As a city with an established and diverse business community, Sugar Land knows that achieving results takes a bold and thoughtful approach, or as we call it down here in the sweetest city in Texas, the “Sugar Land Way.” We take the time to listen to and understand the needs of our citizens and businesses, desiring to push our city and your investment forward through the creation of successful public/private partnerships that benefit the community and make Sugar Land a great place for our residents and businesses to call home.
Anchored by the iconic Sugar Land City Hall, Sugar Land Town Square grew from an empty field and bold vision into a unique 32-acre destination where residents and employees live, work, shop, and gather. This highly successful public/private partnership was a collaboration between the City of Sugar Land, Fort Bend County, Fort Bend County Levee Improvement District Number 2, Planned Community Developers Ltd., and three restricted economic development funding corporations. Since its beginnings, Sugar Land Town Square has reshaped the city’s landscape and lifestyle with its delicious dining options, fantastic storefronts, stylish condos, world-class hotel, and other amenities such as gyms and salons available to Town Square residents, business employees, and visitors. We call it the beating heart of Sugar Land.
Located on the former Central State Prison Farm site, the award-winning Houston Museum of Natural Science at Sugar Land opened in 2009 and is a public/private partnership between the owner and developer of Telfair, the City of Sugar Land, and the Houston Museum of Natural Science, that creatively incorporates the historic “Two Camp” building of the prison into its architectural design and functionality.
In 2007, the City of Sugar Land’s citizen-led Visioning Task Force identified five preferred entertainment and destination venues to enhance Sugar Land’s standing as a premier destination location. This vision included a minor league baseball stadium, an indoor live entertainment venue, a festival site, a second hotel and conference center, and a community arts venue. Three of the projects have been completed thus far: Constellation Field, Smart Financial Center, and Crown Festival Park, all of which were approached boldly and thoughtfully the “Sugar Land Way.” The remaining two projects are still underway.
In 2007, the City of Sugar Land launched a plan to drive economic growth by investing in local entertainment and amenities. As part of this vision, the City and local developers worked together to build Constellation Field, home of the Skeeters, with $36 million of public-private funding organized by Sugar Land Economic Development and the goal to one day serve as home to a Triple-A baseball team. In 2021, that dream came true after the Sugar Land Skeeters were officially acquired by the Houston Astros and named the Triple A affiliate of the Major League franchise. The City of Sugar Land’s professionalism as well as the ease of doing business in Sugar Land were major selling points in the Astros’ decision. As part of the Astros partnership, the MLB team and City will make a continued investment in Constellation Field to continue to elevate the stadium into a first-class venue for players and fans.
Since its grand opening in January 2017, the Smart Financial Centre is the region’s most technologically advanced indoor live-entertainment venue, featuring moveable walls that expand and contract to create intimate settings of approximately 3,300 to large shows over 6,400. The public/private partnership was built without general-fund tax dollars, instead funded by a voter-approved package of restricted economic development dollars, as well as a $10 million equity contribution from ACE SL, LLC, the city’s award-winning partner. The end result is a commercially self-sustainable amenity that provides concerts, cultural acts, and community events for residents and visitors. The facility continues to exceed all projections and regularly ranks on Pollster as one of the top indoor venues in the United States.
In 2005, the Sugar Land 4B Corporation entered into a $3.5 million, 100-year ground lease on a beautiful, 52-acre property with the University of Houston at Sugar Land. The lease was assigned in 2012 to the City of Sugar Land, with the consideration of various uses for temporary events.
In the spring of 2013, a committee of more than 100 Sugar Land residents met to consider parks projects for an upcoming bond election. Funding for two of the proposed parks projects was approved through property tax revenues, one being the 128-acre Brazos River Park project, which included the development of the 52-acre festival site that opened in March 2017 and was later named The Crown Festival Park at Sugar Land. The Crown Festival Site at Sugar Land is perfect for hosting large-scale events such as music festivals, marathons, and sporting events.