La Marque Liquor & Drive-Thru soft opened in La Marque and is planning a grand opening celebration with wine and liquor tastings on July 31, owner Rick Greenawalt said.

It’s 5 o’clock somewhere: Located in an old bank building, the liquor store will sell spirits, wine, beer as well as paper and tobacco products, Greenawalt said. Additionally, the store will soon carry ice blocks and spheres, Greenawalt said. 

What they offer: The store will feature a drive-thru, which Greenawalt said accounts for 30% of sales at another store he owns in Pearland. 

Also of note: Greenawalt said the store will offer home delivery service for customers who purchase several cases of wine. Greenawalt said his son is also looking into signing the location up for DoorDash service. 

• 6408 I-45, Ste. 10, La Marque

Check out real estate data for Houston's Bay Area from June 2026, compared to June 2025.

What you need to know: The number of days a home sat on the market lowered from June 2025 compared to June 2026. Three out of four ZIP codes saw a decrease, with one decreasing by nearly 80%, data shows.

Need to catch up on Community Impact’s coverage from last week? Check out six trending stories from the South Houston area from July 20-24.

1. Pearland shifts with new mayor and city leadership changes

2. New 17-acre River Oaks development set to define luxury with new amenities

3. New DPS office to open in Katy after 15-plus years

4. Goodwill to open 2nd Missouri City store in Sienna

5. Pomodoro’s Cucina Italiana awarded $850K incentive to open in Seabrook

6. Blue Mambo to rebrand, relocate to Bissonnet in elevated beauty partnership with Hair Craft Collective

As more data centers are being built in Texas, the state’s water planning agency warns that limited information is available about the booming industry and its impact on water supplies.

The overview: The Texas Water Development Board adopted its initial 2027 State Water Plan on July 23, with a “more robust” version of the plan expected later this year. The plan consists of 3,000 water management projects and 6,700 strategies that experts say are needed to prepare for future severe droughts.

It will cost about $174 billion to complete the projects, according to the TWDB. However, if they are not implemented, a severe drought could cost the state $91 billion in economic damages as soon as 2030 and lead to $177 billion in annual losses by 2080.

The context: These projections do not account for the amount of water that data centers—which largely purchase their water from public systems—may use or how the large facilities could contribute to overall water availability. Right now, the board said it did not have enough information to do so.