Incentives

The City of Bryan offers a broad menu of economic development incentives designed to facilitate new business development, business expansion and business locations.  All incentives are negotiable and subject to approval of the City of Bryan City Council as applicable.

City of Bryan Business Incentives

Property Tax Abatement Program

The City of Bryan offers property tax abatements on a portion of the value of real and/or tangible personal property for a period of up to 10 years.

• Apply for a Tax Abatement from the City of Bryan
• Resolution No. 3627: Guidelines and Criteria Governing Property Tax Abatement for the City of Bryan (PDF)

Chapter 380 Agreements

Chapter 380 of the Local Government Code provides legislative authority to the City of Bryan for property and sales tax rebates, grants or loans of city funds or services to promote economic development.

Fast Track Permitting

The City of Bryan offers an expedited planning and permitting process for eligible projects.  The City of Bryan’s Express Permits Program includes:

• Designation of a single economic development team point of contact;
• A maximum of 20 days to review project;
• Concurrent reviews by all involved government and business service agencies;’
• Timeline developed and agreed upon by City and Project;
• Phased permitting as necessary; and
• Special meetings of the Bryan City Council, City of Bryan Planning and Zoning Commission, or any other applicable City of Bryan regulatory body as necessary.

Homebuilder’s Incentive Program

This City of Bryan program offers incentives to homebuilders to construct residential homes in the target range of 2,000 to 3,000 square feet of heated and cooled area within the Bryan city limits. The agreement waives fees associated with new home construction. Fees waived would include water and sewer tap fees for up to 30 homes, and fees for building permits for an unlimited number of homes.

Contact Economic Development at 979.209.5130 for more information.

Infill Redevelopment Program

• Approved by Bryan City Council on March 5, 2019
• 5-Year Chapter 380 Agreement where $300K is appropriated to BCD for property acquisition
• Allows City to purchase lots at Sheriff’s sale where bid amount is equal to sum of taxes, liens, and interest
• Allows recovery of liens, taxes owed

Contact Economic Development at 979.209.5130 for more information.

Builder Infill Incentive Program

• Approved by Bryan City Council on March 5, 2019
• 18-month Chapter 380 Program where $75K is appropriated for a grant equal to 25 percent of the lot purchased through the Infill Redevelopment Program
• Chapter 380 Program requires that:
  • Builder must receive a Certificate of Occupancy (CO) within 12 months of the lot purchase
  • New single family construction must be stick built, on-site and owner occupied

Contact Economic Development at 979.209.5130 for more information.

City of Bryan Grants

Cash Grants

The City of Bryan and the Bryan Business Council may consider providing a cash grant to a company creating new jobs and making new investments in the City. This incentive is designed for deal-closing with priority given to projects that provide for substantial economic impact or serve as an economic development catalyst.

Land Grant of Reduced Price

The City of Bryan owns public property that can be granted free of charge or sold at a reduced price to economic development projects. This incentive is negotiable and determined by economic impact and/or the project’s position as a catalyst

Downtown Life Safety Grant

The Downtown Life Safety Grant (LSG) is a matching grant program intended to provide financial assistance for the installation and compliance of the International Building Code fire suppression and safety code requirements. Goals of the LSG include to encourage private investment in commercial and multi-family housing downtown through the use of public incentives; and to stimulate the redevelopment of vacant or open-for-business buildings in Historic Downtown Bryan.

Corridor Beautification Partnership Grant: Texas Ave.

The Corridor Beautification Partnership (CBP) is a matching grant program approved by the Bryan City Council. The grant focuses on improvements to retail and commercial properties located along Texas Avenue in Bryan. If a property is in need of outer improvements to the landscaping, façade, or signage, then the property owner or tenant can apply for these funds. The goal of the CBP is to improve the visual impact of the gateway to Bryan.

Downtown Improvements Matching Grant Program

The City of Bryan Downtown Improvements Matching Grant Program (DIP) is a program intended to provide financial assistance to help fund construction or maintenance projects that will improve the exterior appearance of commercial or multi-family buildings located in portions of Downtown Bryan. The goal of the DIP is to make Bryan’s unique downtown environment more attractive, improve the economic viability of businesses and, increase property values; all while preserving and enhancing Bryan’s architectural and cultural history.

Tax Increment Reinvestment Zones (TIRZ)

Tax increment financing is a tool that local governments can use to publicly finance needed structural improvements and enhanced infrastructure within a defined area. These improvements usually are undertaken to promote the viability of existing businesses and to attract new commercial enterprises to the area. The statutes governing tax increment financing are located in Chapter 311 of the Tax Code.

The cost of improvements to the area is repaid by the contribution of future tax revenues by each taxing unit that levies taxes against the property. Specifically, each taxing unit can choose to dedicate all, a portion, or none of the tax revenue that is attributable to the increase in property values due to the improvements within the reinvestment zone. The additional incremental tax revenue that is received from the affected properties is referred to as the tax increment. Each taxing unit determines what percentage of its tax increment, if any, it will commit to repayment of the cost of financing the public improvements. In addition, the governing body of a city may determine, in an ordinance designating an area as a reinvestment zone or in an ordinance adopted subsequent to the designation of a zone, the portion or amount of tax increment generated from municipal sales and use taxes attributable to the zone, above the sales tax base, to be deposited into the tax increment fund.

Other City of Bryan Incentives

Freeport Exemption

The City of Bryan offers the Freeport exemption for various types of goods that are detained in Texas for a short period of time. Freeport property includes goods, wares, merchandise, ores, and certain aircraft and aircraft parts. Freeport qualifies for an exemption from ad valorem taxation only if it has been detained in the state for 175 days or less for the purpose of assembly, storage, manufacturing, processing, or fabricating.

Foreign Trade Zone 84 – Site 26

Texas Triangle Park – Inland Port, located in the City of Bryan’s Extraterritorial Jurisdiction, is designated through Port Houston as Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) 84 – Site 26. Goods and unfinished products shipped directly to a FTZ are exempt from duty payments.

Chapter 313 Agreement

A Chapter 313 agreement provides for an appraised value limitation by the Bryan Independent School District with the taxpayer (project). In order for the project to be eligible for a value limitation, new property and new jobs must be created.

State of Texas Business Incentives

Texas Enterprise Fund (Deal Closing Fund)

The Texas Enterprise Fund (TEF) offers a special incentive to choose Texas. The TEF might help you make your decision. The fund is a cash grant used as a financial incentive tool for projects that offer significant projected job creation and capital investment and where a single Texas site is competing with another viable out-of-state option.

The Texas Enterprise Zone Program

This economic development tool allows local communities to partner with the state of Texas to encourage job creation and capital investment in economically distressed areas. Local communities can nominate a new or expanding business as an “enterprise project.” Approved projects are eligible to apply for state sales and use tax refunds on qualified expenditures. The level and amount of refund depends on the capital investment and jobs created at the qualified business site.

Texas Skills Development Fund

The Skills Development Fund is Texas’ premier job-training program providing local customized training opportunities for Texas businesses and workers to increase skill levels and wages of the Texas workforce. The Texas Workforce Commission administers funding for the program. Success is achieved through collaboration among businesses, public community and technical colleges, Workforce Development Boards and economic development partners.

For more information, please contact City of Bryan Economic Development at 979-209-5130.