Historic District project kicks off with Week Long Charrette in Sugar Land Texas.

Old fashioned charrette kicks off the development of the Imperial Historic district community concept in Sugar Land Texas. All of the key stakeholders gather to foster collaboration before project begins.

[ClickPress, Tue Sep 18 2007] Cherokee, a private equity firm specializing in the acquisition, remediation and sustainable redevelopment of brownfield sites, has partnered with Southern Land Company, LLC (Southern Land), a full-service real estate development firm, to concept, design and construct a 650-acre mixed-use community in Sugar Land, Texas.

The new community will be located on property previously owned by the century-old Imperial Sugar Company (Imperial). The city of Sugar Land grew significantly in Imperial's economic wake, and the company's headquarters is still located adjacent to the development site. The site, which served as Imperial's sugar refinery and mill, will be transformed into commercial, retail and residential opportunities within a neighborhood setting.

To date, Cherokee has worked hand-in-hand with the city of Sugar Land and its residents to define the scope and scale of the new community - a process that Cherokee project leader Kyndel Bennett considers both essential and valuable.

“The city leaders and residents of Sugar Land have added a tremendous historic perspective to this project,” said Bennett. “In addition to the mill and refinery, you have Oyster Creek, which has served this community for centuries and is a marvelous natural element to the overall project.

“The Imperial Char House and the company's signature water tower are important icons in this region that we intend to preserve,” Bennett continued. “We are very fortunate. This is an ideal location for a dynamic project, and we are excited to be part of the planning and redevelopment of this new community.”

Beginning September 17, Cherokee and Southern Land Company will host a week-long charrette in Sugar Land to identify the specific design and development goals for the property. The charrette will be led by the international firm of Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company - a planning and design group credited with creating communities such as Kentlands in Maryland and Seaside in Florida, among others.

In addition, Development Design Group (DDG) will assist Cherokee and Southern Land Company with design elements for the commercial neighborhood that will incorporate some of Imperial's original structures still standing on the site. Two of DDG's most notable projects are Coco Walk in Miami, Florida, and the Easton Town Center near Columbus, Ohio. Both communities have received national design awards.

The entire development group will be introduced at the opening presentation of the charrette on Monday, September 17. City officials, neighborhood associations, local and national media, and various business and civic leaders will be in attendance to learn more about the team and its intentions to bring a historically sensitive, yet modern, mixed-use community to the city.

“Southern Land is grateful to be a part of such an innovative and significant project,” said Timothy W. Downey, CEO of Southern Land. “We have spent the last 20 years fine-tuning our skills as a development firm to become a real estate company that is knowledgeable and passionate about architecture, horticulture and the traditional elements of neighborhood design. This project enables us to put all of our skills to work.”

Southern Land is a vertically integrated company that has brought all services associated with development - from land acquisition to management of the community - under a single roof. The firm's design approach is focused equally on aesthetic, authenticity and functionality. One of its signature communities, Westhaven, in Franklin, Tennessee, just outside of Nashville (www.westhaventn.com ), will serve as creative and conceptual inspiration for the Imperial site.

Many of the presentation segments of the charrette will be videotaped and placed on-line for public viewing. You can access the footage from the event beginning Tuesday, September 18 at www.sugarlandcharrette.com

About Cherokee
Cherokee manages a group of investment funds that specialize in the reclamation and revitalization of environmentally impaired real estate, or brownfields. The firm works closely with communities to help transform underutilized properties helping to make them clean and safe, and returning them to productive use. In each location, Cherokee seeks to implement sustainable solutions that create long-term value for the community and for the firm's investors, partners and employees. Since 1993, Cherokee has acquired more than 525 properties across North America and Western Europe with an aggregate transaction value of $1.8 billion. For more information, visit www.cherokeefund.com .

About Southern Land Company
Southern Land Company has 325 employees. The company has internalized all services associated with development, including architecture, landscape architecture, engineering, homebuilding, commercial development, property management, multi- family and mixed-use development, horticulture, marketing and sales, communications, and community relations.

The company is 21 years old and was founded in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Southern Land Company moved to Nashville, Tennessee in the mid-nineties. It opened offices in Dallas, Texas, in 2006 and is currently developing in McKinney, Keller, Allen, Houston, and Austin, Texas, and Middle Tennessee. To learn more about Southern Land Company, visit www.southernland.com .

About DDG
Development Design Group Inc. is an internationally renowned planning, architecture and design company unique in its ability to deliver dynamic, extraordinary solutions to place-making in cities, towns and suburbs all over the world. With a strong history of providing superior expertise in many successful commercial endeavors the firm's successful track record is reinforced time and again with numerous awards received for designs that work in the real world. For more information, visit www.ddg-usa.com .

About DPZ
Celebrating its 25th year in 2005, Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company (DPZ) is a major leader in the practice and direction of urban planning, having designed over 300 new and existing communities in the United States and overseas. DPZ's projects have received numerous awards, including two National AIA Awards, the Vincent Scully Prize, the Thomas Jefferson Medal and two Governor's Urban Design Awards for Excellence. For more information, visit www.dpz.com.













Southern Land company is an awarding winning home builder and real estate company based in Franklin, Tennessee.


Jim Cheney
615-202-8936
jim.cheney@southernland.com

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