City of Sugar Land 2017 ANNUAL REPORT CITY COUNCIL BRIDGET R. STEVE R. JOE R. MARY K. YEUNG PORTER ZIMMERMAN JOYCE Single Member District Two Mayor Pro Tem Mayor At-Large Position Two Single Member District One HIMESH CAROL K. AMY L. GANDHI MCCUTCHEON MITCHELL At–Large Position One Single Member Single Member District Four District Three CITY MANAGEMENT TEAM JENNIFER MAY ALLEN BOGARD STEVE GRIFFITH Assistant City Manager City Manager First Assistant City Manager JIM CALLAWAY CHRIS STEUBING Assistant City Manager Assistant City Manager LETT ER F RO M THE MAYOR AND CITY MANAGER started with exciting events like the grand Additionally, a statistically valid Citizen Satisfaction Survey recently 2017 opening of the Smart Financial Centre at Sugar indicated the City’s customer service satisfaction level rose by 38% Land. In late August, we quickly shifted gears to supporting when compared to two years ago. We look forward to a continued our community through the unprecedented natural disaster that increase in our customer satisfaction through our newly launched was Hurricane Harvey. We closed the year by welcoming about 311 Contact Center which allows residents to request City services 30,000 new residents to Sugar Land through the historical or ask a question by simply dialing 311 (281-275-2900) to reach annexation of Greatwood and New Territory in December. a City staff member who is ready to help. The past year proved that deliberate planning and a strong A large part of our goal of being a Great Place to Live is the community spirit has made us the resilient community we are maintenance of our infrastructure. Drainage projects continue today. The road map for this success is best outlined through the to be the largest component of our 5-year Capital Improvement City’s five mid-term priorities, which drive the plan for the City Program (CIP). The importance of this investment in drainage was and help ensure we all share a common vision for our community. recently reinforced by Hurricane Harvey. The City is coordinating with area Levee Improvement Districts (LIDs) to analyze data Over the past year, our Strong Local Economy was evidenced and engage the community to better understand what happened through the continued success of the City’s public-private before, during, and after Harvey to determine what, if any, partnerships. The award-winning Smart Financial Centre at measures can be taken to prevent damage in future storms. Sugar Land welcomed approximately 355,000 visitors in its first calendar year, far surpassing the pro forma projection Another investment we are making moves us forward in Building of 260,000 visitors. Constellation Field also saw its sixth Community. Recently, City staff, along with our citizen advisory consecutive year of exceeding attendance expectations. Not board - the Parks, Art, Recreation, Culture, and Streetscapes only do these partnerships provide a significant economic (PARCS) board - diligently incorporated extensive public feedback impact to our City, our private partners have become a part of as they completed a draft update to our Parks, Recreation and our community. Constellation Field was used as a temporary Open Space Master Plan. We know this topic is important to our shelter and staging area during Hurricane Harvey and a recent residents as 90% of those who took our recent Citizen Satisfaction fundraiser at the Smart Financial Centre raised nearly $45,000 Survey told us that the availability of parks and recreation was an in donations for the Sugar Land Police Department. important reason for living in Sugar Land. This community support helps us strive to be the Safest City Over the past year we have continued to demonstrate what makes in America. In 2017, we achieved our lowest crime rate in more Sugar Land a premier community. Not only do our citizens come than 20 years. We also experienced the lowest number of violent together to do great things, we support one another in times of crimes since 1995. Additionally, a recent routine third-party need. We are proud that in our recent Citizen Satisfaction Survey, assessment of the City’s Fire-EMS Department observed “a highly 97% of residents indicated Sugar Land is either an “excellent” or skilled and progressive organization that is making exceptional “good” place to live. The City of Sugar Land remains committed to progress in dealing with a growing service population.” We can the excellent service delivery our residents expect and that makes be proud of our public safety staff’s continued dedication to Sugar Land such a great place to live. excellence in keeping our citizens safe. In continuing our focus on Responsible City Government, our City maintained the prestigious “AAA” bond rating from Fitch and Standard & Poor’s. Only 10 other cities in the state of Texas, Joe R. Zimmerman Allen Bogard besides Sugar Land, carry the AAA rating from both agencies. Mayor City Manager 1 PREMIER REGIONAL DESTINATION The city of Sugar Land is a premier destination in the greater Houston area. The 2017 opening of the $84 million Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land performing arts venue has changed the regional landscape of entertainment. Building off the success of the Constellation Field baseball park, the venue brings an even greater level of tourism to what was once a company town with a single movie theater. Located off of U.S. Highway 59 and University Boulevard, the Smart Financial Centre has set a new standard for live entertainment venues and is equipped to host a wide array of programming, such as A-list musicians and comedians, family entertainment, theatrically- staged productions and performing arts attractions. Designed for flexibility, the 200,000-square-foot venue’s moveable walls adjust to four different seating capacities that range from 3,400 to 6,400 seats. It also features 14 luxury suites, corporate hospitality areas and the latest sound, light and video technology. The Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land performing arts and entertainment center is operated by ACE SL, LLC, Houston-based industry pioneers who have more than 175 years of combined experience in live entertainment. ACE committed $10 million toward the project, and the city utilized Sugar Land Development Corp. restricted sales taxes as approved by voters, along with a portion of hotel and sales tax revenues to fund the $84 million project. No general fund property tax dollars were spent. Additionally, ACE will be making substantial rent payments throughout the life of the project. Along with a future 50-acre business site for Fluor’s campus, Texas Instruments, the future expansion of Class A office space and plans for a hotel/conference center and other amenities, the Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land is the cornerstone of an exciting development that will increase tourism, provide unique destination activities for local and regional visitors, promote capital investment and create new jobs. 2 SMART FINANCIAL CENTRE at SUGAR LAND $84 MILLION PROJECT 200,000 Seats 3,400 to Square-Foot Venue 6,400 Guests Moveable Walls 14 Luxury Suites Latest Sound, Light and Video Technology ESTIMATED COMMUNITY ECONOMIC IMPACT AWARDS Annually Over 30 Years $26.1 million $572.1 million PROJECT OF THE YEAR #1 HOTTEST MUSIC VENUE Structures Greater than $75M IN HOUSTON 2017 DIRECT TAX American Public Works Houston Press REVENUE IMPACT TO CITY Association, Texas Chapter TOP FIVE VENUE More than $500,000 LANDMARK AWARD WORLDWIDE (Far Exceeding Projections) Houston Business Journal Size - 5K to 10K Venues Today 2017 PAID ATTENDANCE BRONZE AWARD, PUBLIC/PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS International Economic Development Council Pro Forma Actual 260,000 352,522 COMMUNITY EVENTS AND PARTIES A-LIST ENTERTAINMENT • 11 Fort Bend Independent Jerry Seinfeld Steve Martin Sting Jay Leno School District Graduation Ceremonies Don Henley and Martin Chris Rock Idina Menzel Short • MAXIM Super Bowl Party Reba McEntire KISS Rod Stewart Billy Crystal TIRZ NO. 4 PLAZA Grand Opening - May 1, 2017 The plaza complements the Smart Financial Centre and serves as a gathering place for citizens and a place to hold public and private events. Features • Multi-Colored LED Lighting • Temporary Art Exhibitions • Interactive Show Fountain • Splash-Pad 3 THE CROWN FESTIVAL PARK at SUGAR LAND The grand opening of the long-awaited, 67-acre Crown Festival Park took place on March 4 during the annual Cultural Kite Festival. The new venue offers more entertainment space and parking than Memorial Park, where the event was previously held. The park and festival site are projected to grow into an important destination entertainment amenity. Music festivals, competitive races and other new events are expected to attract thousands of visitors to Sugar Land. The Crown Festival Park provides ample space for field games, family outings, hiking, biking and other outdoor activities. The park’s multi-loop trails lead people through pecan groves and a quiet forested area. More than 500 trees were planted in the park to enhance its beauty and provide shade. The park’s overlook plaza offers a vantage point from which to see the adjacent, 52-acre festival site. In 2007, a citizen-appointed Visioning Task Force identified a festival site as one of five destination centers. Voters approved The Crown Festival Park project in a November 2013 bond election. The next voter-approved parks project is the addition of a multi-purpose lake to provide opportunities for fishing, kayaking and other water-based recreation activities. Connections between The Crown Festival Park and Sugar Land Memorial Park will complete an extensive trail system within the park. CONSTELLATION FIELD Constellation Field, the home of the Sugar Land Skeeters, continued to exceed attendance expectations for a sixth straight year in 2017. More than 400,000 people came to see the Skeeters play ball and enjoy special events.