HTX-SKL: Impact 11/10/2025

Officials with TOPS Surgical Specialty Hospital announced in a Nov. 5 news release plans to break ground on a new facility in Spring.

The timeline: The new Spring campus is planned to break ground by June 2026, with an estimated completed construction and targeted operation start of Fall 2027, according to the release. Officials said the project will expand the hospital’s inpatient and outpatient services, operative capacity and observation beds for residents of north Houston.

Looking ahead: Features of the new facility include:

• Two additional operating rooms
• 10 additional observation beds
• 13 inpatient beds
• Modernized patient care areas
• Updated clinical support spaces designed for efficiency, safety and comfort

Learn more: TOPS is a physician-owned inpatient and outpatient health care center offering patients with colonoscopies, general surgery, and plastic and reconstructive surgery, as well as gynecology, orthopedics, urology and other specialty services.

Adrian Quintanilla, AT&T South Texas vice president and general manager, said AT&T has plans to open a new retail store in Tomball this fall.

The details: Quintanilla said the new AT&T store will offer the latest devices, accessories, mobile and internet services. Per the website, AT&T offers nationwide 5G combined with multigig fiber home internet service.

• 25517 Hwy. 249, Tomball

More households in the Greater Houston area could afford to buy a home in the third quarter of 2025 compared to the same time last year as home prices dipped and mortgage rates held steady, according to a Nov. 6 affordability report from the Houston Association of Realtors.

By the numbers: According to HAR’s housing affordability index, 39% of households in the Greater Houston area could afford to buy a median-priced home in the third quarter compared to 37% at the same time last year. Households needed a minimum annual income of $100,400 to purchase a median-priced home in Greater Houston, according to the report. The median home price in the area declined 1.9% to $341,600 compared to this time last year. Mortgage rates held steady at approximately 6.5%, the report found.

What else? As for renters in the Greater Houston area, 45% could afford to lease a single-family rental home in the third quarter compared to 43% last year, according to the affordability index.

More than 20 months after wildfires swept through the Texas Panhandle in early 2024, burning over 1.2 million acres of land, state lawmakers questioned if Texas has the tools needed to tackle another major fire.

The context: Texas is always a fire-prone state, according to the Western Fire Chiefs Association. The association’s website reports that annual wildfire risk is most severe from February-April, when dry grasses and high winds can cause fires to spread, and August-October, when high temperatures and droughts contribute to fires.

“Our purpose today is to figure out—what is our response going to look like next February and March?” Rep. Ken King, a Republican representing Canadian and other Panhandle communities, said during a Nov. 3 committee hearing. “Are we better prepared … or are we in the same position we were in 2024, when our response was lacking?”

The details: Officials said Texas owns just two firefighting aircraft, with others "essentially [subleased] through the federal government."

During peak wildfire season, this means Texas may have access to limited resources.

Missed any Community Impact articles from this week? Check out the top trending stories from Community Impact's coverage areas in Houston from Nov. 3-7.

1. Houston Airport System issues advisory about indefinite TSA delays

2. See unofficial voting results for LCISD’s $1.99B bond

3. Unofficial voting results show all three Magnolia ISD bond propositions fail

4. Conroe ISD's Grand Oaks zoning plan in the works as area continues to grow

5. Sugar Land to make code changes as 52-acre Lake Pointe redevelopment nears construction