CITY & COUNTY
News from Sugar Land & Fort Bend County
HIGHLIGHTS FORT BEND COUNTY On Jan. 24, Fort Bend County commissioners approved an application to the Texas Veterans Commission to provide $300,000 in nancial assistance to veterans within the county. The court also authorized an application to vie for a $135,000 veterans mental health grant. The funds would apply for scal year 2023-24, from July 1, 2023-June 30, 2024. The social services department o ers aid for veterans. Sugar Land City Council will meet at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 21 at 2700 Town Center Blvd. N., Sugar Land. Meetings are livestreamed and in person. 281-275-2900. www.sugarlandtx.gov Missouri City City Council will meet at 7 p.m. Feb. 20 at 1522 Texas Parkway, Missouri City. Meetings are livestreamed and in person. 281-403- 8500. www.missouricitytx.gov Fort Bend County Commissioners Court will meet at 1 p.m. Feb. 14 and 28 at 401 Jackson St., Richmond. Meetings are livestreamed and in person. 281-342-3411. www.fortbendcountytx.gov MEETINGS WE COVER
Residents speak at town hall about plans for Imperial Sugar Char House development
City approves smart water meters
County to gift last grant to domestic violence nonpro ts
BY JACK DOWLING
METER UPGRADES Sugar Land City Council approved a new smart water metering system on Jan. 17. $9.4M Cost to upgrade the city’s water meter system 2023 Construction will begin 2025 Construction will be completed PROJECT DETAILS
SUGAR LAND Following in line with nearby cities, Sugar Land has approved a $9.4 million water metering upgrade across the city. The project was approved at the Jan. 17 City Council meeting and is intended to reduce cost and increase accuracy through the use of AMI, or advanced metering infrastructure, per a city news release. Advanced water metering uses newer technology over the top of old meters to send live-use data through a system of relays and back to the city. Director of Public Works Brian Butscher said in the release the goal is to keep the community safe and maintain reliable water supply while investing in infrastructure and saving money. By retro tting most meters and replacing a select few that are incompatible with the technology, Sugar Land intends to use smart
BY JACK DOWLING
BY ASIA ARMOUR
About half a dozen residents spoke out against high-density housing in Sugar Land as part of the Char House development. Toon said the total investment cost to ll out the Char House development, for all parties, will likely be around $1 billion. Not all of that cost will be taken on by PUMA Development, but the gure shows the true scope of the project. One hurdle for the development rm is they must abide by a set of standards to ensure histor- ical accuracy. To do so, the rm is working with Houston-based Urbana. Despite the di culty surrounding the project, reception to PUMA’s e orts have been positive, Sugar Land o cials said. Data from ZenCity, a social-media analysis platform, shows 70% of comments have been positive, 28% have been neu- tral and just 2% of analyzed users have expressed negative opinions on the project. The Sugar Land Planning and Zoning Commission will codify its recommendations for the development’s requirements on Feb. 14, after press time.
SUGAR LAND Country living was the primary concern of the 30 or so residents who attended a Sugar Land town hall meeting Jan. 24 regarding the development of an activity center in the Imperial Historic District by PUMA Development. Since the development was announced Dec. 1, details that include overall project cost, initial land use plans and possible development restrictions have been released to the public. “We’ve got a chance to take a pretty bold step,” Sugar Land Mayor Joe Zimmerman said at the Jan. 24 meeting. “We’ve been here a handful of times, and it hasn’t worked. But, if we, the council, planning and zoning, and the public—and it’s the public, it’s not us—if we can’t agree, then it’s time to let [PUMA CEO] Mark [Toon] know so he can go work on something else.” Prior to the Jan. 24 town hall, residents were provided access to the development’s land use map and development restrictions, including that a cap of 660 residential units would be implemented across the Imperial Sugar Char House development.
FORT BEND COUNTY A family violence service nonpro t will receive its last family protection fee grant from Fort Bend County before it becomes obsolete. The scal year 2022-23 grant totals to $9,559. These funds were made available through a $15 fee collected by the district clerk’s o ce when a dissolu- tion of a marriage suit was led, per a Jan. 5 news release. Commissioners adopted this practice under a govern- ment code that allowed the district clerk to donate funds to domestic violence organizations. However, Texas Senate Bill 41, which became e ective Jan. 1, 2022, consolidated civil court ling fees and established a streamlined sys- tem—keeping the court’s remaining revenue neutral and disallowing the fee collection, o cials said.
RESIDENT FEEDBACK ZenCity, a social-media analysis platform, showed how residents are responding to PUMA Development’s plans for the Imperial Sugar Char House. PUMA Development announced in December that it will redevelop the Imperial Sugar Char House. JACK DOWLING COMMUNITY IMPACT
SYSTEM BENEFITS
RESIDENT COMMENTS
monitoring technology to enable live tracking of water usage to pin- point leaks and provide residents with more information. Construction is expected to begin this year and should be com- plete by 2025, city o cials said. SOURCE: SUGAR LAND COMMUNITY IMPACT • Live-use data will be sent to the city, residents • Meters will reduce cost, increase accuracy
70% POSITIVE
28% NEUTRAL
2% NEGATIVE
SOURCES: CITY OF SUGAR LAND, ZENCITY COMMUNITY IMPACT
City Council will then issue its rst reading of the developmental agreement ordinance on Feb. 21 and will issue the second reading at the March 7 council meeting, where it could approve the agreement, allowing PUMA to proceed.
SUGAR LAND 3335 Hwy 6 S (281) 313-4446 MISSOURI CITY 5418 Hwy 6 (281) 403-0400
SUGAR CREEK 13827 Southwest Fwy (281) 491-8628 SIENNA PLANTATION 9034 Sienna Crossing Dr (281) 778-9959
NEW TERRITORY 5720 New Territory Blvd (281) 491-0811
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