The Imperial Sugar site was the start of what would become Sugar Land and once played a vital role in our city’s economy. Imperial Sugar created jobs, and then homes and as it grew this economic engine was the corner stone of our community, our “company town”, for generations. Today, Sugar Land is still a “company town” serving as a major employment hub in the Houston region with over 70,000 jobs. And although the Imperial Sugar site is no longer operational, the resolve to preserve and honor the City’s history is as strong as ever.

Proposal for preservation and redevelopment of the Imperial Char House

PUMA Development is proposing to preserve and begin redevelopment of the Imperial Char House, the City of Sugar Land’s most iconic building. PUMA, a Houston-based boutique development firm specializing in creating experience-driven, mixed-use communities, has requested support from the City of Sugar Land and Sugar Land Development Corporation (SLDC) toward preservation of the Char House and eventual development of the remainder of the Imperial Historic District. The City Council and SLDC will be considering financial support of the project as it progresses.

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Charhouse-2020

Development of the Imperial Historic District

PUMA’s vision for the remainder of the Imperial Historic District, similar to the City’s Land Use Plan, is to develop a walkable, mixed-use project comprised of experiential retail, dynamic entertainment, unique food and beverage, top-notch fitness, multi-family and single-family residential, commercial office space, outdoor parks and more. To date, no development application has been submitted.

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Charhouse-2020_3

Investing and revitalizing for the future

Years of public input have shown the need for denser development with a diversity of housing options that will provide a stronger tax base to maintain Sugar Land’s high level of services and amenities while maintaining one of the state’s lowest tax rates.

This type of development also has many other benefits, such as creating desirable workplaces for new, expanded and existing businesses, pathways to homeownership, public infrastructure improvements and quality of place amenities.

About multi-family units

The increased number of multi-family units is necessary to make the project financially feasible. Previous plans, which included fewer multi-family units, were not financially feasible and therefore did not come to fruition.

The units will be luxury and anticipated to attract single and/or dual income empty-nesters and young professionals, likely without children. This development is within a much larger, 201-acre Regional Activity Center. See the map below for a more complete explanation, but here's the breakdown of the entire Regional Activity Center:

  • Imperial Historic District (Proposed PUMA Project Area): A requested 660
  • Imperial Lofts: 254 units
  • Sueba Site: 274 units

IHD_Map


Five Regional Activity Centers (RACs), including Imperial, were approved by City Council in the 2018 Land Use Plan as opportunities to create walkable areas that have a mix of several land uses, including office space, entertainment, retail, hotels, civic areas, and residential housing. RACs are important to Sugar Land's future growth, creating spaces that complement each other and a strong tax base to sustain the City’s high-quality services and amenities.

More FAQs

Upcoming Meetings & Information

The rezoning process has been initiated and is now underway. Below are the upcoming meeting dates when the Planning and Zoning Commission and City Council will review the changes to the zoning. Also included in the timeline below are other related action items being considered to support the redevelopment. All are subject to change and will be updated as the project progresses.

Date Meeting/Activity
December 1, 2022 Public Announcement
December 8, 2022 Town Hall [watch meeting video]
December 15, 2022 Town Hall [watch meeting video]
December 20, 2022 SLDC/CC Workshop– Financial Assistance [see meeting agenda | watch meeting video]
January 3, 2023 SLDC/CC Approval– Financial Assistance [see meeting agenda]
January 24, 2023  Joint Planning & Zoning Commission and City Council Workshop on rezoning and Land Use Plan Amendment [see meeting agenda | watch meeting video]
February 7, 2023 Char House Lease Agreement [see meeting agenda | watch meeting video]
February 14, 2023                     Planning & Zoning Commission Public Hearing, Consideration & Action on rezoning and Land Use Plan Amendment [see meeting agenda | watch meeting video]
February 21, 2023  City Council Public Hearing and 1st Reading on rezoning and Land Use Plan Amendment [see meeting agenda]
March 7, 2023  City Council Public Hearing and 2nd Reading on rezoning and Land Use Plan Amendment 

Next Steps

Opportunities for public input will available via community meetings and public hearings. You can also send us your feedback through our online form and sign up to receive regular email updates.

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Attend a community town hall

Stay tuned for future community input opportunities as the project progresses.

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