A Hilton Garden Inn may be part of the first phase of Weaver, Davis & Jacob’s Crossing At Telfair commercial development, which has been revised to comply with Sugar Land City Council’s mandate for a Planned Development District.
The Sugar Land developer had sought general business zoning for 112.7 acres on the southwest corner of the intersection of State Highway 6 and U.S. 90A. However, on Aug. 15 city council voted to require the development fall under planned-development zoning.
Since then, WDJ created a final plan for the development of 27.3 acres – the first phase of the 112.7-acre project – and presented it to the Sugar Land Planning and Zoning Commission last week. Asking for three additional restrictions, the commission voted to recommend approval of the first-phase planned development. The city council is scheduled to take up the matter Tuesday evening.
Under provisions the council will consider, the project’s first phase, at the southeast portion of the intersection of Highway 6 and University Boulevard, could include a hotel, a hospital and various other retail business types, including banks, bakeries, restaurants, clothing stores, medical or professional offices.
WDJ Associate Director of Development Kyra Bittenbender acknowledged the firm has been in talks with Hilton and with unspecified hospital groups, but was unaware of the status of those talks.
The planning and zoning commission’s requested restrictions on phase one of the development include limiting the number of hotels and hospitals in the 27 acres to one each, excluding motels from allowable uses, and applying what Bittenbender called “four-sided architecture” features the the buildings.
WDJ principal Peter Jacob “said he was agreeable to everything that they wanted,” Bittenbender said of the requested added restrictions.
She said four-sided architecture means that the back and sides of commercial buildings will contain the same or similar qualities of materials as the fronts of the buildings. “We totally agree with that, because we want it to look nice also.”
WDJ had expressed concern in August that working under the restrictions of planned-development zoning might cost his company considerable time and money.
However, Bittenbender said Monday that the new planning process “didn’t slow us down,” thanks to efforts by city staff and the planning and zoning commission to expedite the process.
She said WDJ intends to come before the commission and council again with a general plan for the other three phases of the development.
While Bittenbender said she anticipates plans for the other phases will have similarities to the first-phase plan, WDJ may ask for permission to negotiate for a grocery store or a gas station in some other portion of the project. Neither of those uses is permitted within the area of the first phase.
The Sugar Land developer had sought general business zoning for 112.7 acres on the southwest corner of the intersection of State Highway 6 and U.S. 90A. However, on Aug. 15 city council voted to require the development fall under planned-development zoning.
Since then, WDJ created a final plan for the development of 27.3 acres – the first phase of the 112.7-acre project – and presented it to the Sugar Land Planning and Zoning Commission last week.
