HTX-TOM: Impact 10/8/2025

Tomball City Council on Oct. 6 approved three Tomball Economic Development Corp. agreements to support two new restaurants and an industrial project in the city.

The details: Tomball City Council approved a resolution authorizing a performance agreement with Cheddar’s Casual Cafe for a new 6,181-square-foot full-service restaurant at Hwy. 249 and Alice Road. The project represents a $5.6 million capital investment and is expected to create 40 full-time equivalent jobs. The TEDC will provide an infrastructure-style grant not to exceed $164,463 to assist with site improvements.

What else: The second agreement was approved with Olive Garden Holdings LLC for a 7,800-square-foot restaurant to be built on the same site at Hwy. 249 and Alice Road. The incentive, valued at up to $219,502, will go toward infrastructure costs. 

St. Luke's Health - The Vintage Hospital announced Elizabeth Ortega is taking over as president of the Spring location in an Oct. 6 news release.

The details: The announcement follows the departure of Mario Garner, who is transitioning to a new leadership role in Arizona under the CommonSpirit Health system, which also owns St. Luke's - The Vintage Hospital. Ortega previously served as vice president of the Gulf Coast Division of HCA Healthcare and as chief executive officer of The Women's Hospital of Texas, the release states. Ortega will formally take over as president starting Oct. 13, according to the release. 

In their words: “I am honored to join St. Luke’s Health–The Vintage Hospital and work alongside such a talented team of physicians, colleagues, and leaders,” Ortega said. “This hospital has an outstanding reputation for delivering compassionate, high-quality care, and I look forward to building on that legacy while advancing growth, innovation, and community partnerships that strengthen the health of the patients and families we serve.”

The University of Houston is launching UH Next, a new transfer program designed to help community college students more easily and affordably complete their bachelor’s degrees, starting in spring 2026.

The details: Housed in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, the pilot will streamline transfers after students complete associate degrees at one of five Houston-area community colleges, reducing the cost of a four-year degree.

UH Next is part of UH’s broader effort to improve affordability, alongside programs like Cougar Promise and various scholarships and financial aid options.

How it works: Enrolled students will follow four-year degree maps, co-created by advisors at both UH and the partner college to ensure they take the right courses in the right order, minimizing credit loss and keeping them on track for graduation, although the program is only available for select majors within each partner community college. 

Next steps: While there is no timeline for expansion to other colleges, officials said several are assessing opportunities to create a UH Next pathway.

Odyssey, a New York-based tech company, has been selected to manage Texas’ $1 billion education savings account program, the state comptroller’s office announced Oct. 6.

The overview: Odyssey will work with the comptroller to launch the program, deemed “Texas Education Freedom Accounts,” ahead of the 2026-27 school year. Families can begin applying for the program early next year, and those accepted will receive thousands of dollars in state funds to send their children to private school or homeschool them.

Zooming in: Odyssey will develop and manage an online platform to administer Texas’ education savings account program. State law also tasks the company with:

• Collecting applications and determining which families are accepted to the program
• Approving vendors for education-related materials and services, such as textbooks, transportation and tutoring
• Reviewing inquiries and complaints about the program
• Advertising the program and communicating with interested families