Request for Placemaking

• Increase business resiliency and prepare Sugar Land businesses for the post-pandemic environment

• Revitalize (restore life to) vacant, aging, or underutilized spaces

• Increase outdoor dining, services, retail and entertainment

• Increase public art utilization

• Create spaces that people are drawn to and can utilize

• Shop local: projects use local vendors and resources

• Support safe, physically distant gathering and patronage of businesses and spaces

• Promote accessibility and diverse social interactions by physical distancing

• Provide curbside pickup for more than food

• Expand curbside pickup for retailers and restaurants that don’t already have established spaces

Businesses, property owners and non-profits located in Sugar Land are encouraged to submit a project online through this program.

All projects must be submitted online and include the following:

• Name of Business, Property Owner or Nonprofit (with logo, if applicable)

• Names of individual project members

• Title of Submission

• Physical Address, Website, and social media handles, if applicable

• Word description of your project including purpose, cost, sourcing of material, how it meets the goals and criteria, project images and timeline. (Maximum of 5 pages)

• “Sweet Spiel"- A video (up to 2 minutes and 30 seconds) explaining the project and why it should be funded.

To Submit a Project Proposal click here.

Minimum Project Criteria

Must meet all three choices to be eligible

• Project development and implementation within 6-12 months

• Consistent with CDC guidelines

• Supports a return to thriving business

Advanced Project Criteria

Must meet a minimum of 3 criteria to be eligible

• Supports easy maintenance of safe physical distance among, workers, patrons and pedestrians.

• Supports a multitude of business, not just an individual business

• Situated outdoors

• Located in a space open to the public

• Address the needs of food service, retail, and other service industries

• Increases availability/visibility of public art

• Community Gardens

• Outdoor shopping & dining spaces

• Public art on private property (eg, murals)

• Parklets

• Food truck startup for existing Sugar Land restaurants

• Design services and construction for Façade redevelopment

• Touchless hardware installation (doors, POS systems)

• Planning & implementation of online sales for brick & mortar

Who is paying for the projects?

This effort is a component of the City of Sugar Land’s recently-established Business Support Program. Most of the projects recommended for funding through the Request for Placemaking will be funded by the City of Sugar Land utilizing funds allocated by Fort Bend County. The City is extremely grateful for this successful partnership with the County, especially the support of Precinct 4 Commissioner Ken DeMerchant. Some projects may ultimately be funded by one of the City’s Economic Development Corporations, though this recommendation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

What is the process for project selection?

The city’s application review committee will meet on a regular basis to review projects. The committee will review the submitted applications, develop a list of any questions or additional information that may be needed from the applicants, and identify any barriers to implementation that need to be addressed. After review, staff will reach out to the Organization Representative listed on the project application to discuss next steps.

How will the projects be funded?

After a project is submitted and recommended for funding, the organization proposing the project will enter into a formal agreement with the City of Sugar Land (or one of its Economic Development Corporations, if appropriate). The agreement will include a description of the project to be implemented, any performance metrics that the City anticipates to be met as part of the project, and the process for distribution of funding. Most projects will be funded on a reimbursement basis, meaning that the organization proposing the project will need to fund the project and be reimbursed by the City after implementation. Any exceptions to this method will need to be discussed with staff beforehand and outlined in the agreement.