As seen in the December 2005 issue of Public Management Magazine
The new city hall and public plaza in Sugar Land, Texas, a cornerstone of Sugar Land Town Square, received the Best Community Impact award from the Houston Business Journal at the fifth annual Landmark Awards ceremony on April 14,2005.
Sugar Land's city hall and 1.2-acre plaza were recognized for their critical roles in the town square project, which has fashioned a "heart" for the community. "We believe that we have truly [influenced] the city by creating a community center and a downtown that had not existed before," says Sugar Land City Manager Allen Bogard.
"This is an icon for the ages and the thing that everyone now associates with Sugar Land," states Steve Ewbank of Planned Community Developers. "Having city hall among retail, offices, a hotel, and restaurants is what truly makes it a downtown."
In selecting the Best Community Impact award, judges noted: "The three-story city hall and historically themed plaza, in all its grandeur, symbolizes the past, the present, and the future of a city that has set itself apart from others. The new location of the city hall enables the city of Sugar Land to centralize departments into one geographic center. Sugar Land Town Square is a pedestrian-oriented development that functions as the city's commercial, civic, and cultural center. In … the Sugar Land Town Square location, the city hall has helped in creating a sense of place and a source of community pride."