Annual Report 2023

TRAILBLAZING INTO THE FUTURE CITY OF SUGAR LAND

CONTENTS

ABOUT SUGAR LAND

ABOUT SUGAR LAND’S TYPE A AND TYPE B CORPORATIONS

COMMUNITY PLANNING AND REDEVELOPMENT

3

Learn more about the sweetest city in Texas

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

5

MARKETING AND VISIT SUGAR LAND

INCOME STATEMENTS

6

14

20

26

Learn more about the Sugar Land Development Corporation and the Sugar Land 4B Corporation

Learn more about Community Planning and Redevelopment’s revitalization and reinvestment initiatives

Learn more about the major projects accomplished by the Sugar Land Office of Economic Development & Tourism’s Business Development Division

Learn more about the major marketing success that Visit Sugar Land accomplished this year

Take a glance at the fiscal year 2023 income statements

ABOUT SUGAR LAND

Sugar Land’s pro-business climate and family-oriented quality of life attract everything from vast company headquarters to innovative startups, making the City an economic powerhouse within the Greater Houston region. The Sugar Land Office of Economic Development and Tourism (SLOEDT) was established in 1999 to ensure the City of Sugar Land is a great place to live and work. SLOEDT is the first point of contact for businesses looking for information.

Sugar Land offers a high quality of life and an abundance of business opportunities. SLOEDT continues to improve and promote Sugar Land’s exceptional location, diverse talent and solid infrastructure to maintain a vibrant local economy.

The office offers an integrated approach of programs and services to retain and support existing major employers in Sugar Land. Additionally, the office focuses on attracting event producers to host special events and also targets business and leisure travelers to encourage overnight stays in Sugar Land hotels.

The Sugar Land Office of Economic Development and Tourism Department and the Department of Community Planning & Redevelopment specialize in the following:

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

Business Attraction

Incentives

Negotiations & Compliance

Relocation & Expansion Assistance

MARKETING

NEXT DOOR TO THE 4TH LARGEST CITY IN THE U.S. - HOUSTON

Sugar Land’s population is one of the most highly educated and globally diverse in the region, attracting top talent from the University of Houston’s Sugar Land campus and the greater Houston area. In fact, nearly 60% of Sugar Land residents over the age of 25 have obtained a bachelor’s degree or more. Additionally, there are more than 500,000 college graduates living within a 30-minute drive of Sugar Land.

Nestled in the heart of Fort Bend County, the business community finds partnership in Sugar Land. Home to global companies like Texas Instruments, SLB, Champion X, and more, Sugar Land has a diverse and thriving business community ranging from company headquarters to startups and life science. Sugar Land’s biotech industry also continues to grow.

You can find innovative biotech R&D, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, managed health care, and outsourced development services. A few examples include: clinical trials/studies, data management, scientific research tools, and equipment.

Located just 20 minutes from downtown Houston, many of Sugar Land’s attractions are within a short distance from each other, including a Triple-A Affi liate Minor League baseball park, several museums, and the Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land, one of the nation’s top ranked entertainment venues.

Life in the city also offers a large diversity of retail, dining and entertainment to attract new visitors, residents, employees, and even those looking for a night out in Sugar Land.

ABOUT SUGAR LAND’S TYPE A AND TYPE B CORPORATIONS

Sugar Land Development Corporation

The Sugar Land Development Corporation (SLDC) is a “Type A” economic development corporation authorized under Texas law to levy an economic development sales tax to promote, assist, and enhance economic development activities for the benefit of the City.

Projects the SLDC supported are the retention of the CVR Energy and Southwest Water headquarters. Additionally, along with SL4B, the SLDC approved Sugar Land’s Life Sciences Strategy. The Sugar Land Office of Economic Development and Tourism manages the Sugar Land Development Corporation.

Since its inception, total sales tax revenues for the Sugar Land Development Corporation totaled $137,023,214

Sugar Land 4B Corporation

The Sugar Land 4B Corporation (SL4B) is a “Type B” economic development corporation created to promote, assist, and enhance economic development activities and quality of life opportunities within the City.

Projects the SL4B supported include Constellation Field, the Lifestyle Center Revitalization at First Colony Mall, the Pumptrack and shade structure at Brazos River Park, the Newmark Life Science Strategy & Study, and the JCIP Program. The Community Planning and Redevelopment Department manages the Sugar Land 4B Corporation.

Since its inception, total sales tax revenues for the Sugar Land 4B Corporation totaled $134,423,932

COMMUNITY PLANNING AND REDEVELOPMENT

This year, the City established a new department called the Department of Community Planning & Redevelopment (CPR), a strategic merger of two vital divisions: Long-Range Planning from the Department of Planning & Development Services and Community Development from the SLOEDT. This integration was purposefully designed to align with City Council’s and organizational objectives, emphasizing revitalization and reinvestment initiatives. The objective of CPR is to champion and facilitate development endeavors that sustain strong community services and a thriving quality of life. This realignment signifies a concerted effort to consolidate expertise and resources, enhancing our capacity to steer sustainable growth and contribute to the flourishing well-being of Sugar Landers.

To learn more about redevelopment, scan the QR code.

IMPERIAL CHAR HOUSE

The redevelopment of the Imperial Char House is the number 1 priority for City Council. The City’s partnership with PUMA Development (PUMA) drives the formulation of a comprehensive plan for this area’s rejuvenation.

PUMA’s vision concentrates on repurposing the historic Char House into a dynamic office and co-working space with museum space and a rooftop bar. Their forward-thinking strategy extends to transforming the surrounding area into a mix of retail, commercial, office, residential, and more.

The City has approved a $5 MILLION reimbursement agreement for pre-development and construction expenses

To date

$1.5 MILLION

from the reimbursement agreement has been allocated to these crucial pre-development activities.

To jumpstart this transformation, the City has approved a $5 million reimbursement agreement for pre-development and construction expenses and solidified an office lease agreement within the Char House to secure private financing. This strategic move aligns with the approved Land Use Plan amendments and the approved General Development Plan, as part of the zoning process. These revisions provide the necessary adaptability for the Char House’s success while aligning with the Imperial Regional Activity Center’s vision.

Months of dedicated groundwork have been underway since January, involving comprehensive studies, architectural assessments, historic preservation efforts, and site planning.

The collaboration between PUMA and the City underscores our commitment to revitalizing the Imperial Historic District, setting the stage for an exciting transformation that will elevate our community.

LAND ACQUISITION AT IMPERIAL

Constellation Field, which was funded by a mix of public and private investment, surpassed expectations and led to a strategic partnership with the Houston Astros. With an opportunity to acquire adjacent land, the Sugar Land 4B Corporation approved funding $3.6M to purchase the 6.88-acre tract, further enhancing the stadium’s potential and supporting ongoing development associated with the ballpark and the Imperial area. The land has served as temporary parking for the stadium during sold-out games and large events over the years. As our Triple-A team, the Space Cowboys expands and Constellation Field hosts more events, it’s vital to manage the surrounding land for future opportunities.

LAKE POINTE REDEVELOPMENT DISTRICT

Redevelopment is City Council’s priority with a primary focus on the Imperial Historic District and Lake Pointe Plaza, currently home to Fluor Corporation (Fluor).

With Fluor vacating their 1+ million square feet office building in July 2024, the City has been planning for their relocation and actively looking for new opportunities for the Lake Pointe Plaza site. The Lake Pointe Plaza is a key redevelopment area and an incredible opportunity for the future of Sugar Land. To ready Lake Pointe Plaza for development, at the direction of City Council, staff has created a new zoning district focused specifically on Lake Pointe Plaza that would allow for a denser, mixed-use development.

GREAT HOMES

With redevelopment as the top priority for the City, this also includes residential reinvestment.

On February 7, 2023, City Council approved Resolution No. 22-57 for the Great Homes Design Economic Development Program and Resolution No. 22-55 for the Great Homes Update Economic Development Program. Both programs accomplish residential reinvestment and are a part of Great Homes, an initiative created to empower Sugar Land residents, to participate with the City in preserving, protecting, and enhancing Sugar Land’s single-family housing and neighborhood areas.

To learn more about this project, scan the QR code.

Over

exterior home projects were completed

145 90

$2.33 MILLION

worth of improvements

To learn more about this program, scan the QR code.

Over

home design vouchers were distributed

Great Homes projects include:

• Driveways

• Windows

• Painting

• Siding

• Garages

• Doors

Many of Sugar Land’s residents elevated their residential improvements with a professional home design.

Before

After

Before

Before

After

After

BEFORE

Program

Started in 2002

JOINT CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECT PROGRAM (JCIP)

The SL4B has partnered with homeowners associations (HOAs) and property owners associations (POAs) through the SL4B JCIP Joint Capital Improvement Project Program (JCIP) since 2002.

The SL4B approved nine joint capital improvement projects in FY23. One highlight from Fiscal Year 2023 was that the SL4B partnered with Sugar Creek Center Property Owners Association to complete a redevelopment project of office signage in one of Sugar Land’s largest office parks. The new signage replaced 40+ year-old signs. The SL4B contributed $75,000 for this sign redevelopment project which cost over $211,000. This capital improvement is one of the many ways the SL4B fosters a strong economy and quality of life through beautification projects.

To date

5 PROJECTS

have been completed totaling approximately $321K $134K

Sugar Creek Property Owners Association – Sign Redevelopment Project

Neighborhood Beautification

Sugar Creek HOA Esplanade Landscaping Project

Sugar Lakes HOA Landscaping Project

DEVON RODRIGUEZ

SELECTED AS A FINALIST FOR THE 2023 HOUSTON REDNEWS AWARD’S EMERGING FEMALE LEADER OF THE YEAR CATEGORY

Devon Rodriguez, Director of Community Planning and Redevelopment was selected as a finalist for the 2023 Houston REDnews Awards’ Emerging Female Leader of the Year category. The award ceremony, hosted by REDnews, a national commercial real estate media outlet is held annually to recognize excellence in the commercial real estate industry.

Rodriguez leads the City’s community development,

redevelopment and reinvestment strategy with a multi-division team; maximizing the City’s remaining property and assets to grow and sustain the City into the future.

In partnership with PUMA Development, she is leading the effort to preserve and redevelop the Imperial Historic District, including the Imperial Char House, the City’s most iconic building and representative of the City’s namesake.

As the newly appointed Assistant Director of Community Planning and Redevelopment, Jessica Huble spearheads the alignment of resources to prioritize redevelopment within the City. Her responsibilities encompass guiding projects focused on long-term development, commercial revitalization, and fostering public/private partnerships. Leveraging her connections in the private sector, Huble advances future opportunity sites, notably in crucial areas like the Regional Activity Centers, such as Lake Pointe Plaza. Additionally, she oversees the management of the City’s Tax Increment Reinvestment Zones and Imperial Redevelopment District. Armed with a Business Management degree from Sam Houston State University, Huble strategically propels the City’s developmental objectives towards redevelopment while simultaneously promoting economic and community initiatives.

Jessica Huble

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

The Sugar Land Office of Economic Development and Tourism (SLOEDT) has continued to be proactive in capitalizing on opportunities to expand, construct, or relocate businesses to the city to ensure Sugar Land remains an economic powerhouse within the Houston region.

FISCAL YEAR 20

23

These proactive efforts ensure a strong economy, support quality services for Sugar Land residents, and allow the City to maintain the second lowest tax rate in the state among cities of similar size. SLOEDT works with many of Sugar Land’s primary employers and local businesses to help them navigate through what they need to succeed, grow, and expand. Notable Projects Completed this Year included:

Total Capital Investment Announced $10 MILLION

125 Job Retained

2 Projects Announced

Southwest Water Company was founded in 1891, as the East Whittier Land & Water Company. They are headquartered in Sugar Land, Texas, at 12535 Reed Road, in the Sugar Land Business Park. Their utility subsidiaries own and operate regulated water and wastewater systems serving over half a million residential and business customers in seven states: Alabama, California, Florida, Louisiana, Oregon, South Carolina, and Texas. In Sugar Land, they proposed an office lease within 41,114 square feet, in the former Minute Maid space at Sugar Land Town Square (SLTS).

To retain Southwest Water Company, the SLDC offered a $1 million direct incentive, paid over 2 fiscal years. With this office retention incentive, Southwest Water Company:

▶ Sign a new 15-year office lease for 41,114 square feet at 2150 Town Square Place

▶ Retain its National Headquarters in Sugar Land

▶ Retention and/or creation of approximately 125 jobs at a minimum average annual salary of $78,000

▶ The project will retain 125 jobs outlined by the SLDC’s Incentive Policy. Furthermore, the incentive will optimize the retention of a primary employer in Sugar Land –as opposed to relocating outside the City.

In Sugar Land, Pearl River is currently developing the Stiles Lane development on 7.8 acres with a $10M capital investment. They are proposing 107,000 square feet Flex space within two buildings. The project is 25% pre-leased with Function 4, an existing Sugar Land business expanding into 25,000 square feet.

The Sugar Land Development Corporation approved a reimbursement of $302,033.00 for infrastructure repair and design services in the improvement of Stiles Lane, contingent

on the investment of $10M for the development of 107,000 square feet of industrial spec space and expansion of Function 4. The improvements of Stiles Lane will provide access benefits for the 8-10 tenants within the development and redevelop the former residential tract nearest to Hwy 90-A.

Stiles Lane Development

Stiles Lane Development

The life sciences industry is one of Sugar Land’s target industries. Sugar Land is well-positioned in the life sciences due to its proximity to the Texas Medical Center and highly educated workforce. In early 2023, SLOEDT staff began its life sciences strategy with Newmark Consulting. Newmark & Company Real Estate, Inc. (Newmark), provides professional consulting services to a range of clients, including both private and public entities.

Headquartered in New York City, Newmark employs more than 6,700 professionals globally who average over 20 years of experience in their fields of expertise. Additionally, Newmark offers a comprehensive suite of services to life science tenants and owners through the Life Science Practice Group. Newmark’s specialized advisors strive to assist clients in strategic planning and targeted industry analysis, workforce and talent development, and stakeholder and community engagement. In first week of October, the Newmark consultants visited Sugar Land to meet with the city’s life sciences companies and other stakeholders to complete the study and presented their findings to the Boards on November 7th.

Department staff planned and hosted a food-truck pop-up event in the Sugar Land Business Park at 500 Industrial Blvd on October 11th. The event was very successful as more than 450 attendees from companies such as SLB, Yokogawa, Boise Cascade, and more enjoyed the pop-up. SLOEDT always strives to make doing business sweeter in Sugar Land.

THE FIRST BAYOU CITY BIO PULSE EVENT IS HOSTED IN SUGAR LAND

SLOEDT staff hosted the first-ever Bayou City Bio Pulse Event in collaboration with the Greater Houston Partnership at the University of Houston Sugar Land on October 18th. The event included presentations from three Sugar Land life sciences companies including Hope Biosciences, Tvardi Therapeutics, and Shanghai Model Organisms. The event was also a great opportunity for the region’s life sciences companies to connect and see what Sugar Land has to offer.

ALBA PENATE-JOHNSON NAMED TOP 50 ECONOMIC DEVELOPER IN NORTH AMERICA

Alba Penate-Johnson, Senior Business Development Manager, was recognized as a Top 50 Economic Developer in North America by Consultant Connect. Penate-Johnson was presented her award at Consultant Connect’s Economix event in Atlanta, GA on November 30, 2023. Consultant Connect, which is a consulting agency designed to bridge the gap between economic developers and site consultants, announced its 2023 list of North America’s Top 50 Economic Developers. The economic development professionals selected for this list were nominated by their colleagues in both the economic development and site location consulting industries for excellent practices, innovation, and success in building the communities they serve.

Business Development and Community Planning and Redevelopment’s new marketing firm started in November 2023. Their team, who traveled from New Jersey, visited Sugar Land, Texas for an inmarket tour and met with city leaders, stakeholders, and businesses.

MARKETING

VISIT SUGAR LAND

TOURISM MARKETING SPRING 2023

Spring 2023 was all about going bananas in Sugar Land! There were so many simultaneous exciting happenings that Visit Sugar Land (VSL) promoted ranging from one-of-a-kind foodie experiences to watching the Savannah Bananas play at Constellation Field. The “Going Bananas in Sugar Land” campaign was about celebrating all the new and innovative things to do in Sugar Land during the season like:

The colorful and vibrant pavement mural created by local artist Shelbi Nicole at Sugar Land Town Square.

The opening of Go Ape Zipline & Adventure Park. Go Ape has the longest ziplines in the Houston region, up to 1,000 feet long above the banks of the Brazos River!

The opening of Sugar Land’s new Pumptrack.

3

SOLD-OUT

18,000

The Savannah Bananas played games at Constellation Field with a total of game attendees

It also resulted in

275 room nights secured in Sugar Land hotels

The Savannah Bananas players made an appearance at the ribbon cutting for the pavement mural.

SUMMER 2023

During the summer, the VSL team focused on promoting outdoor adventures in the City through digital ads, social media publications, and digital creator campaigns.

VSL produced two videos to promote outdoor activities and the foodie scene. The videos focusing on the Sugar Land’s global food scene and things to do outdoors were used across the VSL website and Google ads which garnered a total of 148,671 impressions and 10,993 clicks.

To further expand Sugar Land’s summer offerings, VSL hired three digital travel creators who possessed a deep passion for travel, a knack for storytelling, and genuine interest in exploring the hidden gems, and major attractions in Sugar Land. Through their engaging blog posts, captivating photography, and dynamic social media presence, they captured the essence of Sugar Land including it’s global food scene, baseball games, and live music venue, the Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land.

Highlights of the partnership includes a Reel collaboration with @TexasEatsFirst that garnered 265K VIEWS

FALL 2023

The Fall season in Sugar Land is packed with family-friendly activities like Día de los Muertos, Oktoberfest, and the opening of Sugar Land Holiday Lights. To highlight all these events, VSL contacted bloggers @PattyTellsAll, and @MommyStyleFile from the Houston area to promote these happenings on their social media. VSL also partnered up with @MommyStyleFile and Rebees to give away a VIP experience to Oktoberfest, one of the City’s major annual events at Sugar Land Town Square.

Digital creator from Houston, @ MommyStyleFile wrote a blog post about her experience in Sugar Land for a weekend getaway at Oktoberfest and she highlighted our new “Greetings From Sugar Land” mural.

In November 2023, Sugar Land hosted the inaugural, Honeyland Festival, at the City’s festival site, the Crown Festival Park at Sugar Land, to celebrate Black creativity, food, art, music, and food. To promote the event, VSL partnered up with Honeyland to hold a VIP ticket giveaway on VSL’s website and promoted across all social platforms. The giveaway garnered 224 submission entries.

The VSL team also offered a Sugar Land experience to “Houston Hosts”, a digital creator agency comprised of 9 Black digital creators and offered them a familiarization tour of Sugar Land. The creators who cover topics like food, Black culture, music, and travel enjoyed visiting The Roof on the Lake for a Cajun-Creole brunch and introductions with the owner and chef. The creators hailed from Houston, Philadelphia, Dallas, Canada, New Orleans, and Washington D.C., generating a total of 24 social media posts.

@CarmenReneeBlog, hired exclusively by VSL to cover one of the festival days, created a YouTube video and Reel which generated a reach of 10,867 people.

VSL partnered up with Houston creator, @CarmenReneeBlog to cover the final day of the festival. Her Reel collaboration with us has garnered

16.9K LIKES

HOLIDAYS 2023

VSL celebrated the joyful holiday season by hosting 12 Days of Sweetness Giveaways to promote Sugar Land’s top attractions and things to do around the city. The giveaways included a hotel stay, concert tickets, gift cards to restaurants, experiences, and more. The campaign highlighted tourism partners like Aling’s Restaurant, Smashed Clay, Constellation Field, First Colony Mall, Williams Smokehouse and BBQ, Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land, Houston Museum of Natural Science at Sugar Land, Go Ape Ziplining and Adventure Park, Department of Wonder, Heaven in a Jar, Mia’s Goodies, and the Houston Marriott Sugar Land. The campaign launched on the VSL website, across all social media platforms and was also advertised through Meta to target audiences across Instagram and Facebook.

ACTIVATIONS

VISITOR CENTER

The Sugar Land Heritage Museum and Visitor Center (SLHMVC) continued to operate on a seasonal schedule for Spring Break 2023 and then closed its doors to reevaluate new opportunities for more face-to-face interactions with visitors. During the two-week Spring Break period, the museum and visitor center welcomed a total of 21 visitors mainly from the Greater Houston Area who were very happy with their visit according to their feedback.

On October 2023, the Sugar Land City Council approved the partnership between ACE, the tenant and operator of Smart Financial Centre, and the City

During this time VSL’s Instagram gained 268 followers, and the Facebook page gained 106 followers. The social media posts promoting the giveaways had a total reach of 33,238 with a total of 3,109 giveaway submissions.

of Sugar Land to create the Sweet Shoppe by VSL. The Sweet Shoppe will serve as Sugar Land’s Visitor Center and will be located inside the Smart Financial Centre. The Visitor Center’s new location allows for greater traction due to the abundance of events that occur at the Smart Financial Centre. This will greatly benefit Sugar Land as it continues to be promoted as a tourist destination. The Sweet Shoppe by VSL will feature the anchor operation of a candy and sweet shop, which will include products from local businesses, the Smart Financial Centre, Sugar Land Heritage Foundation, and VSL merchandise.

Digital creator @LifeofAlley visited Sugar Land, Texas at the end of November and experienced the holidays at Sugar Land Holiday Lights and Department of Wonder with her teenager.

DESTINATION PARTNERS

Another responsibility of VSL is to position Sugar Land as a premiere tourist destination and create brand awareness of the tourism division. The following highlights ways VSL collaborated with top destination partners who created innovative ways to attract visitors.

Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land

The Smart Financial Centre had a spectacular year of comedy shows and concerts including acts like Matt Rife, Grupo Frontera, Blippi, Maluma, Ali Wong, Peso Pluma, Chris Rock, and more. The venue received 330,249 guests in 2023 and had a total of 110 shows.

Houston Museum of Natural Science at Sugar Land

Highlights of the year included the Ocean Bound exhibit in partnership with City of Sugar Land’s Public Works Department, Treehouses exhibit, Halloween programing like the Haunted House and trick or treating, which make the museum a prime attraction for families.

The museum received

95,000 100,000+ guests this year which is close to their pre-Covid numbers of

guests annually

VSL also participated in Jingle Tree this year, the event that launches the holiday season at the museum. The team donated a dessert-themed tree for the live auction with proceeds going to museum programs like camps and education.

Constellation Field

Sugar Land hosted an inaugural exhibition game between the Sugar Land Space Cowboys and the Houston Astros. The exhibition games had a whopping 7,768 attendees.

Constellation Field hosted 75 games which included the Astros Exhibition Game. There were a total of 129 events hosted at the ballpark and a total 306,823 guests in attendance for 2023.

Total Attendance (Baseball & Special Events)

441,155

129

Total number of Special Events (excluding Baseball) including exhibition

Total Attendance (Baseball)

299,055

VSL through its partnership with Visit Houston, utilization of event and direct leads from the VSL website disseminated

41

Hotel partners in 2023

The total revenue realized from the leads originating from VSL

$140,533.00

SALES/MEETINGS

Total revenue realized from meeting services assistance

43

9 Leads to Sugar Land’s Events were reviewed and permitted through the Event Review Committee including Events at The Crown Festival Park at Sugar Land

2

4

$41,620.45 $5,634.25

Events at the Plaza Adjacent to Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land

A total of

209,925 expected attendees participated between all permitted events

VSL staff collected in application fees

INCOME STATEMENT S L D C

S L 4 B

INCOME STATEMENT