Sugar Land Votes

Press Release: September 1, 2015 CC: City of Sugar Land Mayor and City Council via email jthompson@sugarlandtx.gov, hgandhi@sugarlandtx.gov, jzimmerman@sugarlandtx.gov, sporter@sugarlandtx.gov, byeung@sugarlandtx.gov, amitchell@sugarlandtx.gov, hjajoo@sugarlandtx.gov

Sugar Land residents organize to rescind new Development Code that

incorporates “Urban” zoning and removes apartment limits. Oppose High

Density Land Use Update at Sept. 2, 2015 City Hall Meeting

A group of concerned Sugar Land residents recently met to discuss a development “plan” that was

presented to a joint City Council and Planning & Zoning meeting on June 26, 2015. Developer renditions

of the “Plan” included 900 apartment units at the corner of Highway 59 at University Blvd. As the

concerned residents began to research City development regulations that would protect neighboring

communities from the intrusion, they were surprised to find that City Council, on July 21, 2015 quietly

passed Ordinance 2014, revamping the entire Sugar Land Development Code, over 330 pages of new

Development Code. The new code provides for “Urban” development and “Requirements for Multi-

Family Developments Suburban or Urban Final Development Plans” provide no limit on size of multi-

family, high density development.

According to the City Council presentation from the July 21, 2015 meeting, the new code was developed

“over the past year and a half” in meetings with staff, consultants, P&Z, City Council and The

Development Committee”. “The Development Committee = Committee of developers appointed by City

Manager”. Thus, new Development Code was written by a group of Developers. Absent from this year

and a half long project was community involvement. The citizen group also contends there were Open

Meetings Act violations. The Development Committee revised the code and recommended action in the

form of a letter which City Council rubber stamped, making the Committee fall under Open Meetings

requirements. Evidence of the rubber stamp; City Council meetings for First and Second Consideration

of this major code change entailed 5 minute and 10 minute Council discussions. A prior Council

workshop discussion focused on landscaping and barbed wire use with no mention of the “Urban”

development change. Further, there are no minutes from the meetings and meetings were not

published on the City web site.

Sugar Land City Council is further attempting to remove additional apartment limits that have long

protected the City of Sugar Land from intrusive development in the proposed Land Use Plan Update. The

update would replace the second layer of Sugar Land’s protective zoning, The Comprehensive Plan,

Chapter 6, adopted in 2005 and containing specific apartment limits of “no more than 200 units at any

one location” and “no more than 300 such units within any one square mile”. Language contained in

the 2005 version further states “The proven advantages of single family neighborhoods over high

density multi-unit dwelling forms has led to Sugar Land retaining its highly desirable small town

atmosphere.”

Sugar Land Votes

The Land Use Plan Update proposes a new vision for Sugar Land of high density, urban housing. The City

of Sugar Land paid over $14,000 in speaker fees to bring proponents of high density housing to speak

during a series of Land Use Plan Update forums. The City indicates over 200 residents attended the

series of forums, although there is no indication of support of the series presentations. There is

documented opposition in 3500+ petitions opposing high density housing. In 2012, over 1500 registered

Sugar Land voter signatures were submitted to the City of Sugar Land indicating they did not want high

density apartment development in Sugar Land. Another 2000+ petition signatures were submitted to

the City in 2011.

Council members have attempted to quell community outrage by stating they will reject high density

proposals. However, the new code changes do not support their statements. Council members would

have no justification to reject high density proposals under the New Development Code.

In an effort to restore the protective zoning that has allowed Sugar Land to become a coveted

community, community volunteers will initiate a Referendum Petition in accordance with City code as

follows:

(a) The City’s registered voters may exercise the following powers through petition by requesting that:

(2) Referendum. The council may repeal all or part of an existing ordinance, and, if the council fails

to do so, hold an election to approve or reject the ordinance.

The law firm of Wilson, Cribbs & Goren has prepared the Referendum Petition language as follows:

“We the undersigned qualified voters of the City of Sugar Land, Texas, hereby petition that the City

Council of the City of Sugar Land, Texas to repeal Ordinance No. 2014, entitled ‘AN ORDINANCE OF THE

CITY OF SUGAR LAND, TEXAS, ADOPTING THE SUGAR LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE UPDATE, PHASE I;

REPEALING ALL ORDINANCES OR PARTS OF ORDINANCES IN CONFLICT HEREWITH; AND PROVIDING AN

EFFECTIVE DATE’ as adopted by the City Council of the City of Sugar Land, Texas, with the effective date

of July 21, 2015 (the “Subject Ordinance”).”

Volunteers are currently organizing for voter block walking and public Petition Signing Events that will

begin on Monday, September 21, 2015 at the University Branch Library, 14010 University Blvd beginning

at 4:00 pm to 8:30 pm. Members of the core group, who have been meeting weekly, reside in Telfair,

Commonwealth, Avalon, Sweetwater, First Colony and Belknap. The group will have 46 days in which to

obtain 2,032 Sugar Land Registered voter signatures on the petition. A web site www.SugarLandVotes

and a Facebook page have been set up to promote the community effort.