Prosper residents are set to see a new construction project coming to downtown Prosper.

What happened: Prosper Town Council approved at a Feb. 10 meeting moving forward with building several downtown monuments throughout the area. The $603,402 contract will include building four railroad-inspired columns at Main Street and Broadway Street and five lighted monuments near Broadway Street and Crockett Street.

Zooming out: Mayor David Bristol said at a Feb. 10 town visioning session that officials are working to develop downtown Prosper as a destination. Town documents note that officials plan to pursue this through a “mix of public and private developments as catalysts for office, retail, restaurants, entertainment, housing and outdoor events.”

Celina is set to welcome its first Walmart this spring, a company spokesperson confirmed.

Zooming in: The new supercenter will officially open April 29, while the location’s fuel station will start serving customers on April 15, the spokesperson said. Walmart offers groceries, clothes, electronics and more.

• 1771 Preston Road, Celina

Texas’ newest state park is opening its gates for a soft opening at the beginning of March, Gov. Greg Abbott said in a news release.

The details: The March 1 opening of Palo Pinto Mountains State Park gives early park access to guests ahead of the grand opening, which will be announced at a later date. The park’s website states “final touches are ongoing” and guests might see some construction. 

The park is roughly 75 miles west of Dallas-Fort Worth and encompasses 4,871 acres of former ranch land to hike, bike and fish. Trails lead to remote areas of the park with vista views, lakeside experiences and a variety of campsites, including RV sites, according to previous reporting.

The backstory: Land for the park was purchased in 2011 after the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department partnered with The Nature Conservancy to buy land for a new state park, according to previous reporting.

• 100 Park Road #77, Strawn

Texas attracts dozens of company headquarters to the state annually, with at least 314 businesses moving their main office to Texas from other states between 2015-2024, data from the governor’s office shows.

Zooming in: At least 24 companies moved their headquarters to Texas in 2024, with more than half landing in the Dallas-Fort Worth region. Two companies relocated from other countries, with data center developer Hive Digital Technologies bringing its home base from Canada to San Antonio and pharmaceutical company IntraBio Inc. moving its headquarters from the United Kingdom to Austin.

How we got here: State officials and experts said Texas’ economic incentives and light regulatory environment are key reasons why companies brought their operations to the state in recent years.

“Texas wants companies to move here, and [company leaders] know that,” Megan Mauro, interim president and CEO of the Texas Association of Business, told Community Impact. “Our legislative policy is really impacted by the voices of employers here.”