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WEDNESDAY • SEPTEMBER 13, 2023
Three men charged with human smuggling in Meadows Place Staff Reports Fort Bend County Sheriff’s detectives recently arrested three men in connection with a kidnapping and human smuggling scheme in Meadows Place, the department said in a press release. At approximately noon on August 30, deputies responded to a check welfare call leading to an investigation at the 12000 block of Meadow Hollow Drive, Meadows Place, Fort Bend County, Texas. The initial investigation led to human smuggling, with several immigrants allegedly held captive against their will.
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Sugar Land Town Square to host first Park(ing) Day event on Friday Staff Reports The Sugar Land Parks and Recreation Department will host the first-ever Park(ing) Day Event in the Sugar Land Town Square Plaza, 2700 Town Center Blvd. North, on Friday, September15, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The global Park(ing) Day project, originally created by interdisciplinary design studio Rebar, provides a platform for individuals
and communities to reclaim spaces normally intended for cars and to transform them into vibrant, interactive parks for a day. The community event is intended to reimagine spaces, foster community and business engagement and promote team-building, according to a news release from the city. The local event at Sugar Land Town Square will serve as a community hub where pop-up parks will take over
the plaza and surrounding spaces. Park(ing) Day will be a full day for teams planning to build a park, but the general public is welcome to attend the free event from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. There will be music, art, park programming, people’s choice voting, food vendors and face painting onsite for all to enjoy. For more information on Parking Day, visit www.sugarlandtx.gov/parkingday.
Sugar Land Town Square will be the site of the city’s first Park(ing) Day event on Friday, Sept. 15. Photo by Ken Fountain
Sugar Land council hears updated on Imperial char house project
As investigators of the Human Trafficking Unit responded, the investigation led to information regarding kidnapping and human smuggling of immigrants,
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Joe Jose Aguirre, 24, is charged with smuggling of persons.
Jose Aguirre Martin, 22, is charged with smuggling of persons.
Laura Carrera of the Houston-based Urbano Architects firm presents proposed schematics of the redesigned Imperial Char House at a Sugar Land City Council meeting last week. Photo by Ken Fountain
By Ken Fountain KFOUNTAIN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
Orlando Noe Betancur Flores, 21, is charged with smuggling of persons and aggravated kidnapping. Courtesy Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office
When Sugar Land City Council gave the go-ahead earlier this year to a plan to redevelop the long-dormant Imperial Char House, ideas for what the building would ultimately look like when completed were somewhat amorphous. But after a workshop discussion last week, the view is coming a bit more into focus. Council members heard from representatives of
PUMA Development, the Houston-based developer behind the project, and the design firm that is doing the actual design for the reimaging of the circa-1923 building, one of the most iconic structures in Sugar Land. It was owned and operated by the Imperial Sugar Company, which gave the city its name, but has sat vacant and unused for about two decades. In January, the council approved a $5 million package to assist PUMA in the longsought redevelopment of the
char house, which had first been announced in December. In February, the council voted with a super majority to approve an amendment to the city’s Land Use Plan that will allow 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. And while the public meetings leading up to that approval had often been rambunctious, last week’s meeting was rather sedate, as the council members and a nearly full chamber listened to the representatives discuss the plans for the building. Laura Carrera, a partner with the Houston-based Ur-
bano Architects firm, first gave an overview of the Imperial Historic District Master Plan before getting into the main event, showing how the char house might look once the renovation is completed. Carrera said the intent is to bring the building, which had been added to and modified numerous times over its decades of use, somewhat back to its original look. A particular focus will be on
SEE IMPERIAL PAGE 2