Johnson Development’s Imperial Project Selected as Site for Baseball Stadium

Imperial, a 700-acre master-planned community located in Sugar Land at the historic Imperial Sugar Company refinery, has been selected as the site for city’s new minor league baseball stadium. Sugar Land City Council identified the site as a preferred location for the stadium in late June after considering four area options. The decision was based on a comparative analysis and proposals submitted by the developers. The city’s next step is to confirm the site’s development capabilities and suitability, and a final decision by council is expected by the end of the summer.

“We are thrilled that city council has selected our Imperial community as the site for the new stadium,” said Doug Goff, chief operating officer of Johnson Development Corp. “We have a long history of developing in Fort Bend County with our Riverstone and Sienna Plantation communities, and our goal with Imperial is to continue Johnson Development’s standard of excellence in redeveloping an area of such important historical significance to the residents of Sugar Land.”

Just over a year ago, Johnson Development was selected as Imperial’s development manager by Cherokee Sugar Land LP and the State of Texas General Land Office. Johnson’s charge is to bring life back to the old Imperial Sugar Refinery site with a mix of retail, commercial, hospitality, office and urban residential land structures. The master plan also includes a significant amount of land across from the Sugar Land Regional Airport being dedicated for the city’s next professional business and technology park.

Locating the new minor league baseball stadium in Imperial will serve as a community amenity and will provide an annual benefit of $7.7 million, or a return of $169 million over 30 years, based on a cost-benefit analysis performed by Conventions, Sports & Leisure International. With the potential to attract more than 300,000 visitors annually, the ballpark will also benefit hotels, restaurants and other retail establishments in the area of “old” Sugar Land. Additionally, the stadium will have a direct impact on the overall community by increasing the city’s sales tax and Hotel Occupancy Tax revenues by keeping local entertainment expenditures within Sugar Land and Fort Bend County.

To accomplish this ambitious plan, Johnson Development selected Shay Shafie as the general manager of Imperial, and he is responsible for all development activities on the site.

Johnson Development’s new master-planned community, Imperial, will boast more than 300 acres dedicated to open space, lakes, wetlands and parks. The natural features of Oyster Creek, which winds throughout the property, will also be incorporated into the land plan. Imperial is fortunate to be located in the heart of Sugar Land, one of the top 25 American cities on Forbes’ list of “Top Towns to Live Well.” According to Forbes, cities on their list “boast cultural amenities, pro-business environments, highly educated workforces and enviable salaries.”

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Sugar Land’s Minor League Baseball Team Closer to a Name

Thousands of people from Sugar Land, Fort Bend County and throughout the greater Houston area visited www.Name­SugarLandsTeam.com to submit their favorite names for their team that will take the field in the spring of 2012.

Team name suggestions range from the zany to the traditional and from the alliterative to the whimsical. Among the thousands of suggestions are names such as the Canes, Imperials and the Sugar Bears pay tribute to Sugar Land’s sugar refining history, and names such as Jackrabbits, Prairie Dogs and Gators help fill out a roster of animals being suggested. Other thought provoking names include Jailbirds, Crawfish, Steam, and even Lead Bellies and Briskets.

In late August, the contest entered “Extra Innings” when the finalist five to seven team names were announced. Fans were asked to select their favorite team names among the finalists by ranking their top three choices in order of preference. By mid-September, the team name and contest winner will be announced. The fan submitting the winning name will be awarded a grand prize of lifetime season tickets.

The team also announced that Christopher Hill will join the organization as vice president of business development. Hill brings more than 17 years of sports and arena management experience to the team. Most recently, Hill was with the Buffalo Bisons (Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets) for nine years. He also served on the executive counsel for Big Brothers & Big Sisters and as vice-president of the board for Crisis Services.

Matt O’Brien, president of the Sugar Land team, said, “Christopher has been a progressive innovator in the industry for a long time. His track record of success is exceptional and he will make a great addition to the top quality team we will be assembling for the Sugar Land franchise.”

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Town Center Mobility Project Lands $4 Million

State and federal grants totaling $4 million have been awarded for a pedestrian and bicycle project in the Town Center area.

The project is intended to provide safe, convenient access for pedestrians and bicyclists within Sugar Land’s business district, eventually connecting to a larger hike and bike trail system throughout the city.

TxDOT’s Transportation Enhancement program and the federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality program will each provide approximately $2 million for the following improvements: sidewalks and paths will be expanded to improve access between popular locations like Sugar Land Town Square, First Colony Mall and the AMC Theatre; 10-foot wide paths for bicyclists and pedestrians will be added on the north and southbound frontage roads along U.S. Highway 59 from Williams Trace Boulevard to Bullhead Slough, also known as “Ditch H”; continental-style, or striped, crosswalks will be built at paths that intersect streets and driveways; special enhancements, including illumination and pedestrian barriers, will be added at State Highway 6 and Sweetwater Boulevard to provide a safe passage under U.S. Highway 59.

The improvements will connect to the city’s existing and planned hike and bike trail network, offering more recreational opportunities for residents and visitors. This connectivity will ultimately provide pedestrian and bicycle access to the Town Center area from many areas around the city.

The improvements were originally identified in a study performed in 2007 by the city and the Houston-Galveston Area Council to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety and mobility in the city’s center. Construction could begin as early as late 2011.

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Missouri City No. 21 Best

Place to Live in America

Show me Missouri City and we’ll show you a city on the move—right up MONEY magazine’s top 100 Best Places to Live in America—placing No. 21 this year. Money previously had named the city as No. 56 in 2008, the last year it ranked cities from 50,000 to 300,000 population.

“We polled families for what is most important for them in choosing a place to live and they told us safe streets, real estate you can afford, good schools for their kids and good jobs,” said Elizabeth Fenner, MONEY assistant managing editor, on the NBC Today show on July 12 that featured this year’s best places to live. Missouri City’s job growth increased 25.19 percent between 2000 and 2009 compared to the best places job growth average of 15.71 percent.

Following the polling of families, MONEY’s team of editors and writers spent several months researching and reviewing data on a wide range of economic and quality-of-life indicators. Missouri City’s low crime rate was a factor contributing to its high marks for quality of life. Its property crime rate of 16 per 1,000 population was lower than the best places average of 24.

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Going Green: Right at Your Fingertips

Missouri City’s recycling kiosk in the lobby of the Community Center next to City Hall, 1522 Texas Parkway, will help residents keep the community clean and “green.” The high-tech touch screen
menu provides helpful tips on being environmentally conscious.

Find out how to save some of your own green with the latest news and trends on saving the planet. Learn how to reduce your carbon footprint with recycling 101 basics. You can even find out about recycling events coming to the area.

If you need to dispose of anything, just type in what you have to recycle, like an old mattress, paints or even computer equipment. The booth will provide a list of places that accept the materials, where they are located and who to call. Some of the places can even pick it up for you if it is too big to haul yourself.

Recycle paper, plastic, aluminum and tin cans at the Missouri City Recycling Facility at 1919 Scanlin Road, behind the City Hall Complex.

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Fort Bend County Climbs to No. 5 for Job Growth

Fort Bend County ranks fifth on a national list of counties that experienced the most job growth over the past nine years, according to CNN/ Money Magazine. The county experienced 55 percent job growth from 2000-09. and Fort Bend County’s Missouri City comes in at No. 21 on the publication’s “100 Best Places to Live” list for its affordable homes, low taxes and low crime rate.

The rankings are part of the magazine’s annual “America’s Best Places to Live” special feature.

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New Amenities Plan Provides Outstanding Amenities to First Colony Residents

First Colony Community Association announced plans to update the master-planned community’s recreational amenities. The redevelopment efforts outlined in the plan will create tremendous state-of-the-art recreation facilities for First Colony residents to enjoy for many years.

The planning process was overseen by a local consulting firm and included a membership survey focused on community recreation needs as well as a thorough analysis of existing recreation costs, uses and facility conditions. The assessment identified a number of amenities that are currently underutilized by residents and facing increasing operational costs.

“Outstanding amenities are one of the many advantages of living in a master-planned community. It is important to update these in order to maintain property values and to stay competitive with newer neighborhoods in the area,” said FCCA Executive Director Sherrie Knoepfel. “We’d like to encourage residents to find out all the facts about the plan by visiting the website or calling with any questions or concerns.”

As a result, the plan calls for the development of new, larger amenities in select locations and phasing some existing amenities into more passive recreation areas. New amenities will be opened and available for use before existing amenities are redeveloped.

Phase one of the plan includes renovations to the Aquatic Center, Heritage Colony Pool and Edgewater Park. A new family-style leisure pool at the Aquatic Center will feature a beach-style entry, new splash pads, a lazy river and water slide. The addition of a summer kitchen, more deck space, additional shade and water volleyball will make Heritage Colony Pool more ideal for large gatherings. Updates to Edgewater Park include new playground equipment, a splash pad, expanded trail access and a picnic pavilion.

A complete version of the plan and the resident survey may be found at FirstColony.org.

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City Manager’s Fiscal Year 2011 Proposed Budget

City Manager Allen Bogard presented a $282.6 million proposed budget for fiscal year 2011 to Sugar Land City Coun­cil on July 20. Sugar Land’s fiscal year 2011 runs Oct. 1, 2010, to Sept. 30, 2011.

The budget is based on a proposed tax rate of 30 cents which includes a reallocation of a half-cent from debt service to the maintenance and operations component of the tax rate. The proposed tax rate is anticipated to be less than the effective tax rate, which is the amount needed to generate the same revenues as last year on properties taxed in both years. Based on preliminary values, the average homeowner will see about a $3 decrease in their tax bill compared to last year.

The proposed budget is the culmination of months of work that began with early input from city council regarding revenue assumptions given the current economic climate.

The proposed operating budget for FY11 totals $94.4 million and is decreasing .6 percent from the FY10 adopted operating budget. The majority of this reduction is due to a 2.7 percent decline in city services costs. Despite the overall reduction, the budget includes several new and/or expanded services: a new recreation center is set to open in early 2011; Fire Station No. 7 will be under construction soon in Telfair and open in the summer of 2011; a city-operated convention & visitors bureau is proposed to be funded from hotel occupancy taxes.