West University Place officials said it is time for the city to address its public safety departments’ facility needs.

The overview: At the March 23 City Council meeting, city officials discussed which facilities should be prioritized. During the meeting, public safety officials identified several issues with their current facilities, including the fire and police departments.

“I do think that we're looking to improve fire and police, not just the facilities, but the staff,” Mayor Susan Sample said. “Whatever it is, at the moment, we do have a lot going on in West U, so I just think this is something that should be on the top of our minds.”

Stay tuned: After a lengthy discussion and the presentation of options to consider for new facility designs, City Council requested that the public safety department conduct a feasibility study to present to council at a later date.

Officials with the popular coffee chain opened the first location inside Houston's Inner Loop in 2025. Now, the chain is set to open its second location off of Richmond Avenue just slightly outside of Loop 610.

What we know: A project filing by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation shows that the new construction build will include building approximately 986 square feet for the quick-serve coffee drive-thru and walk-up model.

The $750,000 project is set to start construction at the end of 2026 and last through May 2027. However, details are subject to change.

On the menu: Dutch Bros Coffee serves various types of drinks, including coffee, cocoa, tea, lemonade and seasonal drinks, as well as Rebel energy drinks, chai tea and smoothies. The company also launched new food items at certain locations that include muffin tops, breakfast sandwiches, cake pops and bakery items.

• 5005 Richmond Ave., Houston

Four Houston ISD high schools and a prekindergarten program are one step closer to gaining more control over curriculum, hiring, assessments and calendars after the district’s board of managers approved a state-funded partnership initiative during a special meeting March 26.

The gist: During the March 26 meeting, HISD’s board of managers unanimously approved Senate Bill 1882 partnerships between five nonprofits, four high-performing high schools and a district pre-K program. The partnerships are slated to launch for the 2026-27 school year, but still need Texas Education Agency approval.

Quote of note: “We have several schools in this district who have earned the right to autonomy and with that, the opportunity to innovate,” HISD Superintendent Mike Miles said. “These partnerships will help our kids continue to thrive, and it will give our schools even more opportunity to change with the changing world.”

District C council member Abbie Kamin is hosting the district’s annual Rain Barrel Sale, which will provide up to 150 District C residents with an opportunity to purchase a rainwater harvesting barrel at a subsidized cost of $10.

The details: The sale is for District C residents only, and participants must register to buy one. The limit is one per household, and it must be picked up between 9 a.m. and noon April 18 in Meyerland. The pick-up location will be announced at a later date.

Once signed up, Kamin’s office will verify the address and check the stock of rain barrels. If a resident is selected to purchase one, they will receive an email that will link them to buy the rain barrel. It must be bought within five business days of receiving the link or the offer will expire.

Houston’s single-family rental homes saw an 6.8% increase in leased properties compared to last February, according to the Houston Association of Realtors’ February Rental Market Update released March 18.

By the numbers: Alongside the higher number of leased single-family homes, the average lease price declined by 0.6% compared to last year. The number of days on market for homes, however, increased, jumping to 50 days compared to 44 days last year, per the report.

What else: The townhome and condominium market saw some movement this past month as well. There were 569 properties listed, representing a 4.2% increase from the 546 units last February. The lease price also dropped by 3.6%, and the days on market increased to 56 days, up from 52 the previous February, per the report.

Need to catch up on Community Impact’s coverage from this week? Check out five trending stories in the Greater Houston area from March 23-27.

• 25-year old Seabrook Mexican restaurant reopened just six days after closing from strong community support

• A ‘face-lift’ for downtown: Montgomery commencing with downtown upgrades, new plans

• League City to consider rezoning land along League City Parkway from residential to commercial

• Houston to return historic Freedmen’s Town bricks to the neighborhood after restoration

• Conroe City Council ends executive contracts, approves nearly $1.85M in payouts