Residents’ opposition spurs change in plans
Sugar Land residents concerned that renters in mixed-use proposal would hurt their suburban lifestyle
A developer will remove 900 apartments from its Sugar Land mixeduse project.
A developer planning a mixed-use project in Sugar Land will remove the 900 apartments from its plan after opposition from residents concerned that renters would increase traffic, crowd schools and diminish their suburban lifestyle.
The city of Sugar Land announced Wednesday that Newland Communities has decided drop the apartments from its planned project at University and U.S. 59 in the Telfair master-planned community. Newland is the Telfair developer.
Mayor James Thompson said in a letter that he met with representatives from the development company to convey community concerns. The residents say apartments and renter culture symbolized a clash with the single-family neighborhoods surrounding the vacant 87-acre tract that has always been designated as a commercial property.
The project sparked a grass-roots petition drive to amend the new development code passed by city officials this summer. Ted
Nelson, president of the central region for Newland Communities, said in a letter to the city that Telfair will not include the multifamily units in its proposal, now under consideration by city staff, despite the fact that they “believe that multifamily housing is a key element of a mixed-use development and further provides an opportunity for young people and elderly citizens an opportunity to live in Sugar Land.”
The letter continued, “We have clearly heard the concerns expressed by the citizens of Sugar Land and wish to abide by these concerns.”
Diana Miller, the Sugar Land resident leading the petition drive targeting the Telfair and similar projects, said she is skeptical the discussion between the city and the developer will guarantee that no apartments are ever built on the property.
“A letter is not binding, and it is not unusual for a developer to sell tracts” within a planned development, Miller said.
“Another entity could just move forward under the development code,” she added.
Newland had proposed developing the property, one of the last undeveloped parcels in the city, into a combination of office, retail and hotel projects and apartment buildings.
Opponents want their town to remain predominantly singlefamily homes.
Their petition drive specifically targets new rules that establish separate zoning rules for “urban” and “suburban” developments.
“Our concern is other potential similar developments coming forward under the new code, not just this one project,” Miller said.
Miller said her group has collected more than enough signatures to force action.