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Sugar Land Town Square Developents


UrbaNerd

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  • 2 months later...

Things are happening in Sugar Land! Storehouse is open, Z Gallerie opens tomorrow, and Chipotle is about to open also.

Have you all driven by lately? With the new shops, new parking garage, and new office building, the place is really looking urban! Sugar Land/First Colony with an urban city center, how cool is that?

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Things are happening in Sugar Land! Storehouse is open, Z Gallerie opens tomorrow, and Chipotle is about to open also.

Have you all driven by lately? With the new shops, new parking garage, and new office building, the place is really looking urban! Sugar Land/First Colony with an urban city center, how cool is that?

no no no, Town Center, say it with me. :D

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There is no secret that Sugarland is trying everything in their power to become a city more known than Woodlands or Katy. I won't be surprised if a riverwalk with boat rides would become one of Sugarland's next project.

Yo, is the Sugarland Town Center right beside First Colony Mall, and if not, exactly how far apart are they?

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There is no secret that Sugarland is trying everything in their power to become a city more known than Woodlands or Katy. I won't be surprised if a riverwalk with boat rides would become one of Sugarland's next project.

Yo, is the Sugarland Town Center right beside First Colony Mall, and if not, exactly how far apart are they?

The mall is next door to the Town Center. As for building a riverwalk, I doubt it. Their current project is more than ambitious enough.

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The mall is next door to the Town Center. As for building a riverwalk, I doubt it. Their current project is more than ambitious enough.

Actually, there is a "riverwalk" of sorts that is planned and progressing on the northeast corner of Hwy 6 and 59 by the Flour-Danial plant. The waterway is already there, and there is a planned development to add mixed-use development along its path. There's a thread somewhere around here.

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I applaud Sugar Land for what they are continuously doing. Lord knows how much land they could have wastefully used by now, but they are putting in some nice density in the sea of parking surrouding First Colony Mall. Great job. Most of Sugar Land's new development seems like it is going into Sugar Land Town Square.

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There is no secret that Sugarland is trying everything in their power to become a city more known than Woodlands or Katy

Speaking of, why doesn't it seem Katy has started on any "ambitious" projects like Woodlands and Sugar Land have? Did Katy get a later start in their growth than the other two did? Or maybe they have plans that I know nothing about.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Actually, there is a "riverwalk" of sorts that is planned and progressing on the northeast corner of Hwy 6 and 59 by the Flour-Danial plant. The waterway is already there, and there is a planned development to add mixed-use development along its path. There's a thread somewhere around here.

That area is know as Lake Pointe - http://www.firstcolonytexas.com/LPVillage.htm

For some reason I believe also heard talk about a river walk around the Imperial Sugar redevelopment. That is if they ever get started on it. I believe the builder is having some trouble acquiring the recently annexed open land further down the road. https://svrch13.sugarlandtx.gov:5202/forms/imperialinfo1.htm

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Sugarland today is what Sharpstown was in 1960. . .in other words "the greatest place to live and raise a family"

Sharpstown today is what Sugarland will be in 2040, trust me.

Rosenburg will all of the sudden be the new Sugarland years from now. It is a natural cycle of suburban sprawl.

(if you notice, Sharpstown has highrise condos and office buildings around a shopping mall too, hint hint)

Stick with Uptown, that is where the infrustructure is going to be, Sugarland will eventually run out of steam like Sharpstown did. ;)

Edited by Pumapayam
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  • 7 months later...
Sugarland today is what Sharpstown was in 1960. . .in other words "the greatest place to live and raise a family"

Sharpstown today is what Sugarland will be in 2040, trust me.

Rosenburg will all of the sudden be the new Sugarland years from now. It is a natural cycle of suburban sprawl.

(if you notice, Sharpstown has highrise condos and office buildings around a shopping mall too, hint hint)

Stick with Uptown, that is where the infrustructure is going to be, Sugarland will eventually run out of steam like Sharpstown did. ;)

I strongly disagree with this opinion. There are several factors that you're not considering. One being that most of Sugar Land is comprised of master planned communities which have tight control over what is built, how it's built, and how it's maintained. I doubt Sharpstown had the same. Two, Sugar Land is much less dense than Sharpstown, there are hardly any apartments, especially in First Colony. I think I can count the First Colony apartment buildings on one hande and there are 30,000-40,000 people living in First Colony.

To make a long story short, I think growth in Sugar Land is smart growth, I don't think Sharpstown was as thought out.

Back to the topic at hand, Sugar Land Town Square: It looks like Johnny Rockets is about to open, and Amici's is set to open in September. It is by the Vallone family, Tony's son Jeff to be exact. It has a great location across from the square and we could use more italian options.

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To make a long story short, I think growth in Sugar Land is smart growth, I don't think Sharpstown was as thought out.

How is sprawl ever smart growth? Sugar Land is a joke, and it will be Sharpstown sooner than you know. I mean, we think new cars always look good, the newest model years have the best lines. Well, look at the cars of fifteen years ago. Even if they're in the same shape as they were then, they don't look so hot now, do they? Like everything else, Sugar Land will suffer from our fickle tastes as Americans. It will go out of style, and something new will take its place.

Edited by Captain Impossible
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How is sprawl ever smart growth? Sugar Land is a joke, and it will be Sharpstown sooner than you know. I mean, we think new cars always look good, the newest model years have the best lines. Well, look at the cars of fifteen years ago. Even if they're in the same shape as they were then, they don't look so hot now, do they? Like everything else, Sugar Land will suffer from our fickle tastes as Americans. It will go out of style, and something new will take its place.

Master Planned Community = Smart growth

The majority of growth in Sugar Land is planned, zoned, and expected. This has never been true of Sharpstown. Not to mention that the oldest parts of First Colony have already been around for 25 years, do you think it is in decline?

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Master Planned Community = Smart growth

You probably don't realize this, but "smart growth" is a term cooked up to favorably describe the architectural movement that seeks to limit suburban growth in any form in favor of a homogenous array of inner-city midrises. Skyscrapers are frowned upon because they aren't at a 'human scale', and low-density anything is frowned upon because it limits social interaction. The holy grail of this movement is pedestrian activity.

It isn't necessarily 'smart' if implemented in ways that produce destructive unintended consequences...but that's the term that has been applied to it in order to win over converts.

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Sugarland is no master planned community. I've driven through all of it, and it's so disorganized looking. At one point I couldn't tell if I was in Sugarland, First Colony, Sweetwater, Houston, or Stafford/Missouri City. Sugarland is basically what I'd call sprawl with an ego.

I would disagree with Pumapayam about the Sharpstown comparison. Sharpstown in 1960 was a true big city neighborhood, and a really pompous one at that, where style was everything, from clothing to hats to cars to storefront signs and marquees. The concept of civic life was still being applied. The people would have considered themselves Houstonians. Go put some of the 80-90 year old residents still living in their Sharpstown homes on a bus and take them on an intimate tour of Sugarland. They will find the comparisons laughable. Sharpstown in 1960 was bustling with life and activity. It had an electricity about it that will never be recaptured.

What's with all the attention given to Sugarland anyways? What about the "and areas southwest" part? I want to hear about the new Gulfton Town Center or the new Harwin Town Center too.

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Sugarland is no master planned community. I've driven through all of it, and it's so disorganized looking. At one point I couldn't tell if I was in Sugarland, First Colony, Sweetwater, Houston, or Stafford/Missouri City. Sugarland is basically what I'd call sprawl with an ego.

I didn't say Sugar Land was a master planned community, I said:

Sugar Land is comprised of master planned communities.
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That clarifies things a bit, because I always thought Sugarland itself was the master planned community that evolved from its old rice and sugar town origins. Maybe that's why I was so disoriented while driving around. I never really went through any of the communities, but I was thinking it was all one big community. So, if this is the case, then Sugarland is different from the Woodlands, as I once thought they were both the same type of thing. Sugarland is more like a Katy, being an area with multiple master planned neighborhoods, while the Woodlands is one community with individual villages. By definition, the Woodlands is an edge city, but I wouldn't call Sugarland one until it finds a way to unify itself a bit more.

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You probably don't realize this, but "smart growth" is a term cooked up to favorably describe the architectural movement that seeks to limit suburban growth in any form in favor of a homogenous array of inner-city midrises. Skyscrapers are frowned upon because they aren't at a 'human scale', and low-density anything is frowned upon because it limits social interaction. The holy grail of this movement is pedestrian activity.

It isn't necessarily 'smart' if implemented in ways that produce destructive unintended consequences...but that's the term that has been applied to it in order to win over converts.

That's a poor definition of "smart growth". However, I'm sure that was your intent.

Greedy people who profit from irresponsible growth enjoy demonizing the term.

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That clarifies things a bit, because I always thought Sugarland itself was the master planned community that evolved from its old rice and sugar town origins. Maybe that's why I was so disoriented while driving around. I never really went through any of the communities, but I was thinking it was all one big community. So, if this is the case, then Sugarland is different from the Woodlands, as I once thought they were both the same type of thing. Sugarland is more like a Katy, being an area with multiple master planned neighborhoods, while the Woodlands is one community with individual villages. By definition, the Woodlands is an edge city, but I wouldn't call Sugarland one until it finds a way to unify itself a bit more.

Right, The Woodlands can be compared to First Colony, a huge master planned community. Sugar Land didn't annex 90% of First Colony until about 10 years ago. The city of Sugar Land has been around much longer. The unification you're looking for is taking place at Hwy 59 & Hwy 6 in the form of the new Town Square. This is the location of the new city hall and a walkable downtown (lifestyle) environment. Although Sugar Land wasn't formed with a defined city center and has grown (with Houston's sprawl) over the years, it is now attempting to unify itself for the future.

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Don't confuse Sugar Land the city with First Colony the master planned community. Inside First Colony, it is orderly and very well planned, outside of it is just like any other unruly suburban sprawl. First Colony is where its at.

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What about Plano? Would that be closer to a Sugarland or closer to a First Colony?

Also wanted to note, it's funny that nobody ever says they're from First Colony, they would just say Sugarland. However, people from the Woodlands do not say that they're from Spring, they say The Woodlands. So in one case, you go with the town or area, and the other case, you go with the master planned community/edge city.

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What about Plano? Would that be closer to a Sugarland or closer to a First Colony?

Also wanted to note, it's funny that nobody ever says they're from First Colony, they would just say Sugarland. However, people from the Woodlands do not say that they're from Spring, they say The Woodlands. So in one case, you go with the town or area, and the other case, you go with the master planned community/edge city.

I actually hear both, especially from people who've lived in First Colony since before annexation. Concerning how The Woodlands is referred to: First Colony is within the incorporated city limits of Sugar Land, the address is Sugar Land. The Woodlands is not incorporated and is not within Spring boundaries (which is also an unincorporated area if I remember correctly), therefore the address is The Woodlands, TX.

Plano is incorporated like Sugar Land, it's bigger and not as pretty.

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That's a poor definition of "smart growth". However, I'm sure that was your intent.

Greedy people who profit from irresponsible growth enjoy demonizing the term.

Got a better one? If you can provide me something meaningful that architects haven't, I'm all ears.

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I think people say they are from Sugar Land because it sounds cooler.

First Colony is Sugar Land though. First Colony is just a master planned community - an area of Sugar Land since the annexation. It's the kind of thing where you say you're from Sugar Land and then you add first colony as a qualifier if anyone actually gives a crap.

Now areas like New Territory and Greatwood are differant because they're techincally not in Sugar Land - just in the ETJ. The thing is that a lot of people don't even realize that since the mailing address is Sugar Land and those areas techincally are not in any city. People from those subdivisions would probably also say Sugar Land because "greatwood" and "new territory" are not cities.

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First Colony is not just a master planned community, its one of the better ones in Houston. Its what zoning can do for you.

Agreed, I would rank the big three like this:

1. The Woodlands (there's no beating the grandaddy of them all)

2. First Colony

3. Kingwood

Creeping up fast is Cinco Ranch.

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Agreed, I would rank the big three like this:

1. The Woodlands (there's no beating the grandaddy of them all)

2. First Colony

3. Kingwood

Creeping up fast is Cinco Ranch.

The Woodlands townsquare is awesome looking, they just need to increase from residential highrise opportunities, than it will get hoping in there.

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