VOL 8 No. 45
email: editor@ independent.com
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Phone: 281-980-6745
FORT BEND FAIR. BALANCED. INFORMATIVE. P. O.BOX 623, SUGAR LAND, TX 77487-0623
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2015
Official newspaper of Fort Bend County, Missouri City & Sugar Land
Sugar Land Legacy Foundation Project honors and remembers veterans
The Honor and Remember Flag Plaza near the current Veterans Memorial at Sugar Land Memorial Park, 15300 University Boulevard, Sugar Land. Personalized brick pavers lie Sugar Land. To date, approxi- established in 2010 to promote within the Honor and Remem- mately one third of the limited community investment in faber Flag Plaza adjacent to the supply of 100 bricks have been cilities and activities that encurrent Veterans Memorial at sold with over $8,000 of the hance the long-term prosper$25,000 goal collected. Funds ity and quality of life of Sugar Sugar Land Memorial Park. The Sugar Land Legacy from the brick sales support Land residents. Contributions to the Legacy Foundation is selling the future memorialization proj“Honor or Remember” pavers ects at Sugar Land Memorial Foundation support the City of Sugar Land’s acquisition, as a way for individuals to sa- Park. For more information about ownership, construction, delute military veterans. The 4” x 8” brick pavers may the Sugar Land Legacy Foun- velopment, or improvement of be engraved with text such as dation or to purchase a brick land and facilities. The SLLF encourages para veteran’s name, branch of paver, visit http://www.sugthe military and dates of ser- arlandlegacy.org or call 281- ticipation from private philanthropic sources, and par980-8981. vice. The Sugar Land Legacy ticipates in state and federal The project is a partnership between the Sugar Land Lega- Foundation is a 501(c)3 non- funding opportunities when cy Foundation and the City of profit organization that was appropriate.
Poverty rate: 6.7% People with at least a bachelor’s degree: 41.7% Amenities per 100,000 residents: 138.4 While Missouri City does not have as many eateries, movie theatres, museums, and bars as many of the most livable cities in the country, residents still have easy access to entertainment. The typical household in Missouri City, Texas earns about $91,000 annually. Adjusting for the area’s exceptionally low cost of living, the true value
Sugar Land City Council approved a resolution yesterday directing the Planning and Zoning Commission to consider the elimination of recent updates to the City’s Development Code and add a provision limiting planned development districts to 200 multi-family units. After receiving a petition of more than 1,400 citizens concerned about apartments, Mayor James Thompson scheduled a meeting on Oct. 27 at City Hall with representative petitioners. The group represented seven neighborhoods near the location where Newland Communities recently applied for a Planned Development zoning district that included 900 apartments. During the meeting, the group presented thoughtful, well articulated suggestions
YARD OF THE MONTH. Quail Valley Garden Club’S November Yard of the Month goes to Paul and Joan Rao in Quail Valley North, 3106 Meadow Creek Drive. Pictured is Paul and grandson, Brooks. The Rao’s redesigned their front yard with circular pathways using pea gravel, brick and stone. While walking around their garden, you are welcomed by whimsical bees enjoying their Pink Portulaca’s and Blue Daze’s. Their gravel pathways provide a soft, cool feel and give perfect access to tend to their Orange Tree, Knockout Roses, Dark Crape Myrtles, Bottlebrushes, Lantana’s and Yellow Ixora’s. The circular edges are softened with Mondo grass. A must see yard, please drive by for landscaping ideas! Visit QuailValleyGardenClub.org and find them on Facebook!
based on factual information. The Land Use Task Force, a City Council steering committee working on an update to the future Land Use Plan, met on Friday for further discussion of land use issues. The Land Use Plan is one of many master plans that comprise the City’s Comprehensive Plan. Two members of the taskforce - Councilmembers Joe Zimmerman and Harish Jajoo - asked for a resolution addressing residents’ concerns to be considered by City Council. “We listened to the community, and we heard their concerns,” said Mayor James Thompson. “Public input has been important to us, and has helped guide our past and current decisions. Balancing the interests of citizens to expand tourism initiatives, attract new businesses,
maintain our very low tax rate and protect our neighborhoods will continue to be our focus. It is important that we incorporate recent community dialogue and new issues such as school overcrowding into our ongoing process to update our Land Use Plan.” Following the Land Use Task Force’s decision to consider a resolution capping apartments in planned developments, a second group of petitioners notified the City that they plan to submit a petition-referendum to repeal Sugar Land’s entire Development Code. This petition would leave Sugar Land without any zoning regulations. If a petition is received, the City will ensure it meets the requirements of City Charter and state law and determine how to proceed.
City would not ‘eat the humble pie’
The city of Sugar Land last week averted a major legal imbroglio by deciding to rectify the controversial development code and planned development regulations. The city council went beyond that and proposed a cap on the number of apartment units to 200 in a ‘planned development.’ This sets at rest an issue that has been haunting the city for the past several years. While the city deserves commendation for the end result, the means adopted has left behind a bitter taste. In a press release dated Sept. 28, the city said : “The City of Sugar Land received a copy of a petition to repeal Ordinance No. of median household income in 2014, a document adopting the the city is about $95,675, higher current Development Code.... than in all but 17 other cities A legal review of the petition is in the United States. Relative underway to determine the full prosperity in the city is further impacts of the petition on Develbolstered by a low poverty rate. opment Code chapters...” Only 6.7% of Missouri City resCity council members paid idents live in poverty, less than lip service when they acknowlhalf the 15.5% national poverty edged that they listened to the rate. people and their concerns even To determine America’s as the city administration conbest cities to live in, 24/7 Wall tinued to denigrate the group of St. reviewed data on the 550 people, under the banner Sugar U.S. cities with populations of Land Votes, who started the pe65,000 or more as measured by tition drive to amend the develSee City, Page 3 opment code ordinance. The city, on the other hand,
Missouri City named among America’s 50 best cities to live
By SESHADRI KUMAR City of Missouri City has been named among the top 50 bet cities to live in the country by 24/7 Wall St., LLC which runs a financial news and opinion company with content delivered over the Internet. Irving is the only other city from Texas to figure in the list, ranked 49th. Missouri City is ranked 46th in the list. 46. Missouri City, Texas: Population: 75,128 Median home value: $153,400
Sugar Land Council resolution targets limits on apartments
Opinion: Inside Track By Seshadri Kumar propped up another group of people, who signed a letter opposing the originally proposed 900 apartments near Telfair as it would adversely affect Clements High School. That letter was presented to the city by an individual on Oct. 16 and the city claimed that it was signed by 1,400 people. A day earlier, the city manager wrote to the developer Newland Communities that their application with the 900 apartments has been suspended. On Oct. 27, the mayor held a meeting with representatives of seven neighborhoods and the city posted pictures of the members with the mayor on the steps of the city hall on the city website, on Oct. 30. According to the city, “the group presented thoughtful, well articulated suggestions based on factual information,” which led
to the city’s decision to restore the status quo on the development code. The city administration continued to denigrate the other group as if that group had no legitimacy and it was misleading people with falsehood and fearmongering. One of the people in that photograph, when contacted said: “Sadly, the city used a poor choice of words. Most of the people in the photo are NOT petitioners. (Personally, I never even saw the petition.) We are simply a group that came together to work with the city. The Mayor, fortunately, was very willing and open to meeting with our group. We asked him to listen to our concerns. It was a good meeting. Diana Miller’s group is the “petitioner” group. We were not affiliated with them.” A city spokesman told this paper that the newsreport which gave credit to Sugar Land Votes for achieving its goal was misleading because the city did not act in response to the Sugar Land Votes petition; instead it acted on the other “petition” signed by 1,400 people. The argument was the Sugar Land Votes had not presented the petition yet. So, technically, they See PIE, Page 3
The Exchange Club of Sugar Land, Sugar Land Rotary, The Exchange Club of Fort Bend, Second Mile Mission and Toys for Tots have partnered in a joint community service project to provide thousands of toys for Fort Bend County children this Christmas. Pictured L/R Ray Albrecht, Carolyn Tarver and Jim Kij. Photo by Sue Lockwood. Santa’s Exchange has been providing toys for less fortunate families since 1995. It began with Carolyn Tarver’s Project S.M.I.L.E. (Stan’s Memory Includes Loving Everyone) after her teenage son Stan was killed in an accident. Exchange Past President Ray Albrecht offered to help Project S.M.I.L.E. provide toys. The Exchange Club of Sugar Land and Sugar Land Rotary have been working together with Ms. Tarver for 25 years. The recent partnership with Toys for Tots and Second Mile Mission will help provide over 15000 toys for children in Fort Bend County this year. Toy donation boxes will be located at local businesses, churches and FBISD schools. You can help children have a Merry Christmas by dropping a toy in a donation box or donating at http://stafford-tx.toysfortots.org