Gold Sponsors

Additional Sponsors

Over the course of 2025, multiple initiatives and governmental approvals have helped the progression of the Great Springs Project, which aims to connect 100 miles of trails lining four of Texas’ great springs between Austin and San Antonio.

The details: The goal is to have the trail connections completed by 2036, establishing the Texas Bicentennial Trail, promoting Texas' rich historical and cultural heritage and enhancing economic development and outdoor recreation, according to the Great Springs Project plan updated in September.

What’s happening? Through collaboration with our many partners, the Great Springs Project unifies and supports existing local efforts and catalyzes new efforts to address the most critical water, land, wildlife, and public health and equity challenges facing the Central Texas region.

Utilizing urban and rural paths, the connections will run through Barton Springs, San Marcos Springs, Comal Springs and San Antonio Springs, creating a trail network from the Alamo to the State Capitol.

Bara Ekhlayel said he has always been enamored with the café culture found throughout Europe.

“Especially the way cafés serve as gathering places, not just somewhere to eat,” Ekhlayel said in an email to Community Impact.

How we got here: In 2018, Ekhlayel said he put his entrepreneurial skills to the test by opening his own café called Crepeccino Cafe & Creperie in the Medical Center area of Northwest San Antonio.

“I wanted to bring that European café experience to San Antonio, but with a modern twist that felt welcoming and accessible to our community,” he said.

Then, in 2025, the success of Ekhlayel’s first brick-and-mortar eased into a second, larger location in Cibolo to serve residents of the Northeast San Antonio Metrocom area.

• 857 Cibolo Valley Drive, Ste. 208, Cibolo

A nationwide nonprofit organization geared toward community literacy continues to expand, adding a new library in the Northeast San Antonio Metrocom.

In case you missed it: A new Little Free Library, or LFL—led by local resident and volunteer Michelle Espinosa—officially opened on Jan. 11.

The book-sharing box is free and open to the public 24/7 and is located at 514 Aviation Ave. in Schertz, according to LFL’s locator map.

Little Free Library is a nonprofit based in St. Paul, Minnesota, focused on building community and literacy through access to books, according to their website.

Through the program, stewards can volunteer to create book-sharing boxes within their neighborhood or community that contain free books. Residents are encouraged to donate their own or swap a book out when taking one to read for themselves.

• 514 Aviation Ave., Schertz

In a move to take the Sports and Entertainment District from a vision to a reality, the San Antonio City Council voted unanimously on Jan. 15 to authorize the city manager to execute a $30 million private acquisition and escrow agreement between the city, the San Antonio Spurs Holdings, LLC and Chicago Title, who will act as the escrow agent for the federal government.

In a nutshell: According to city documents, the city is making an offer to purchase three properties owned by the federal government, including the final federal office building within Hemisfair Park and two parking lots across Cesar Chavez Boulevard. Prior to authorizing the acquisition, the city contracted Valbridge to appraise the properties to determine fair market value, resulting in an appraised value of $29.95 million for all three properties.

Stay tuned: The federal government is estimated to make a decision on the city’s offer within 90-120 days.

From the opening of new stores in Selma to the closing of a New Braunfels gift shop, check out these top stories for the week of Jan. 12-16.

• 2 retailers coming soon to The Forum at Olympia Parkway in Selma: Sierra and HomeGoods have plans to open in Selma this year.
• New coffee and taco spot set to open in New Braunfels: Lulu's Coffee y Tacos is anticipated to open this spring.
• New Braunfels City Council moves rezoning request forward for proposed boutique hotel near Gruene: New Braunfels City Council approved the first reading of a zoning change for nearly 6 acres.
• Boerne ISD hosts drone demonstration to respond to campus intruders: Boerne ISD is exploring improvements to school security and hosted a live demonstration Jan. 9 of a drone system.
• Local gift shop set to close soon near downtown New Braunfels: A locally owned antique and gift shop is shutting down after being open in New Braunfels for over 10 years.

Five Republican candidates are running for a six-year term on the Texas Railroad Commission in the upcoming March 3 primary election.

The big picture: Katherine Culbert, Hawk Dunlap, Bo French, James "Jim" Matlock and Jim Wright are vying for the Republican nomination for a seat on the railroad commission. The winning Republican candidate will face Jon Rosenthal in November, and the winner of that election will begin serving on the commission in January 2027.

Rosenthal, a state representative and oilfield mechanical engineer, is running uncontested in the Democratic primary. Community Impact runs candidate Q&As for contested races only.

The context: The railroad commission regulates Texas’ oil and gas industry, according to its website, while the state's railroads are under the control of the Texas Department of Transportation and the federal government.