TL: With only a few greenfield sites remaining for development in Sugar Land, it will be important to take full advantage of these limited opportunities to attract new major employers to the city and retain those that are already here. Attracting new employers to Sugar Land will not only increase our tax base, but also allow more residents to both live and work in Sugar Land.

TL: I was a member of the city’s Land Use Advisory Committee that spent five years assessing and making recommendations about the future land use goals of the city. The conclusions of that group, which were ultimately adopted by City Council, included placing reasonable limitations on the number of new multifamily units in Sugar Land and I continue to agree with this approach.

TL: As a resident of the north side of Sugar Land and Planning and Zoning Commissioner, I recognize the need to move forward with redevelopment of the site as quickly as possible. Many residents near the site are concerned about the site remaining undeveloped, and I think the city should take all the appropriate steps to work collaboratively with the property owner to ensure we make progress.

WF: Our city can never settle for good enough. We need to strive for new ideas and new industries because of a new vision. My vision of Sugar Land in 10 years includes autonomous vehicles to transport our senior residents and our under served, Smart City status, Drone services and much more. My ideas accent the services we offer and business that call us home. Being built out is a limit we can overcome with fresh and new ideas.

WF: I personally like the idea of more families in Sugar Land because diversity grows with every new family. However, many homeowners in Sugar Land have been surveyed. Their unity response is no more apartments. Their ‘no’ may be a barrier to new large businesses such as Amazon that prefer executive apartments. The survey response will be honored because ultimately the city exists to serve the taxpayer.

WF: Few people would hope for Sugar Land without the old Imperial Sugar Factory complex. The problem is that many people don’t understand how complex the issue really is to develop the property. Financing has been the largest issue facing the property. The owners have simply not found a way to fund their plans. The city has certainly promoted development through tax incentives and usage agreements.