Officials with the Montrose Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone conducted a parking study from October 2025 to January 2026 to hear from residents, business owners and visitors of the neighborhood on how parking plays a role in their everyday lives and decisions.

The survey asked residents a variety of questions that touched on topics such as parking difficulty, influence and potential solutions. Over 1,000 Montrose residents responded to the survey, along with employees who work in the neighborhood and frequent visitors. Approximately 1,269 people responded to the survey, according to a May 18 presentation on the findings.

The results: One of the first questions asked on the survey was: Does parking availability influence whether or not you frequent a particular location in Montrose? About 760 respondents, or 60%, said yes, while 501, or 40% of respondents, said no.

The survey's results also revealed that the most difficult day and time when parking is the most difficult is on weekends in the evening and late at night.

The Heights community can officially welcome a new dining establishment to the neighborhood. Burger-chan soft opened its second location off of Yale Street in mid- May.

At a glance: The popular burger concept, which first launched near the Galleria in 2016, selected the Heights as its first expansion earlier this year, replacing the former Be More Pacific Thai restaurant. Now, the approximately 3,000-square-foot building has opened to customers.

The menu features customizable burger options with choices for the patty, bun, cheese and sauce. The Heights spot also includes a more extensive cocktail and bar program, including Japanese-inspired drinks, according to the company's social media.

• 506 Yale St., Ste. E, Houston

Houston residents will get a better understanding of how the new $5 administration fee for trash collection will be implemented in the coming weeks.

What this means: On May 18, Houston Public Works Director Randall Macchi presented the department’s fiscal year 2026-27 budget, which will absorb the Solid Waste Management department.

During the presentation, Macchi showed key performance indicators, which would use metrics to measure HPW’s success. Macchi added that the initial KPIs are output-based, rather than outcome-based.
KPIs for solid waste management are:

• Tons of heavy trash collected: 230,000

• Average number of weekly curbside recycling stops: 165,500

• Total drop-offs at waste collection sites: 67,000

• Tons of tree and yard waste collected: 18,300

• Total number of containers replaced or repaired: 19,200

“We’re going to come back to council within the next 60 days with some refined KPIs that are much more specific,” Macchi said.

Houston is offering free gun safes and locks, which began May 14, for residents as part of its new distribution program.

What it means: Council member Abbie Kamin and the Houston Health Department launched a program that will offer free safety locks and provide free educational resources.

The program is intended to help prevent unintentional firearm injuries and will launch at three Houston Health Department centers in areas that have high rates of injuries, according to HHD. Those locations are:

• Sunnyside

• Northside

• Sharpstown

The program will also partner with pediatric offices and healthcare providers to expand distribution and education efforts.

“By partnering with trusted healthcare providers and community health centers, we are getting lifesaving resources directly into the hands of families to prevent tragedy before it happens,” Kamin said.

How it works: The program is under SafeWatch Houston, a dashboard that tracks firearm injuries and uses Level I trauma center clinical data, emergency response systems and other resources to provide information for the dashboard.

Harris County commissioners allocated an additional $19 million to the Harris County Sheriff's and Fire Marshal’s offices to support ongoing capital improvement projects across eight law enforcement facilities.

The overview: The May 14 vote increased funding from $100 million to $119.73 million for the projects, which aim to enhance resiliency and technology at facilities in the HCSO’s patrol districts, according to agenda documents.

Some context: Harris County voters approved a $100 million bond in 2022 to support improvements at public safety facilities, also known as Proposition A. In May 2024, Commissioners Court then allocated approximately $82.7 million in bond funds to HCSO’s proposed projects as well as $10 million for administrative costs and about $7.3 million for contingency—totaling $100 million—county documents show.

More details: The additional funding will help ensure the facilities meet updated safety codes and ensure operational resilience with enhancements such as generators, security infrastructure and structural remediation.

Looking forward: All projects are on track for construction by late 2026 and early 2027, with estimated completion slated for the second quarter of 2028.