Sugar Land could allow 'middle housing' near Constellation Field to tackle affordability

SUGAR LAND, Texas -- Sugar Land officials are looking for ways to bring in additional housing types to combat the city's declining population.

The big picture

At an April 15 meeting, Sugar Land City Council approved the first reading of two ordinances to change the land use plan and rezone 30 acres of land located east of Highway 6 near Constellation Field from commercial use to a neighborhood activity center.

Neighborhood activity centers allow for mixed-use developments and can create walkable areas that bring offices, shops, restaurants, and residential together, Redevelopment Planning Manager Ruth Lohmer said. The land use changes aim to allow the development of middle housing, which includes cottages, townhomes, and small-lot homes for more affordable options.

Why it matters

City officials want to add housing options for empty nesters, young families, and small households. The percentage of families with children dropped eight points from 42% in 2010 to 34% in 2022, Lohmer said.

"Our population is declining, and in the end, it's hurting our local businesses, our schools, and just our overall quality of life," she said. "The solution is we need more housing. We need more people in our community, and we need options that will meet market demands."

Additionally, with only 4% of land undeveloped in Sugar Land, more compact housing can provide more homes and more value per acre as the city reaches build-out, Lohmer said.

What they're saying

Although the ordinances were ultimately approved 5- 1, with council member William Ferguson being the dissenting vote, resident Kathy Cortes Richter said she and other residents were not in support of changing the land to residential rather than commercial.

"We, as residents, need to speak up and defend the little land that is around us," she said during the public hearing. "We want other things; ... we want restaurants, we want stores, and we want things we can walk to."

Mayor Joe Zimmerman, who chaired the Planning and Zoning Commission in 2000 when the development plan was established, said this area still hasn't seen any development.

"We've had pockets of land that have been waiting for the market to come to us for decades, and that hasn't happened," he said. "This is a way for us to put the land back out there with a restriction that allows some flexibility to see if that's a market we can participate in."

Looking ahead

City officials said the ordinances will be returned to the City Council for a second reading at its May 6 meeting.

Lohmer said that even if it passes, future developers will still need the City Council's approval for the development and site plan.

This article comes from our ABC13 partners at Community Impact Newspapers.