Jump to content

Sugar Land Town Square Developents


UrbaNerd

Recommended Posts

I've been in SL since 83 and unless my mind is shot I remember the powers that be stating that traffic congestion at HWY 6 and the freeway(59) would be negligible at best. What a joke. I try and avoid that area like the plague. You'd better know back ways into Town center and/or any place anywhere near that no congestion intersection. The traffic lanes on 6 are so out of whack as you come near or after the 59 underpass, I'm surprised that there are not more accidents in the area.

Is it me or does it seem that so many "high rent" businesses come and go so quickly from the Town Square area? Does the community really respond to these high end boutiques, shops and food establishments? How many have left and given up compared to new ones coming in and staying ?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Does the community really respond to these high end boutiques, shops and food establishments? How many have left and given up compared to new ones coming in and staying ?

Actually business is booming out there. I haven't seen any restaurants fold up. Just a few shops that were doomed no matter where they were located. I do agree about the traffic at 6 and 59. It's a nightmare. I avoid it like the plague.

Edited by LunaticFringe
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
Guess I'm to ignorant to know the difference. How would you know? Couldn't an article be both?

It seems to have been dictated by "Stephen J. Ewbank, executive vice president of Planned Community Developers, Town Square's developer". That's a big clue that it's a press release.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

... 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.

I really did not know that.

So honestly, can someone tell me why Sharpstown & Fondren SW is the complete ghetto area it is today? What exactly happened? Is it because of Houston having no zoning, or another reason?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I really did not know that.

So honestly, can someone tell me why Sharpstown & Fondren SW is the complete ghetto area it is today? What exactly happened? Is it because of Houston having no zoning, or another reason?

So many things. Zoning. Cheap apartments. Fiesta Food market. Poor immigration enforcement. Age. Slum lords. You name it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So honestly, can someone tell me why Sharpstown & Fondren SW is the complete ghetto area it is today? What exactly happened? Is it because of Houston having no zoning, or another reason?
So many things. Zoning. Cheap apartments. Fiesta Food market. Poor immigration enforcement. Age. Slum lords. You name it.
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

White flight was the result of the above. Poster asked "why" did it happen, not "what" happened.

I disagree. When white folks move away as soon as one or two slightly darker people move in, it causes all kinds of economic changes in a neighborhood. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy that drives down property values.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Whether or not you could blame Shapstowns demise on white flight, I think Sharpstown was initially built because of white flight. People moving from the Heights, U of H area and anywhere else near downtown. It was the ultimate white suburbia in the 60's.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I disagree. When white folks move away as soon as one or two slightly darker people move in...

One or two people? I don't think so. In that case, the entire white population of Houston would be trying to move to the middle of wherever it is all white these days (I don't know of any places like that). How would you explain places like 77079 (west Memorial) still gaining in value? And what about 77479 in Sugar Land, in which the Asian population is as large (in some areas larger) than the white population? Again, another area still gaining in value even in this economic climate (you can look this all up on HAR.com)

I don't hear of areas going into decline until there is an overbuild of apartments and low-income housing, and I don't hear of the white population really moving out until the minority population is more like 40%+. And even in that case, if the schools still rank well they may not move out in droves.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

One or two people? I don't think so. In that case, the entire white population of Houston would be trying to move to the middle of wherever it is all white these days (I don't know of any places like that). How would you explain places like 77079 (west Memorial) still gaining in value? And what about 77479 in Sugar Land, in which the Asian population is as large (in some areas larger) than the white population? Again, another area still gaining in value even in this economic climate (you can look this all up on HAR.com)

I don't hear of areas going into decline until there is an overbuild of apartments and low-income housing, and I don't hear of the white population really moving out until the minority population is more like 40%+. And even in that case, if the schools still rank well they may not move out in droves.

I don't think you understand what "white flight" is. It happens when an all-white neighborhood gets a non-white resident. Some folks feel that threatens property values, so they immediately put their homes on the market. Other folks may not see it that way, but the race to sell starts a decrease in property values. The panic (sometimes fanned by "blockbusting" by real estate agents) creates a scenario where the first to sell get the highest price, so everyone is driven to sell as fast as possible. This is all pretty well documented. You can read about it on Wikipedia.

"White flight" isn't the only effect at work, it's just an obvious reason for Sharpstown's racial history.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
Please don't tell me you actually believe what is posted at Wikipedia is accurate.

Please tell me you don't discount it solely because it is on wikipedia. I think you're confusing current population trends with historical ones. White flight as a historical occurence is tied very closely to desegregation and the civil rights movement. While I don't know the particular history of Sharpstown, I can assure you that plenty of white people in the South did begin to leave their neighborhood at the first sign of any people of color. Many had a greater fear of their kids attending school with any children of color than they did of diminishing property values. While we are sufficiently progressive now we generally merely fear the poor, not people of another color, that was most definitely not true in the 60s and 70s.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

Wow, nobody has been keeping up with Sugar Land Town Square. It's booming...still. They are adding more office space and retail/restaurant tenants continue to come aboard or expand.

New businesses opening in Sugar Land Town Square

Despite recent economic news, new businesses are opening in Sugar Land.

Planned Community Developers recently announced the openings of AT&T, Shogi Hibachi Express, Fred Astaire Dance Studios, Albert Luiz Salon & Spa and Awakened Yoga in Sugar Land Town Square.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • The title was changed to Sugar Land Town Square
  • 6 months later...

Lionstone Investments launches extensive remodel of Sugar Land Town Square

https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2020/10/14/lionstone-sugar-land-town-square-remodel.html

 

Quote

 

Houston-based Lionstone Investments has announced plans to launch an extensive remodel of its Sugar Land Town Square mixed-use development.

 

The real estate investment firm said in a news release that it has tapped Dallas-based Rebees and Sugar Land-based Planned Community Developers to design the project. The goal of the remodel is to improve the development’s walking environment and attract new retail merchants.

 

Phase one of the project will include new landscaping, additional outdoor spaces that accommodate social distancing and increased public seating areas. It will also include new branding and signage as well as new tenant storefronts.

 

 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

The rendering of the remodel reminds me of what the Domain in Austin looks like.

 

I always thought it would be cool if one day they tore down the center part of First Colony Mall and had Town Center Blvd continue as a pedestrian-oriented street to the other side. Then where the movie theater is there could be apartments or townhomes. It would greatly expand that area into something more like a little city center for Sugarland.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • The title was changed to Sugar Land Town Square Developents
  • 1 year later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...