Sugar Land residents received an update on the redevelopment of the former Imperial Sugar Refinery, including plans for asbestos removal from several refinery facilities and the type of housing planned in the redevelopment district.
Before a large audience in the Fluor Auditorium, Greg Rainwater of ENTACT Environmental Remediation Services, a company that specializes in asbestos remediation projects, spoke about plans to remove the asbestos. Timothy W. Downey, president and CEO of Southern Land Company, explained his company’s concept to build homes and neighborhoods that he described as “re-living the Norman Rockwell experience” in the area to the north of the former refinery.
Rainwater explained that some of the older refinery facilities, like many structures built prior to the 1970s, had asbestos. By law, the asbestos must be removed or managed before the structure is renovated. If the structure is to be demolished, the asbestos must be abated prior to demolition.
“The asbestos primarily consists of thermal system insulation on piping. There is also some asbestos in such areas as floor covering, mastic and ceiling tiles,” Rainwater said.
More than half of the asbestos is in three refinery facilities, the char house, pan house and power plan buildings.
Rainwater outlined the process of asbestos removal and abatement, explaining that area residents will see workers in protective clothing and respirators working around the refinery during the removal process. The work will take place Mondays through Saturdays from 7 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Planners expect mobilization for the asbestos work to take place in March, with completion of the project in August. The contractor will be selected through a sealed bid process. Bids are due on Feb. 12, with the redevelopment district board selecting a contractor in late February.
“The developer, Cherokee Sugar Land Management, is committed to abating 100 percent of the asbestos on the site,” Rainwater said.
Following the presentation on asbestos remediation, Downey outlined the approach Southern Land Company will take in the development of the residential area adjacent to the refinery. He stressed that the homes his company builds are new homes that look like older, classic homes.
“My 21-year career has been to rebuild the great old neighborhoods of the past; to re-live the Norman Rockwell experience,” Downey said.
Using a slideshow to illustrate his company’s designs, he compared them to contemporary tract homes found in many master-planned subdivisions.
“I find that its takes architecture, horticulture, mixed uses, functional common areas and amenities, great activity and sustainability,” Downey said in describing the neighborhoods his company develops. “They look like they were built many, many years ago.”
He also said that his designs would “work well” with the renovation of the sugar refinery as a commercial area.
Downey also pointed out that the current plan is virtually identical to the plan that was developed in a public planning process in 2007.
“There’s not much to report because we’ve done basically what we said we’d do,” Downey said.
It was also announced that the signature Imperial Sugar sign on the refinery would remain and will continue to be lighted at night.
