A 315-unit multifamily development is up for consideration again in Pearland following a series of discussions the developer had with the community about privacy concerns.

What happened: Pearland City Council voted 4-2 to approve a request by Rockport Ventures to rezone 15 acres of land from office and professional district to planned development district to accommodate the multifamily development at its Dec. 15 meeting.

Looking ahead: City Council will hear and vote on the second reading of the ordinance to rezone the land at its Jan. 12 meeting.

HCA Houston Healthcare Pearland has announced a $60 million expansion to increase the hospital’s capacity and enhance its facilities, according to a Dec. 9 news release from the hospital.

The overview: The expansion will double the size of the hospital, add inpatient beds, expand emergency room access and reduce wait times, the release notes.

The project will include:  

• 44 inpatient beds
• Eight emergency room treatment spaces
• Upgraded operating room
• Expanded EMS access
• Modernized clinical areas

With a unanimous vote on Dec. 11, Harris County commissioners reauthorized 100% property tax exemptions for qualified child care providers for 2026 onward in a move that is expected to save thousands of dollars for providers, county officials said.

The full story: Commissioners first approved the 100% property tax exemption for qualified child care centers in March 2024, with the stipulation that the exemption would expire every two years unless commissioners voted for an extension. With the December vote, commissioners also approved removing the expiration clause, which allows the exemption to continue without requiring the two year reapproval from Commissioners Court.

Latest update: Eligible child care providers can apply for the exemption Jan. 1 through March 1.

Quote of note: “Today’s unanimous vote shows that every single one of us on commissioners court, regardless of political party, understands the importance of protecting access to high-quality, early childhood education and supporting the providers who make those opportunities possible,” Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said in a news release.

The Texas power grid is expected to hold up this winter, officials with the Electric Reliability Council of Texas said Dec. 9. This is due in part to “tremendous supply growth on the ERCOT grid,” ERCOT CEO Pablo Vegas said, amid an influx of data centers coming to the state.

The overview: Since last winter, over 11,000 megawatts of generating capacity have been added to the ERCOT grid, Vegas said. That growth, which largely comes from battery storage and solar facilities, could be used to power about 2.8 million homes during periods of peak electric demand.

Zooming in: Under most weather conditions, there is a less than 2% chance of a grid emergency through February, ERCOT found.

However, Texas could be in trouble in the unlikely event that a repeat of Winter Storm Uri hits large parts of the state this winter, although ERCOT noted that the probability of such a severe storm happening again was "well under one percent." The February 2021 freeze devastated an unprepared power grid, resulting in nearly 250 deaths.