“A legacy opportunity”: Pearland adopts Old Town revitalization plan
Old Town will officially undergo its revitalization plan after Pearland City Council unanimously approved its adoption at its Sept. 22 meeting.
The revitalization plan comes a year after the project’s launch in June 2024 as well as numerous planning and surveying efforts from city officials to bring the plan to life.
The overview: The plan is a collaboration between the Pearland Economic Development Corporation, the city of Pearland and Kansas City-based Olsson Studio, a national planning and urban design firm, according to the city’s website.
The plan, includes the following Old Town Pearland additions, which culminated with five ideas:
Single-unit, multi-unit and flex residential businesses
Business, neighborhood and civic centers
Mixed-use and transitional developments
Notable quote: “This isn’t a 460-480 acre greenfield that we go out there and we just build this Old Town site and here it is,” Mayor Kevin Cole said. “This is existing infrastructure, existing structures, existing areas that will need to be revitalized and changed. This is hard and slow work—it doesn’t happen overnight."
More homes sold in Pearland, Friendswood, Manvel in August compared to same month in 2024
Check out August's real estate data for the Pearland-Friendswood-Manvel area and how it compared to the same month last year.
The gist: More homes were sold in the area compared to the same month last year. Only one ZIP code saw a decline, data shows.
Diving in deeper: Median housing prices stayed steady except for one ZIP code, which saw an increase of nearly 25%, data shows. The remainder saw slight decreases.
Also of note: The median number of days a home sat on the market fluctuated by ZIP code.
What else: More homes were sold in the price range of $200,000 to $399,999, while nearly all other homes fell between $400,000 and $599,999.
Harris County Flood Control District seeks public input on flood resilience plan
Harris County Flood Control District officials are holding public meetings in early October seeking community feedback to assist with the county’s first comprehensive flood resilience plan.
The big picture: Building upon the work completed by the Harris County Community Flood Resilience Task Force that originated after the 2018 $2.5 billion flood bond, the flood resilience plan is being developed by multiple county departments that aim to implement actionable initiatives that consider the well-being of communities facing the physical, social and economic hardships of flooding, according to the HCFCD.
What it means: The county’s first flood resilience plan is expected to be completed in February 2027 and have actions categorized by short, medium and long-term actions designed to strengthen infrastructure systems, natural and ecological resources and community networks.
Harris County commissioners approve $2.7B FY 2025-26 budget prioritizing pay parity, public safety
By a 3-2 vote, Harris County commissioners adopted the $2.76 billion fiscal year 2025-26 general fund budget Sept. 24 that prioritizes pay parity and public safety initiatives. Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis and Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo cast the dissenting votes.
In their words: “Today’s approval is a result of deep coordination and unwavering dedication from every corner of Harris County government,” Daniel Ramos, executive director of the Harris County Office of Management and Budget, said in a statement.
The details: From the $2.76 billion general fund budget, $2.57 billion will be allocated to the 70 Harris County departments with components that include:
Growing the Harris County Flood Control District maintenance program
Preserving the county’s credit rating and financial stability
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said the county’s investment with the budget adoption will better equip law enforcement to combat public safety threats.
Texans have through Oct. 6 to register to vote in the Nov. 4 election
The Nov. 4 election is coming up, and so is the deadline to register to vote. Eligible Texans must register by Oct. 6 to cast votes in various local races and weigh in on 17 proposed amendments to the Texas Constitution.
What to know: Texans who need to register to vote must submit a paper application. The application is available here and must be printed, signed and mailed to the election office in the voter’s county of residence.
Texas does not allow online voter registration, unless residents are updating, renewing or replacing a Texas driver’s license or ID card.
Zooming in: To be eligible to register to vote, an individual must:
Be a U.S. citizen
Reside in the county they apply to vote in
Be at least 18 years old by Election Day
Not have been declared mentally incapacitated without the right to vote by a court
Registered voters can check their voter registration status online at any time and update identifying information, such as their name and address, online through Oct. 6.
