Sugar Land’s Master Planning Kicks into High Gear

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Researched by Industrialinfo.com (Industrial Information Resources, Incorporated; Houston, Texas). Located 20 miles from downtown Houston, Sugar Land has earned a reputation as one of the best business relocation destinations in the U.S. With a growth rate of more than 158% in the last ten years, Sugar Land was recently recognized by Money magazine as one of the top 50 U.S. cities to live in. Sugar Land’s master plan has greatly contributed to Fort Bend County’s achievement as having the second highest median household income in the nation.

Sugar Land’s success is not due to its location alone, but is the result of careful planning between the city and real estate developer, Planned Community Developers, which has created a community where commerce and day-to-day life coexist. Joseph Esch, Executive Director of Business & Intergovernmental Relations for the City of Sugar Land, states, “Hallmarks of the community basically are creativity, wise investment, and continual pursuit of excellence and growth.” A perfect reflection of these hallmarks is the new epicenter of Sugar Land – Town Square – a $200 million open-air concept pedestrian friendly, 32-acre mixed-use property, developed by Planned Community Developers, featuring the new City Hall (occupied in November 2004), the Marriott Hotel, conference center, two class-A office buildings, entertainment, retail, and residential spaces. Les Newton, President of Planned Community Developers adds, “In conjunction with the City of Sugar Land, we’ve been able to create the ideal place to work and live.”

Click on Town Square Photo to enlarge (Courtesy of the City of Sugar Land)

With master planned communities like First Colony, the City of Sugar Land has been able to attract a large business base which has led to high sales tax income, allowing it to reinvest in the community and consistently reduce property tax rates. The largest employer in the city is the engineering and construction firm, Fluor Corporation, which occupies one million square-feet of office space. Unocal, which was recently acquired by Chevron/Texaco, occupies half a million square-feet. Other companies that call Sugar Land home include Schlumberger Companies, Applied Optoelectonics, Crown Cork & Seal, Baker Petrolite, Noble Drilling, and Bergen Brunswig.

With an aggressive economic development policy, the city has closed 18 business deals since October 2004. These deals will bring in 793 new, high paying jobs, and will result in over $57 million in anticipated new capital investment. The most recent deals, representing more than $3 million in incentives in the form of direct cash outlays and tax abatements from the city through the Sugar Land Development Corporation, attracted three companies: Thermo Electron Corporation, Sunoco Logistic Partners LP, and Industrial Information Resources, Incorporated (IIR).

IIR will be the lead tenant in a new 150,000 square-foot class-A office building scheduled to open in early 2006 in the heart of Sugar Land - Town Square. As part of the IIR relocation, a unique business partnership was formed capitalizing on the synergies between the city and IIR. This new relationship will promote the city’s economic development policy by utilizing IIR’s business and corporate communications services to help broadcast the message that Sugar Land is the premiere business relocation destination.

With its wealth of amenities, it’s no wonder that Sugar Land has become one of the best places to live and work in the country. The level of educational attainment in Sugar Land is exceptional, ranking as one of the most highly educated cities in the nation. About 57% of the population (25 and older) has a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to a national average of 24%. 56.8% of the population has a professional or management occupation. Mr. Esch concludes, “Our goal is to become the country’s number one place to live and work based on quality of life, highest income per capita, highly educated workforce, and low cost of living.”

For businesses seeking a new location for headquarters, regional offices, or manufacturing sites, Sugar Land offers full-service community amenities, quality of lifestyle, and incentives for qualified companies in the form of city and county tax abatement or direct payment reimbursements.

For more information on Sugar Land’s relocation incentive program send inquiries to Joe Esch at jesch@sugarlandtx.gov or call at 281-275-2700.

For information on Town Square’s newest office complex contact Don Janssen, Senior Vice President of Planned Community Developers, by email at donj@pcdltd.com or by phone at 281-242-2000.