Agreement Approved for Future Concert/Performing Arts Venue in Sugar Land
Sugar Land, Texas – The Sugar Land Development Corporation and Sugar Land City Council approved on Aug. 7 a Letter of Intent with ACE Sugar Land, LLC, for the development of a future concert and performing arts facility.
The agreement defines the terms of a public/private partnership for a 6,500-seat concert and performing arts facility in Sugar Land. The venue’s proposed location is a 21-acre site near the intersection of U.S. Highway 59 and University Boulevard, an area that will include a larger mixed-use development within an area of Telfair identified for commercial, office and entertainment purposes. No time line has been set for completion of the project.
The Letter of Intent establishes funding to begin programming and schematic design, with a focus on creating a signature facility that will be financially feasible and operationally self-sustainable.
The concert/performing arts venue is expected to benefit the community by promoting economic development, creating employment opportunities and enhancing educational offerings.
In 2007, a citizen-appointed Visioning Task Force identified five preferred entertainment venues it felt would fulfill the vision of developing Sugar Land as a destination location for residential, employment, retail and medical services and entertainment. The Task Force’s top three priorities included a professional minor league baseball park, an outdoor festival site and an indoor concert venue. Sugar Land voters overwhelmingly approved the proposed venues and funding in a November 2008 referendum. Constellation Field opened in April 2012, and more than 250,000 visitors have attended ballgames to date, exceeding all prior attendance projections.
A 2008 Market Analysis and Feasibility Study and an updated 2012 study showed that a concert/performing arts venue in Sugar Land would promote capital investment, create new jobs, enhance educational opportunities and create unique destination activities attracting local and regional visitors.
“Making Sugar Land a destination for culture and entertainment has been a long-held vision of our citizens and City Council,” said Mayor James Thompson. “We believe this will fill a much-needed gap in entertainment needs in this part of the greater Houston region and bring many more people here to enjoy the arts and all that our City offers.”
In May 2011, the City approved a memorandum of understanding with ACE SL LLC, a company selected based on its operational experience and knowledge of the entertainment industry.
“My partners and I are honored to be selected by the City of Sugar Land as its partner in the planning and development of this exciting project,” stated Allen Becker, chairman of ACE SL LLC. “We have been fortunate in our over 30 years in the live entertainment business to have worked in the major cities of the United States and Canada, as well as in many markets throughout the world. But nothing beats home, and we will work as hard as it takes to make this facility a success for the City of Sugar Land, and to bring the best in entertainment to this community, our community!”
About ACE SL, LLC.
ACE SL, LLC, brings an experienced team of locally-based entertainment industry professionals to the project, led by Allen J. Becker, TONY Award-winning founding chairman of PACE Entertainment Corporation. The ACE Executive Team also includes Brian E. Becker, Gary D. Becker, David M. Anderson, Gary A. Markowitz and Kirk B. Feldmann. Together, they offer more than 175 years of experience and success in local, national and international entertainment ventures, including pioneering the development of new music and theatrical venues, as well as the entertainment to fill them.
About Sugar Land
The City of Sugar Land is an award-winning community 20 miles southwest of Houston. This master-planned community has achieved its sustainable, strong local economy through a strategically focused and aggressive economic development program creating new wealth and jobs. As a regional employment center, the City is home to numerous high-profile regional and international corporations housed in more than 22 million square feet of commercial space, including Minute Maid, Schlumberger, Fluor Corporation, Bechtel EO and Aetna.