Representatives from 11 city departments presented project status updates to the Bellaire City Council during an Aug. 17 session.

These projects are roadmapped within Bellaire’s third quarter Strategic Plan for fiscal year 2025-26, in addition to being part of city officials’ larger vision spanning to fiscal year 2028, per agenda information.

The gist: Bellaire officials outlined five main focus areas for the city’s strategic plan back in April 2025, which were: community, governance, infrastructure and asset management, public safety and land use/zoning.

What you need to know: As of Aug. 17, the following projects have been completed within several of the departments:

• City Manager’s Office: Refresh of the city’s website and the creation of a public service announcement video series on the city’s YouTube channel

• Public Works: Implementation of a drainage maintenance plan and a street inspection/restriping program

Other departments also presented council with updates on ongoing projects. 

Copper Espresso Bar, located at 12925 Bellaire Blvd., celebrated its soft opening weekend beginning July 25, according to an official Instagram post.

The drink menu: Since opening, the shop’s speciality drink menu—ranging from lattes, cold brews, espressos, matcha, teas and pour-overs—has attracted clientele from all over Houston to the Bellaire Market District.

Copper Espresso Bar exclusively crafts its speciality lattes using premium roasted coffee beans from Onyx Coffee Lab, per its social media.

What's special about it: In addition to beverages, the coffee shop serves fluffy, New Orleans-style beignets daily, which are available until one hour before closing. The beignets are made fresh every day and are coated with powdered sugar, according to information posted on its social media.

Copper Espresso Bar also serves ice cream, filled danishes, croissants and other baked goods to accompany its drink line.

• 12925 Bellaire Blvd., Bldg. A, Houston

Houston rental property owners will now be required to provide operable air conditioning to renters.

What happened: During its Aug. 19 meeting, Houston City Council approved an ordinance that closes the loophole that used to allow property owners to use window screens as an exemption for providing air conditioning.

The new ordinance now requires A/C capable of maintaining an inside temperature 20 degrees lower than the outside temperature, or no higher than 80 degrees.

The debate: Council members Willie Davis and Twila Carter expressed concerns with the ordinance, saying that it could increase costs for residents. Davis said he is concerned it will lead to other issues for residents as well.

On the other hand, some council members spoke in support of the ordinance, with District C council member Joe Panzarella saying the ordinance is “asking for the bare minimum of livability in the city.”

Something to note: Enforcement will begin 90 days after Aug. 19.

George Bush Intercontinental Airport officials celebrated an Aug. 7 opening of several new Farmer’s Fridge kiosks throughout the airport, according to a post on the airport’s Facebook page.

The details: Officials noted the grab-and-go offerings include fresh sandwiches, wraps, salads and other seasonal surprises, according to the post.

Officials noted four kiosks are currently installed near gates A9, A27, D17 and the airport’s Car Rental Facility.

• 2800 N. Terminal Road, Houston

The Texas House State Affairs Committee heard from power grid officials; data center developers and industry representatives; local government officials; cybersecurity experts; and utility companies during an Aug. 19 hearing on the growth of data centers in the state. Dozens of Texas residents also testified about the impact of data centers in their communities.

The details: Pablo Vegas, CEO of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, said it will take the grid operator several months to audit about 200 gigawatts of data center proposals. ERCOT will request information from all large and medium-sized data centers that are expected to use at least 25 megawatts of electricity.

ERCOT and the Public Utility Commission were ordered on Aug. 3 to audit all data centers seeking to connect to Texas’ power grid. They anticipate completing that audit in late November or early December, Vegas said.