NEIGHBORHOOD SNAPSHOTS Sugar Land is targeting some of its older neighborhoods for redevelopment with a program City Council will discuss Feb. 7, after press time. Residents citywide could be able to apply. The following are some older neighborhoods in Sugar Land.
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If City Council approves it Feb. 7, after press time, the program will provide an incentive for owners of older homes to undergo exterior renovations. The Great Homes Program is just the tip of the iceberg, however. “More people and housing are a key component in supporting new commercial development and ameni- ties,” Adolph said. “The most import- ant thing is to continue to grow and attract new residents by providing options for downsizing and pathways to home ownership for the younger generations.” A history of growth Adam Perdue, a research economist at the Texas Real Estate Research Cen- ter, explained the context of Sugar Land’s growth. “Galveston used to be the prime job market,” he said. “But after the [Gal- veston Hurricane of 1900], everyone started heading north to Houston. As Houston proper continued to grow, population and employment spread out from central Houston.” Perdue said the building of Hwy. 59, I-10 and the Westpark Tollway made Fort Bend County the prime destina- tion for “green field development,” which is when companies buy land on the outskirts of cities to develop. Adolph said Sugar Land is mostly developed now. The only place left to grow, then, is inward and upward. Data from the city’s website, which Adolph said is from the American Community Survey, shows Sugar Land’s population dropped from 118,498 in 2021 to 111,026 in 2022. Sugar Land also faces rising property values and an aging home base, as its average home was built in 1992. “What we get is a coincidence where some of the houses are old, and
POPULATION DECLINE
I R P O R T B L V D .
-0.09%
-1.52%
34.04%
-6.31%
MAIN ST.
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120K
2
0.67%
100K
3
80K
60K
90
59
40K
4
20K
SUGAR LAKES BLVD.
6
0
T
2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
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SOURCES: AMERICAN COMMUNITY SURVEY ONE-YEAR ESTIMATES, U.S. CENSUS BUREAU 2020 DECENNIAL COUNT, CITY OF SUGAR LAND/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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COVINGTON WOODS Est. population: 1,000 Est. homes: 650 Avg. home age: 1971-1990 PHOTOS BY JACK DOWLING/COMMUNITY IMPACT
THE HIGHLANDS Est. population: 1,200 Est. homes: 500 Avg. home age: 1971-1990
BROOKSIDE-BELKNAP Est. population: 150 Est. homes: 500 Avg. home age: 1915-1970
THE HILL Est. population: 206 Est. homes: 864 Avg. home age: 1915-1970
SUGAR MILL Est. population: 550 Est. homes: 774 Avg. home age: 1971-1990
you just can’t maintain them,” Perdue said. “Land values are expected to increase. It starts to make sense to tear down the old houses and build more densely.” Redefining growth Perdue said he believes the next step for Sugar Land is to invest in
multipurpose districts as well as mul- tifamily housing. But there is a catch: While multifamily housing is not banned in Sugar Land, it is discouraged. “Current [development] codes do not encourage multitenant housing,” said Devon Rodriguez, deputy direc- tor of the Sugar Land Economic Devel- opment Corp. “But we are exploring
ways to diversify our housing stock.” The city’s land use plan, a compre- hensive 20- to 25-year plan approved in August 2018, set a target of 88% single-family and just 12% multi- family residential development. The plan prohibits the build-out of residential-only apartment com- plexes, instead requiring those
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