HTX-PLF: Impact 10/3/2025

By late 2026, Friendswood could implement a comprehensive plan that integrates hazard mitigation.

What you need to know: The comprehensive plan will serve as a policy document that guides community decision-making. Areas the plan will guide include future land use, infrastructure, mobility and financial planning, as well as a new area of focus—hazard mitigation.

The backstory: Friendswood awarded a contract to Houston-based engineering and design firm Ardurra Group for consulting services to update the city’s comprehensive plan at its Aug. 4 meeting.

Personal training gym Blueprint Fitness has relocated within Broadway Street in Pearland, owner Chris Chaput said.

What they offer: Services at the gym include private personal training, small group training and online coaching, according to the gym’s website.

About the owner: Chaput is the founder and operator of the gym. He has over 10 years of training experience with specialization in 30-minute body recomposition workouts, according to the gym’s website. 

📍1807 Broadway St., Ste. 109, Pearland  

The University of Houston has been awarded a $1 million grant from the non-profit Houston Endowment to analyze how school districts are implementing various teacher certification pathways—including teacher residency programs and grow-your-own models—with the goal of improving student achievement and bolstering teacher recruitment and retention.

The two-year project is intended to generate data, research, and policy recommendations that could help reduce the number of uncertified teachers in classrooms across Texas.

Why it matters: Amid a growing percentage of uncertified teachers, a UTeach Institute study showed uncertified teachers are more likely to leave early, and their students can lose up to six months of learning.

Zooming out: To curb the teacher shortage during the 2024-25 school year, Community Impact reported that Fort Bend, Georgetown and Leander ISDs had waived teacher certification requirements for certain subjects and opted to require their staff to enroll in alternative certification programs, or nontraditional programs that can often be completed online.