The new additions are coming to the district as Sugar Land Town Square makes the transition to a more modern shopping district designed around providing a bright, enjoyable and fresh experience for all visitors, said Matt Ragan, director of retail programming and operations for Rebees, the real estate company managing the square.
“This was part of a much larger strategic goal to renovate Sugar Land Town Square, update it, bring it more into the modern era, and just give it a little bit of a facelift,” Ragan said. “And not in a way that really changes the fundamentals of what makes Sugar Land Town Square great — the wonderful walking fabric, it being the epicenter of the entire community — but just really accents Sugar Land Town Square’s strength that it’s always had.”
Chief among the new additions to the district will be a new location-based entertainment concept that will combine interactive theater with emerging technologies and will serve as Sugar Land Town Square’s newest anchor tenant. Called Department of Wonder, the 10,000 square-foot venue will look to stage an immersive, mixed-reality fantasy in early 2022 at the former location of Z Gallerie at 2180 Lone Star Dr., according to a Dec. 8 announcement.
The concept is bringing together talent to make the venue a reality, with a team of story-tellers, technologists, designers and producers whose members have won an Academy Award and Emmy Award.
The venue will help anchor other new additions coming to Sugar Land Town Square, including new festoon lighting and several parklets that will be added throughout the western end of City Walk. New trees and lush landscaping are currently under construction and are expected to be completed between February and March, according to a spokesperson for the district.
“That's the area that we wanted to focus on because that's the area that needs the transformation the most right now in order to help us attract modern retailers that are looking for new stores that have a really great growth strategy that makes shopping in a physical space so exciting and fun,” Ragan said.
Refreshes are also on the way in the district with new storefront facades planned for several Sugar Land Town Square businesses in the first quarter of 2022, including Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille, Flying Saucer, The Rouxpour Restaurant & Bar, Vivaldi Music Academy, and more.
These businesses will serve as the opening salvo for future storefront enhancements, Ragan said.
