City Council

Agenda Request

Agenda Of:

05/06/08

Agenda Request No:

III F

Initiated By:

Andrew Temple,
Management Assistant II

Responsible Department:

Business & Intergovernmental Relations

Presented By:

Regina Morales

Director of Economic Development

Department Head:

Joe Esch,
Executive Director, Business & Intergov Relat

Additional Department. Head (s):

Subject / Proceeding:

Consideration of and action on approval of Sugar Land 4B Corporation budget adjustment in the amount of $328,480.00; and approving project funding for services associated with Phase II of the Vision Planning process and additional activities related to the Cultural/Entertainment District planning efforts

Exhibits:

Clearances

Approval

Legal:

Joe Morris,

city attorney

Executive Director:

Joe Esch, Business & Intergovernmental Relations

Purchasing:

n/a

Asst. City Manager:

n/a

Budget:

Bryan guinn,

budget manager

City Manager:

Allen Bogard/for AB

Budget

Expenditure Required: $

328,480.00

Current Budget: $

328,480.00

Additional Funding: $

n/a

Recommended Action

Approval of Sugar Land 4B Budget adjustment in the amount of $328,480.00; Approval of project funding for services associated with Phase II of the Vision Planning process and additional activities related to the Cultural/Entertainment District planning efforts.

Executive Summary

Following the completion of Phase I of the Vision Planning process and City Council approval of a conceptual site plan for the Cultural/Entertainment District on April 15, 2008, the City is proceeding with Phase II of the process focusing on refining the vision statement identified by the Vision Task Force and developing conceptual site plans for the balance of the 1,000 acre tract. To initiate this second phase, on April 24, 2008 the Sugar Land 4B Corporation approved a budget adjustment in the amount of $328,480.00 to fund expenses associated with Phase II of the Vision Planning process as well as additional activities related to the recently adopted Cultural/Entertainment District concept plan.

Specifically, this budget adjustment and funding allocation will allow the City to work with Newland Communities and the University of Houston to develop a conceptual site plan for the Telfair property located along US 59 as well as the remaining University of Houston Sugar Land property.

This funding allocation will also allow the City to continue development efforts related to the Cultural/Entertainment District including determining the feasibility of minor league baseball in Sugar Land.

The specific areas of use for these funds are as follows:

Item	Anticipated Components	Cost
1	Phase II Vision Planning ( i.e. Telfair & Balance of UH Property)	$ 122,980.00
2	Financial & Market Feasibility for Minor League Baseball	$ 88,000.00
3	External Counsel	$ 82,500.00
4	Site Visits & Additional Activities Related to Phase II Vision & Cultural/Entertainment District Planning Efforts	$ 35,000.00
	Total =	$ 328,480.00

1) Phase II Vision Planning (i.e. Telfair & Balance of UH Property) - $122,980.00

This line item will fund costs for consulting and planning services similar to those utilized during the first phase of the Vision planning process as well as the creation of the Cultural/Entertainment District concept plan. Staff anticipates this second planning phase will be another opportunity, similar to the phase I work of the Vision Task Force, to seek not only the input of Newland Communities and the University of Houston but also the Sugar Land community as a whole on the development of the balance of the 1,000 acre Visioning tract. The end product of this process will be a conceptual site plan, similar to the Cultural/Entertainment District concept plan, for the Telfair property located along US 59 as well as the remaining University of Houston Sugar Land property.

2) Financial & Market Feasibility for Minor League Baseball - $88,000.00

This line item will fund costs for market research, economic impact analyses, and consulting services to determine the feasibility of minor league baseball in Sugar Land. Specifically, staff anticipates this study will follow a similar process to the recently completed feasibility analysis for the indoor concert venue project and ideally will take 8-12 weeks for completion. This study will in turn provide critical data in helping the City Council to decide if minor league baseball is in the long-term interests of the citizenry and if it is a good fit for the community.

3) External Counsel - $82,500.00

This line item will cover anticipated legal costs for further development of the various projects and opportunities within the recently approved Cultural/Entertainment District, including the concert venue and minor league ballpark projects. The funds will also allow the City to utilize the services of an external counsel without stretching the City’s own legal resources thin to assist with any possible negotiations that might occur on the various projects being considered.

4) Site Visits & Additional Activities - $35,000.00

Part of the City's success in its previous efforts in the development of Town Square, the City Hall and more recently the Visioning Task Force's work has been directly related to the City's detailed planning efforts which have included site visits to similar projects. These efforts provide significant benefit in the conceptual and refined planning efforts by allowing members of the staff and leadership to gain and apply the practical experience from other existing projects including increasing the efficiency of the design and operation, enhancing the quality and character of the developments as well as incorporating better budgeting techniques. The expense category provides funding for additional conceptual site planning, limited design as well as limited site visits to similar venues.

Funding is available in the 4B Corporation’s fund balance, with $1,397,163 available over the minimum policy requirement. Staff therefore recommends approval of the 4B budget adjustment totaling $328,480.00 into the SL4B Economic Development Program line item and approval of the project funding to cover the services detailed above. Staff will be bringing forward authorization of contracts for these specific areas in the near future. Accordingly, the contract for the Financial & Market Feasibility for Minor League Baseball (Item #2 above) is also on this agenda.

Exhibits