Increased marketing funding for Wine and Food Affair
City Council unanimously approved an increase in funding for marketing of this year’s Sugar Land Wine and Food Affair, after the Sugar Land Marriott Town Square hotel increased its rental rates for events.
The Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual Sugar Land Wine & Food Affair in April. The event spans five days and attracts more than 10,000 visitors each year.[/caption]The approved contract provides $120,000 that London-based IWSC Group—which partnered with the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce in 2016 to produce the event—will use for marketing expenses this year.
The city will also provide $100,000 annually for the 2018 Wine and Food Affair and beyond, under terms of the contract. The funding will come from Sugar Land's hotel occupancy tax revenue.
“From my point of view I’m not terribly excited about $120,000,” said Council Member Harish Jajoo.
Mayor Joe Zimmerman said that if the Wine and Food Affair is able to grow the event, which is the goal of IWSC Group and the city, Marriott management will hopefully reduce their rates as they see more demand from visitors.
More land rezoned, added to Crossing at Telfair
Council members also voted unanimously to rezone land at the Crossing at Telfair development, adding 20.35 acres to the development site for a mix of office and retail space. The rezoned land is located at the intersection of Hwy. 6 and Hwy. 90.
Peter Jacob, a representative for developer Rubicon Realty presented the council with a history of the project and plans for the remaining vacant land, which include a hotel, movie theatre, restaurants and office and retail space.
“What we’re looking at is..the heart of the development that we feel is going to catapult this intersection to the next level and pull the development overall together," Jacob said.
Master plan for parks, recreation, and open space reviewed
Also during the meeting, City Council reviewed the status of city staffers’ work on updating Sugar Land’s 12-year-old master plan for its green spaces.
Keehren Baah, senior planner, told council members that Sugar Land’s open space master plan has not been updated since 2005. Of the projects outlined in that plan, 90 percent are finished or currently under design or construction.
As part of its research, city staffers gathered public input though open houses, public surveys, online townhalls and presentations to different homeowners associations, said Joe Chesser, director of Parks and Recreation.
Walking and biking trails were a top amenity to which survey respondents said they would like the city to devote resources.
City staff will next perform an analysis of potential expenditures, further analyze the data from its public inquires, and will develop a 10-year action plan, with a goal of presenting a finalized master plan to the Council for approval in October, Chesser said.
