Efforts underway to re-imagine Imperial Sugar refinery site

SUGAR LAND, TX -- As debate over the Astrodome's future continues on in Harris County, discussions are also taking place on how best to repurpose Sugar Land's most iconic structure.

Located on Imperial Sugar Land, a 700-acre mixed-use community under construction near Hwy. 90A and Hwy. 6, the Imperial Sugar refinery site, already has two tenants slated to move into its two-story container warehouse in coming years. The Fort Bend Children's Discovery Center will occupy the first floor, currently scheduled to open its doors to Fort Bend kids in summer 2016. And following City Council's approval last month, Sugar Land Heritage Foundation (SLHF) Director Dennis Parmer said the Sugar Land Heritage Museum is tentatively aiming for an early 2017 grand opening.

While the site's water tower is presently undergoing a $500,000 renovation, how best to repurpose all the site's other historic buildings has not yet been determined. But, Parmer said, some interesting ideas are being seriously considered.

Read more from the Your Fort Bend News, a Houston Community Newspaper partner