Some Sugar Land property owners and office tenants will have the opportunity to receive funding assistance with the launch of the city’s new Office Readiness Program.

The program, which replaces the former Office Headquarters incentive policy, aims to modernize the city’s office inventory, increase occupancy and position the city for balanced growth, officials announced in a Feb. 9 news release.

The overview: The program will provide property owners and office tenants of office buildings within eligible corridors up to 50% reimbursement through five- to 10-year performance-based agreements to support building modernization, infrastructure upgrades and tenant improvements, per the release.

City officials said the program aims to encourage offices operating in industrial or flex spaces to relocate to professional office environments—especially those that are vacant or underutilized—to preserve industrial land for targeted industries.

Looking ahead: Interested businesses, property owners, brokers and developers are encouraged to contact the Sugar Land Office of Economic Development at [email protected].

Prime Bazaar Halal Supermarket is slated to open another halal meat and butcher shop in Sugar Land.

Zooming in: The grocery and convenience store—which sells Indian, Pakistani and Mediterranean goods—first opened in Richmond in 2020, with a second location now open in the Medical Center area, store officials said.

• 18738 University Blvd., Sugar Land

The Houston Association of Realtors has named René Galvan as its new president and CEO, the first leadership change in more than three decades after longtime executive Bob Hale retired Jan. 31, according to a Feb. 2 news release.

What we know: Galvan has been part of HAR’s leadership team since 1996 and served as executive vice president since 1998, per the release. HAR officials said he worked alongside Hale early in his career to help shape the original concept for HAR.com, which launched in 1997 and has since expanded statewide.

In the release, Galvan said his focus will be strengthening the services and tools the association’s roughly 50,000 members use “in this rapidly changing real estate environment.”

HAR said Hale—who served as president and CEO for 37 years—retired after 53 years with the association. The board honored him with the title of CEO emeritus, and Hale said he was confident the organization is “in excellent hands” with Galvan leading it.

Here are several Black-owned businesses located across the Houston metro to commemorate Black History Month, as recently reported by Community Impact.

Good Eatz
Veteran and Good Eatz owner LaTroy Johnson opened his restaurant in July 2022. Johnson said he chose the location due to its friendly community.

• 8805 Jones Road, Ste. A-101, Jersey Village

• 29110 Hwy. 290, Ste. 220, Cypress

• 5802 FM 1488, Ste. F, Magnolia

In the upcoming March 3 primary elections, Texas voters will have the opportunity to nominate their chosen candidates for the November midterm election. From top state officials to county commissioners, primary elections shape who is ultimately elected to dozens of seats, driving the future direction of the Lone Star State.

Yet less than one-fifth of registered Texas voters participated in recent primary elections, data from the secretary of state’s office shows.

The big picture: March Matters, a group that works to get more Texans to the primary polls, found that 146 of Texas’ 150 state House races were effectively decided during the 2022 primaries, with just four competitive seats during that year’s midterm election.

Data also shows that primary voters tend to be older and represent the more extreme wings of their political parties.

What they're saying: "When primary voter turnout is so small, when only a fraction of voters are voting, your vote counts more,” said Mark Strama, who leads the Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life at the University of Texas.