Sugar Land City Council hosted several public hearings, discussed annexation and were presented with the potential updated Land Use Plan during Tuesday's meeting.

1) After lengthy discussion, council approved a contract with Whitley Penn, LLC, in an amount not to exceed $7,500, to review calculations performed and presented to City Council during a Nov. 7 meeting relating to the annexation of Greatwood and New Territory.

Council Member Mary Joyce presented findings during the Nov. 7 meeting that varied from Director of Finance Jennifer Brown’s calculations analyzing annexation and public service level financial effects.

To remedy the differences, council approved—in a 4-2 vote with abstention from Joyce—hiring an auditor to review and investigate the data as the Dec. 12 annexation date approaches.

2) Following last week’s planning and zoning commission meeting, during which commissioners approved a recommendation with revisions for Sugar Land’s updated Land Use Plan, Director of Planning Lisa Kocich-Meyer presented an abbreviated version of the plan during a workshop.

Due to lengthy discussion regarding the financial analysis of service levels relating to annexation during the meeting, the workshop was shortened, and council agreed to revisit the topic during a joint workshop with Fort Bend ISD scheduled during the Nov. 28 council meeting.

The plan aims to maintain Sugar Land’s appeal as a regional destination to live, work and play. However, a heavily discussed point from the plan revolves around a suggested 12 percent cap on multifamily housing within the city, Kocich-Meyer said.

3) Details for University Commons Phase II at the corner of University Boulevard and Telfair Avenue were announced, including an estimated first quarter of 2019 opening date for Sprouts Farmers Market, which will anchor the development.

The development will cover approximately 12.8 acres with various retail and dining tenants, and will move forward for further consideration during the next regularly scheduled council meeting Nov. 28, Principal Planner Lauren Fehr said.

4) Planner II Katy Goodrich announced plans for a Murphy Express gas station and convenience store at the southwest corner of University Boulevard and Hwy. 90A.

The development will take up approximately 1.87 acres and will be up for further discussion during the Nov. 28 council meeting.