Sugar Land has amended its Great Homes Update Program requirements in response to damages from Hurricane Beryl.
What’s happening?
At a July 23 meeting, Sugar Land City Council approved the addition of a program exemption clause to the Great Homes Update Program for declared disasters.
The clause allows program leaders to apply exemptions to the application requirements, including but not limited to:
- Lowering the minimum total project cost required to apply
- Allowing landscaping to be standalone projects
- Allowing for up to a 25% reimbursement initiative
Why it matters
Hurricane Beryl made its way through the Greater Houston area on July 8 bringing extensive rain and winds that caused damages to homes and infrastructure. The city of Sugar Land has already collected 62,000 cubic yards of debris as a result of the storm, according to a city blog post.
The amendment is “intended to ease the barriers to entry for applicants of the Great Homes Update Program and also give program staff the needed flexibility in the future to assist applicants with projects related to a declared disaster that might not be currently eligible under the existing program policy,” according to agenda documents.
About the program
The Great Homes program launched in February 2023 in an effort to revitalize the city’s older homes, Community Impact reported. The program is divided into two sub-programs, including:
- Great Homes Update Program: Participants may receive up to a $10,000 reimbursement for a portion of renovation costs.
- Great Homes Design Program: A $500 voucher for program participants who incorporate exterior home design.
By the numbers
In the first year, the Great Homes Update Program had more than 200 approved participants, totaling $2.3 million in home improvements, Community Impact reported.
Meanwhile, in the first six months of the 2024 program, 68 home improvements have been approved with 22 projects completed. Approved projects total nearly $1.22 million in improvements, according to agenda documents. Of the $450,000 allotted to the update program, only $195,576 have been awarded.
