A piece of property will be a part of the existing Katy Court Planned Development District after Katy City Council removed it from a previous amendment in April.

What happened: At a Sept. 28 meeting, Katy City Council approved an ordinance in a 4-1 vote to change 3.4 acres of land near the intersection of Katy Hockley Cut Off Road and De Petris Drive from R-1 single-family district to be included in the existing Katy Court planned development district.

What’s changed: City Planner Rachel Lazo said the comprehensive plan future land use and character map had the land classified as suburban residential with the future land use designation now neighborhood commercial.

What’s next: Brett Walker, president of Parkside Capital, said they do not know what will go into the rezoned property, but they will soon be working on the infrastructure design, detention drainage and speaking with prospective future tenants. 

Firehouse Subs has closed its Katy location on Kingsland Boulevard following the end of its lease, owner Taha Mohamed said. 

On the menu: The counter-service restaurant offered a variety of hot specialty sub sandwiches as well as salads, according to its website. 

Keep in mind: Mohamed said he also owns Firehouse Subs locations at Gardens at Westgreen, Morton Park Plaza and Shops at Cross Creek as part of Katy Restaurant Group, LLC.

• 25551 Kingsland Blvd., Ste. B100, Katy

Fort Bend County residents will choose between Daniel Wong and Dexter L. McCoy for county judge in the Nov. 3 election.

The details: Candidates were asked to keep responses under 50 words, answer the questions provided and avoid attacking opponents. Answers may have been minimally edited or cut to adhere to those guidelines, or for style and clarity.

Here's what we asked them:

• Why did you choose to run for this position?

• What are your qualifications for why you’d be a strong candidate in this role?

• What is your top priority if elected to represent the citizens of Fort Bend County?

• What do you think is the most pressing issue for Fort Bend County, and what will you do to address it?

• How do you plan to involve residents in the decision-making process?

• How should the county prepare to address its fast-growing population?

Need to catch up on Community Impact’s coverage from this week? Check out these trending stories across the southern portion of the Greater Houston area from Sept. 28-Oct. 2.

• Fort Bend ISD adjusts final day of 2026-27 school year

• Good Vibes Coastal Cantina and Good Vibes Coastal Kitchen close the same day

• New curated antique shop celebrates grand opening near West University Place

• 12 businesses recently opened in Katy and Fulshear

• Houston ISD to potentially cut, relocate teachers amid enrollment-driven budget evaluation

• San Jacinto College extends biotechnology partnership

Texas school districts using the state-developed Bluebonnet Learning curriculum saw slightly better year-over-year achievement last school year than other districts, according to Texas Education Agency data released Sept. 30.

What's happening: During the 2025-26 school year, 619 of Texas' 1,200 public school districts opted in to implement at least one of the three Bluebonnet curriculum programs—elementary math, secondary math and elementary language arts.

On this spring's State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness exam, districts using the state-developed math materials saw student improvement that was 0.6 percentage points higher than students in other districts, while districts that implemented the reading materials performed 0.2 percentage points higher on the STAAR than other schools.

What they're saying: The TEA said the gains in student achievement are an "encouraging sign of early progress."

Zeph Capo, president of the Texas American Federation of Teachers, a statewide educator union, disagreed, calling the results "rather paltry."

"It may take a few more years to determine if this is a valid trend or simply an anomaly," Capo said in a statement.