Sugar Land P&Z endorses alcohol overlay district at First Colony Mall

First Colony Mall's Lifestyle Center could soon be the home of a full-scale bar and grill if Sugar Land City Council next week approves an "overlay district" that would allow for such establishments.

The Planning and Zoning Commission on Tuesday unanimously approved recommending that the Council vote to approve the district, which would be the first such entity in the city but is modeled after one in Farmer's Branch, a suburban community near Dallas.

Currently, establishments that earn more than 50 percent of their income from the sale of alcohol are not allowed by the regulations at First Colony Mall. The Lifestyle Center is the large open retail area adjacent to the full mall structure.

City staff explained that Brookfield Properties, which owns and operates the mall, has an opportunity to lease the space now occupied by Breaker's Korean BBQ to Little Woodrow's, a sports bar company that operates at many locations across the greater Houston area.

In the plan presented by Brookfield, the new establishment would include a beer garden that would extend about one-third of the way into the existing greenspace that is used for movie showings and other family-oriented events. Staff told the commission members that the beer garden would have a fence or other barrier as required by Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission regulations.

The proposed bar would also be more than 200 feet away from the nearest residences, another requirement.

There were no speakers on the item during the public hearing portion. Following approved by the P&Z commission, the proposal will go before Council at its April 18 meeting. The proposal first discussed during a workshop meeting in March.

In other business, the commission unanimously approved a proposed final development for a development called The Pearl at Lake Point near the Fluor Corporation campus. The proposal is for 370 multi-family units and 5 live/work units.