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Sugar Land's Imperial redevelopment hits financing snag By Ken Fountain KFOUNTAIN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
More than a year-anda-half after a proposal to redevelop Sugar Land’s long-dormant Imperial Char House and the surrounding area was first floated by a developer and city officials, the project continues while encountering some snags, the city said in an email to residents last week.
Laura Carrera of the Houstonbased Urbano Architects firm presents proposed schematics of the redesigned Imperial Char House at a Sugar Land City Council meeting last September. The project has hit a financing snag. FIle photo by Ken Fountain
In January 2023, Sugar Land City Council approved a $5 million package to assist PUMA, a self-described “boutique” development company based in Houston in the long-sought redevelopment of the char house, which had first been announced the previous December. In February, the council voted with a super majority to approve an amendment to the city’s Land Use Plan allowing for the construction of up to 660 multi-family units in the Imperial Market District, one of the linchpins of a Houston developer’s proposal to redevelop the area. That vote had been a contentious one, as it overrode a previous recommendation by the city’s planning and zoning commission in the way of strong and vocal opposition by some residents, largely over concerns over the addition and number of apartments, traffic issues and the like. In September, PUMA representatives presented initial designs for the proposed development in a presentation to the city council. They said then that the Char House renovations could be completed by the end of 2025. The Imperial Char House, built in the 1920s, was the most prominent building of the Imperial Sugar refining facility, which was long the key economic driver for the city and gave the city its name. While it has not been operational for at least two decades, the building remains one of the city’s most distinctive landmarks. One question that has lingered over the project since its announcement was whether and when PUMA would secure the outside financing required to complete the total project. That question was addressed in an email sent by the city to interested residents last week.
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Missouri City council amends noise ordinance By Ken Fountain KFOUNTAIN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
The Missouri City City Council voted unanimously last week to make adjustments to the city’s noise ordinance, even while bemoaning the impetus of the changes came about. The ordinance, which has been in place for decades, was amended to add a set of “considerations” that Missouri City police officers may use when deciding to issue citations based on complaints of excessive noise by residents. Among those, Police Chief Brandon Harris told Council members, are the “reasonable person” standard of a person “of normal sensibilities” who
makes a complaint, the authorized land use of the location from which the noise is emanating, and other factors. The factor that was most discussed during the council’s June 17 regular meeting was whether to implement time of day of a complaint to the suite of considerations officers can take into account. Harris, who has spent his entire law enforcement career with the Missouri City police department, said that he had been enforcing the existing ordinance “for 29 years, and it works.” But, based on a set of complaints in recent months, mostly involving just two locations in the city, the Council earlier this year asked that the
ordinance be revisited. Harris told the council that he and city staff, including the city attorney, had examined noise ordinances from a number of different cities, and that the “were all over the map” in the approaches they took. Harris said everyone agreed that the “reasonable person” standard was still the best approach. Following Harris’s presentation, all of the council members weighed in with their questions and comments. One theme that was prevalent in the questioning was whether certain residents were already or would abuse the ability to make a complaint.
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The Missouri City City Council voted unanimously last week to make adjustments to the city’s noise ordinance. File photo by Ken Fountain
Investigations continue in deadly MCDP crash
A plaque made by a community member displays a photo of Angela Stewart and her son Mason, of Stafford, who were killed in a collision with a Missouri City police vehicle last week. Photos by Ken Fountain
By Ken Fountain KFOUNTAIN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
I
nvestigations continue this week into the causes of an incident in which a mother and her teenage son were killed in a collision with a Missouri City police car which was in pursuit of a robbery suspect.
The collision occurred near the intersection of Cartwright Road and Texas Parkway on the evening of Thursday, June 20. According to a press release from the Missouri City Police Department, dispatchers received a 911 call at approximately 8:42 p.m. from a victim who reported a robbery in progress at an ATM machine in the 1600 block of Cartwright Road. According to the caller, a man approached the caller with a handgun and
demanded money. After the victim gave the man approximately $200, the man fled in a silver Honda passenger car. The victim was following the suspect while calling 911, according to the release. A responding police officer was traveling east in the 1600-1700 block of Cartwright when it struck another vehicle, unrelated to the initial call, that was exiting a parking lot of a large strip center at the intersection. The two occupants of the car were later pronounced dead by Fort Bend EMS. Sgt. Stephen Woodard, an area spokesperson for the Texas Department of Public Safety who was on the scene of the incident on Thursday, confirmed Monday that the occupants of the car were Angela Stewart, 53, of Stafford, and her 16-year-old son, Mason Stewart, who was
driving the car. The DPS is conducting the investigation of the incident, as is common in accidents involving local police departments, Woodard said. Additional details might be available as early as Tuesday, he said. The police officer was transported to the Texas Medical Center, and had been released by Friday morning. A male occupant of the back seat of the police car was taken to Ben Taub Hospital in the Texas Medical Center. His condition has not yet been released. Neither of their names have been officially released, nor why the person was in the police vehicle, had been officially released by press time. In its press release, the Missouri City Police Department said it would conduct an internal investigation concerning its policies and procedures.
Balloons make up part of a community tribute to a mother and teenage son killed in a collision with a Missouri City police vehicle last week.
“Our hearts and condolences go out to the family lost in this tragedy,” the department said in the release. Over the weekend, a small but growing tribute
to the Stewarts, including signs and balloons, had been fashioned by residents at the scene. Some residents were gathering contact information for a future community meeting.