A Southlake hotel will soon add an event venue.

SRH Hospitality Southlake Realty LLC, which operates The Westin Dallas Southlake, requested a zoning change and site plan to include a variance to the masonry ordinance for an event venue.

The first reading was approved by Southlake City Council during the March 3 meeting. A second reading, for formal approval, will be on the agenda for the April 7 meeting due to Southlake cancelling its second March meeting.

A closer look: Paul Barham, the CEO of SRH Hospitality, said the addition will be an "iconic structure" in Southlake. He said the hotel identified a need for an event space with an indoor component.

The gist: He said the addition will largely be a social space mainly used on weekends, but he said there could be some social lunches or meetings at the venue as well.

In a nutshell: A filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation shows the project has an estimated cost of $4.09 million.

• 1200 E. SH 114, Southlake

A new Clarks Shoes and Footwear location has opened within Grapevine Mills.

What they sell: Clarks sells a variety of footwear products for men, women and children, such as boots, sandals and sneakers. The business also sells accessories, including socks and hats.

Also of note: The Grapevine Mills outlet will be the fifth Clarks outlet in North Texas and there are 10 others across the state. Clarks is located within the former Toys R Us location within the mall.

• 3000 Grapevine Mills Parkway, Ste. 343, Grapevine

New retail space in Frisco and mixed-use development in Southlake are some of the many new North Texas projects filed recently with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. Here are five of the most expensive permits filed with TDLR in the past week.

1. O’Reilly Auto Parts warehouse shuttle system: An automated storage and retrieval shuttle system is under construction for a new O’Reilly Auto Parts warehouse in north Fort Worth, according to a recent TDLR filing. The shuttle system will include three separate rack structures and a mezzanine with a catwalk. Construction is estimated to take a little under two years.

2. Retail pavilion at Omni PGA Frisco Resort & Spa: A new retail pavilion will be constructed within an existing retail district at the Omni PGA resort and spa in Frisco, according to a recent TDLR filing. The resort had its grand opening in 2023, per previous reporting. The 15,200-square-foot development is estimated to take less than a year to complete.

Families have until 11:59 p.m. March 17 to apply for the first year of Texas’ education savings account program, according to the state comptroller’s office.

The big picture: Under the $1 billion program, participating students will receive state funds for private education or homeschooling during the 2026-27 school year. It is unlikely that all applicants will be accepted, as application data shows more students have applied than the program can fund.

The program offers $2,000 to homeschooled students; $10,474 for private school tuition and related expenses; and up to $30,000 for students with disabilities. With demand set to exceed available funding, applications will be prioritized based on need and household income.

How we got here: State lawmakers created the Texas Education Freedom Accounts program in 2025, with proponents saying it will expand options for families who don't want to send their children to public schools. Critics of the program have said it will unfairly benefit students already in private schools and divert funding from public schools.