Part of the Pearland 2020 Community Strategic Plan is to build an indoor sports facility in the city. At the June 24 Pearland City Council meeting, council voted to postpone action on the item in hopes that it may be presented at a time when the project is more feasible.
The strategic plan is put together by the Pearland Economic Development Corp. The PEDC conducted a feasibility study and considered a number of types of larger facilities. At the time, the PEDC decided on the indoor sports facility and the hotel conference center, although more facilities will likely need to be built at a later date, PEDC board of directors Chairman Brandon Dansby said.
“A frequent comment from residents is the need for more things to do in the community to take Pearland to the next level,” Dansby said.
To City Council Member Trent Perez, this project is good but does not need to be handled by the PEDC, as it would not bring in enough revenue.
“Because it’s not an economic driver, I cannot support this being an EDC project,” Perez said.
While council does not view the project as financially feasible right now, it is interested in revisiting the topic, perhaps as a parks and recreation project, council members said.
“I think this has an awful lot of what we are looking for for Pearland,” Mayor Tom Reid said. Council voted 5-0 to postpone the item with Council Members Woody Owens and Derrick Reed absent from the chamber.