Sugar Land Approves First Steps for Long-Term Development of Cullinan Park

Sugar Land Approves First Steps for Long-Term Development of Cullinan Park

Sugar Land, TX - Sugar Land City Council approved agreements on May 19 for the future development of Cullinan Park, 754 acres of mostly inaccessible forest and wetlands north of Sugar Land Regional Airport.

The land is currently owned by the city of Houston and Houston Parks Board and is located within Houston’s extra-territorial jurisdiction (ETJ).

The Cullinan Park Conservancy contacted both Houston and Sugar Land months ago and proposed a partnership to further develop the acreage as a passive park that will preserve the natural beauty of the property.

Phase 1 improvements include improving access to the property through nature trails and bridges, as well as installation of a picnic pavilion and a children’s nature area.

Discussions led to an inter-local agreement between Sugar Land and Houston for the property’s transfer to Sugar Land’s ETJ. The agreement also includes criteria for the future annexation, maintenance and operation of the park by Sugar Land. While Houston will continue to own the property, the agreement provides a 30-year right-of-entry to Sugar Land that’s renewable for an additional 30 years. The inter-local agreement will take effect once the conservancy raises an initial contribution of $500,000.

A memorandum of understanding between Sugar Land and the Cullinan Conservancy outlines the conservancy’s fundraising efforts for the park, including a commitment of $10 million during the next 10 years.

Houston City Council is expected to consider the Cullinan Park inter-local agreement on May 27.

The lands of Cullinan Park were first settled in 1828 by Alexander Hodge, a member of Stephen F. Austin’s Old 300. For more than 150 years, the property was used for raising cattle, sugar cane and other crops. In 1989, Cullinan Park was acquired by the Houston Parks Board and City of Houston and opened in 1991 as a nature preserve with improvements funded by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

The Cullinan Park Conservancy was formed as a non-profit corporation in 2010, as a project of the tax-exempt Houston Parks Board. The Conservancy seeks to enhance and protect the natural beauty of Cullinan Park.

The conservancy is focused on a number of efforts that will help enhance the Park’s status as -- in the words of its major donor Nina Cullinan -- a “place of beauty and peacefulness in the city.” These efforts include mapping the park, surveying its vegetation and birdlife, planning for its trail and bridge renovations, arranging for park cleanups and organizing a photo contest about the park, its wildlife, landscapes and visitors.

Learn more about the park at https://cullinanparkconservancy.org/.