtown.\u201d<\/p>\n The site on Rock Prairie Road has a complicated past. <\/p>\n In November 2022, the city broke ground on what was supposed to be the Texas Independence Ballpark, a $23 million project that would have brought a baseball park to the Midtown area.<\/p>\n But just weeks after breaking ground, an unprecedented amount of rain changed the soil conditions at the site. <\/p>\n After additional testing in early 2023, city staff determined the ground simply couldn\u2019t support a ballpark, and fixing the soil would cost a minimum of $10 million more.<\/p>\n RELATED: College Station discontinues plans for Texas Independence Ballpark<\/a><\/p>\n By August 2023, the city pulled the plug, with $5 million already spent. Existing infrastructure, including a restroom building, sewer, water and electrical capabilities, remained on the site.<\/p>\n Rather than walk away entirely, the city went back to the community. They launched a public survey to gather input on what residents wanted to see on the site. The response was overwhelming.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve gotten over 400 survey responses, which has been really great,\u201d Planning and Development representative Jennifer Cain said back in 2023. \u201cIt\u2019s a whole myriad of things. People are saying they\u2019d like to see trails, they\u2019d like to see pickleball, they\u2019d like to see a pool, they\u2019d like to see a pump track where you can ride bikes on.\u201d<\/p>\n The feedback was used to develop a master plan, and in August 2024, the College Station City Council unanimously approved that master plan<\/a>. <\/p>\n What the Park Will Include<\/p>\n Texas Independence Park will span 68 acres and is estimated to cost around $21 million. Planned amenities include:<\/p>\n A destination playgroundTwo bike parks, including a pump track, dual elevated hub, wall rides, and surface flow trailsA dog parkA fishing pondAn 18-hole disc golf courseNatural surface trailsPicnic areas and parking<\/p>\n In January 2025, the city received a $750,000 grant from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission to help fund the bike-related elements of the park. College Station was among 21 communities to receive non-urban grants from the commission, which approved a record $30.9 million in local park grants that year.<\/p>\n