Sugar Land park upgrades come with steep new membership fees

SUGAR LAND, Texas - The City of Sugar Land has officially unveiled a wave of park improvements, including new dedicated pickleball courts and cooling stations, but the upgrades come with a price hike and a growing concern over where visitors will park.

Sugar Land park fee hikes

Starting this month, residents visiting the Imperial Park Recreation Center or the T.E. Harman Center will find a new fee structure in place. 

Annual resident memberships have jumped from roughly $13 to $50, while non-residents face a steeper $191 price tag for the same access.

While the city is celebrating the expansion, some long-time residents are worried that the infrastructure doesn't match the new attractions. 

Sugar Land residents react

What they're saying:

William White, a Sugar Land resident of 25 years, says the lack of parking at some sites is already spilling over into local streets.

"The thing I am really concerned about is how my tax dollars are being spent on something that is possibly not being used as much because we don’t have the necessary parking over there," White said. "Where are the people going to park? They are going to park on the streets over here. And that kind of really irritates me. If you’re going to build a facility, at least have the necessary parking."

More plans in the works

The other side:

City officials maintain that parking is a priority in their long-term "Sports Tourism" vision. William Hajek, Interim Director for Parks and Recreation for the City of Sugar Land, noted that additional spaces were included in recent projects like the Park at the Levee.

"Parking is something we always take into consideration when we look at park growth," Hajek said. "We know it's a huge concern for Texans that love to drive their cars everywhere we go. The good news is our community-level parks and regional-level parks have much bigger parking lots than neighborhood parks do, and that’s where we are really trying to focus most of the attention."