PAGE 4 H Wednesday, August 27, 2014
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Johnson Development moves forward with Imperial and Harvest Green By Michael Sudhalter
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Shay Shafie is a busy guy these days. Shafie, a long term residential development professional and former University of Texas offensive lineman, is the general manager for two Johnson Development projects in Fort Bend County – Imperial and Harvest Green. Both projects are vastly different – some of the 1,200 homes in Imperial (high $300s-$1 million plus) – at Hwy. 6, just north of Hwy. 90A in the Sugar Land city limits – will have residents by the end of this year. Harvest Green (high $200s to $600s), located in an unincorporated area of the county located next to Grand Parkway (Hwy. 99) across from Aliana, won’t have utilities put in until the end of this year. Residents aren’t expected to move into some of the planned 2,600 homes there until the end of 2015, Shafie said. While Imperial is being marketed toward empty nesters and local residents, Harvest Green is more of a traditional Johnson Development project for both local families and those relocating to the area for work. Although Johnson Development is based in the Galleria area of Houston, a lot of it’s development is in Fort Bend County with projects such as Sienna Plantation, Cross Creek Ranch and Riverstone. “It’s a function of the Fort Bend address,” Shafie said. “It’s a high location for residential development.” IMPERIAL PLANS According to Jennifer May, director of economic development for the City of Sugar Land, the city expects over $1 billion in investment in Imperial, which includes residential, retail, mixed use, and office/business space.
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NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING ON TAX RATE The Palmer Plantation Municipal Utility District #1 will hold a public hearing on a proposed tax rate for the tax year 2014 on Wednesday, September 17, 2014, 3:00 p.m. at Quail Valley Utility District, 3134 Cartwright Road, Missouri City, Texas 77459. Your individual taxes may increase or decrease, depending on the change in the taxable value of your property in relation to the change in taxable value of all other property and the tax rate that is adopted. FOR the proposal:
Tara Wagner, Mike Ware, Terri Ellis, Lynn Macko, Doug Roberts
AGAINST the proposal:
None
PRESENT and not voting: None ABSENT:
See us online www.FortBendStar.com
None
The following table compares taxes on an average residence homestead in this taxing unit last year to taxes proposed on the average residence homestead this year.
Shay Shafie, the general manager for Johnson Development’s projects at Imperial as well as Harvest Green, said last week that the plans are on schedule. (Photo by Michael Sudhalter) That’s expected to bring significant economic impact to the area, but there’s no exact figure to show how much at this point. Shafie said some retail businesses are in contract to open in Imperial, but that information is confidential at present time. Some possibilities in the area include a movie theater in the style of a Studio Movie Grill or an upscale bowling alley similar to Lucky Strike in downtown Houston. He expects that more businesses to express interest once residents begin moving into the area at the end of the year. Shafie said it was important to honor the history of the community by naming the development in honor of Imperial Sugar, which once owned much of the 720-acre project. Because Johnson doesn’t specialize in vertical development, it may look for a partner to develop the currently vacant Imperial Tower, which was built in 1925. Possibilities include a boutique hotel or office space, according to Shafie. The tower will be part of a redevelopment of the city’s historic district. The plans for Imperial
began around the same time that the city of Sugar Land planned Constellation Field. “It was an incentive for us,” Shafie said. “We thought the ballpark would help make the site more marketable.” Johnson developed a temporary bridge from the parking lot to the stadium as well as many of the roads around it. They also dug temporary lakes and built a linear hike/bike trail around Oyster Creek. Local residents and those attending Constellation Field events have become more familiar with traffic patterns in the stadium’s third season. That, combined with a formal traffic impact analysis study have shown that traffic between Imperial and Constellation Field shouldn’t be an issue with the possible exception of a sold-out event at the ballpark, said Shafie. Immediately adjacent to the ballpark will be upscale apartments catering toward single and young professional people. New schools, at least in the short term, won’t be necessary as Lakeview Elementary, Sugar Land Middle and Kempner High will be able to accommo-
date the students who reside in Imperial. HARVEST GREEN GROWTH The area near Grand Parkway is growing rapidly, and the 2,600 new homes in the 1,000 acre Harvest Green development will be part of that growth. About 600 of those homes will be multifamily units. Although most of the area has a Richmond address, it is unincorporated area that’s mostly in the city of Houston’s extraterritorial jurisdiction. That means only the city of Houston has the power to annex it, but Shafie said that’s unlikely. That could mean lower taxes for residents. “New residents are looking for a place, and it’s adding to the boom in the housing market,” Shafie said. Youth in Harvest Green will attend Bowie Middle and Travis High school, and Johnson will sell Fort Bend ISD some land for another elementary school site. Whether that would be one of the three elementary schools under the proposed 2014 bond is unclear at this point.
Nalco Champion announces major headquarters expansion The City of Sugar Land and the Sugar Land Development Corporation have approved an incentive package to support major new plans by Nalco Champion, an Ecolab company, to consolidate its Houston-area offices and centralize its headquarters in Sugar Land, a move that brings in more than $45 million in investments and over 860 new jobs. Nalco Champion will build a new approximately 133,500-square-foot facility with 1,000 parking spaces. Existing buildings will be reconfigured to maximize office space, accommodate supply chain needs and create additional space for the expan-
sion of the company’s research and development (R&D) facilities. The new building and parking lot will be located partially on the 18.5 acres Nalco Champion purchased from Johnson Development in 2013. Construction is expected to be completed by early 2016. Additionally, Nalco Champion will make substantial rail spur improvements to assist City of Sugar Land efforts to gain Union Pacific Railroad approval for the extension of University Boulevard north of U.S. Highway 90A. The company decided to centralize its headquarters in Sugar Land after a comprehensive evaluation of other regional opportunities.
“Nalco Champion is proud of its long history in Sugar Land and all that the city offers,” said Steve Taylor, EVP and president, Nalco Champion. “We very much look forward to making Sugar Land our home for Nalco Champion and are ecstatic to have the opportunity to welcome so many new employees to this incredible community.” The new centralized Nalco Champion headquarters and expanded research and development represents more than $45.4 million in new capital investment, creates more than 860 new jobs, recaptures nearly 250 jobs previously moved to Houston from Sugar Land .
Last Year This Year Total tax rate (per $100 of value) $ 0.75500/$100 $ 0.75500/$100 Adopted Proposed Difference in rates per $100 of value
$0.00000
Percentage increase/decrease in rates(+/-)
0.00%
Average appraised value
$
233,851 $
256,944
General Exemptions Available (excluding senior citizen’s or disabled person’s exemptions)
$
0 $
0
Average taxable value $ Tax on average residence homestead $
233,851 $ 1,765.58 $
256,944 1,939.93
Annual increase/decrease in taxes if proposed tax rate is adopted (+/-) and percentage of increase (+/-)
$174.35 9.87%
NOTICE OF TAXPAYERS’ RIGHT TO ROLLBACK ELECTION If taxes on the average residence homestead increase by more than eight percent, the qualified voters of the district by petition may require that an election be held to determine whether to reduce the operation and maintenance tax rate to the rollback tax rate under Section 49.236(d), Water Code. Should you have any questions concerning this notice, please contact the tax office at 281-482-0216.
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