Over the past year, dozens of restaurants have closed throughout the Houston Heights, River Oaks and Montrose areas. While local restaurant owners give a variety of reasons for the closings, the most common ones are a rise in rent and a decrease in demand from consumers.

Current situation: The closures, which have affected longtime established neighborhood favorites, new businesses and national franchises, seem to be a sign of an industry that is slow to adapt to rising trends, local restaurateurs said.

In 2025, 50% of restaurants in Texas reported that they were not profitable, according to a March presentation from Kelsey Erickson Streufert, chief public affairs officer of the Texas Restaurant Association. Data from the Texas Restaurant Association also shows that the cost of food is up by more than 30% since the pandemic.

Who it affects: With growing food prices and lower foot traffic, many restaurants are also struggling to meet rent requirements, another factor that has surged in recent years, leading to vacancies.

After years of planning, Nashville-based real estate developer Southern Land Company broke ground April 14 on a new development that will feature two towers and 15,000 square feet of ground-level restaurant space.

Read all about it: Located at 2811 Kirby Drive, representatives said the larger tower is expected to span 38 stories and feature 331 residences, including 18 penthouses. Residents at the property will have access to amenities such as a pool, a spa, guest suites and a garden deck, representatives said.

Stay updated: Construction is slated for completion in 2028, according to an April 9 news release from company representatives. 

• 2811 Kirby Drive, Houston

Houston, in partnership with the Houston Health Department and Texas Medical Center partners, released the first four months of data from a new firearm-injury tracking dashboard, the first of its kind in the U.S.

During the city of Houston’s April public safety committee meeting, HHD officials presented the findings of the SafeWatch dashboard.

What is it: Using Level 1 trauma center clinical data and citywide emergency response systems, the SafeWatch dashboard breaks down firearm injuries by age, race, sex, intent, outcome, location and risk factors.

The dashboard, which launched in December 2025, also breaks down whether the incidents were fatal or not, and if they resulted in an emergency department visit or a Level 1 trauma center visit. It is updated quarterly, city officials said.

Next steps: Officials said they are next hoping to integrate Level 2 and 3 trauma center data, add enhancements for a deeper dive into the data, and have regular task force meetings with partners at the Texas Medical Center to discuss trends found in the data.

Harris County commissioners are set to take up more than 400 agenda items April 16, including discussion about federally funded flood mitigation and recovery projects, affordable housing developments and the first annual status report of the county’s Climate Justice Plan.

At a glance: Commissioners are scheduled to hear a presentation on the implementation of the Harris County Climate Justice Plan, a multiyear climate resilience framework the court adopted April 10, 2025, per agenda documents. Staff from the Office of County Administration’s Sustainability Division will deliver the first report to Commissioners Court reflecting on a year of progress.

Also of note: The Harris County Flood Control District is expected to provide project-level updates to commissioners regarding local flood mitigation and recovery efforts that received funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD. Staff from HCFCD will share a schedule detailing construction start dates, estimated completion dates, cost escalations and other updates for each project.

Stay tuned: Harris County Commissioners Court meetings are held at 9 a.m. at 1001 Preston St., Houston. 

Texas retailers can resume selling smokable hemp products after a Travis County judge temporarily blocked some of the state’s sweeping new regulations on the hemp industry.

The background: On March 31, the state health department enacted rules changing how THC content is measured in consumable hemp, which industry experts said effectively outlawed most smokable hemp products.

The Texas Hemp Business Council, a federal hemp industry group, and several local hemp companies sued the state April 8, arguing that the state health department does not have the authority to reclassify legal THC levels. State officials have defended the rules, saying they are in line with a September executive order by Gov. Greg Abbott, who at the time called for stricter oversight of the multibillion-dollar hemp industry.

The latest: Travis County District Judge Maya Guerra Gamble sided with the hemp industry in an April 10 ruling, directing the state not to enforce the new THC testing requirement and a restriction on the transportation of hemp products between states. An additional hearing is scheduled for April 23.