Universal City accepted a 2.5-acre land donation for property at 3600 E. FM 1518 during a regular City Council meeting Dec. 16.

Some details: The vacant piece of land—designated for commercial use—was platted as part of the Orchard Park Subdivision. The property was conditionally removed from the floodplain through a Conditional Letter of Map Revision, or CLMOR, issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Significant grading issues to construct a buildable site make the property “financially unviable,” according to agenda documents, which is why the property owner had requested donating the land to the UCEDC. 

Since the land donation was approved, the UCEDC will now be responsible for attorney fees and property title insurance. The UCEDC is also responsible for the outstanding 2025 tax bill at closing, which is about $2,122. However, the UCEDC has plans to petition the tax assessor-collector for reimbursement of the taxes paid, agenda documents state.

This nationwide chain of 10-minute oil change centers has expanded into San Antonio, adding its first-ever location in the area.

The gist: Costa Oil opened a new location at 16514 Nacogdoches Road near Live Oak on Sept. 19, management staff at the business told Community Impact.

It’s the quick-lube chain’s fifth location in Texas and 70th overall in the United States, according to a news release.

“San Antonio represents exactly the type of market we believe in as we continue expanding the brand,” Brandon Cornelius, head of store development at Costa Oil, said in the release.

What are the options? Costa Oil focuses exclusively on oil changes, according to its website. Customers can choose from various oil packages and tune-up options.

Mechanics at each location complete an 18-point service checklist on each vehicle, which includes internal fluid checks, tire pressure monitoring and other systems requiring preventative maintenance.

• 16514 Nacogdoches Road, San Antonio

Updated: 8:57 p.m.
Votes have been counted for the Schertz City Council Special Election, which will now head to a runoff between John Carbon and Robert Sheridan.

The results are in: In the election to determine a new Place 7 council member, a total of 622 ballots were cast, according to the Guadalupe County Elections Office. Of those, 382 were early votes, 52 were absentee and 188 were on election day.

Carbon received the highest amount of votes in the election, followed by Sheridan, Tony Diaz, Kristy Barger and Dan Swart. Carbon received 172 votes, or 27.74%, followed by Sheridan with 165 votes or 26.61%. Diaz received 121 votes or 19.52%, Barger received 107 votes or 17.26% and Swart received 55 votes or 8.87%.

Northside ISD's changes to school lunch periods have been trending for two weeks, alongside business and restaurant updates. Check out five trending stories from Community Impact's coverage of the San Antonio Metro.

Shaping Schertz: New retail hub adding national favorites along I-35: In October, Panera Bread opened as the first tenant at Schertz Station, a 257,000-square-foot retail and dining hub that will feature a bevy of national chain restaurants and other shopping opportunities.

Locally owned Dos Gatos Kolache Bakery debuts in New Braunfels: Wanting to spread Czech cuisine with Texas flair in Central Texas, Dos Gatos Kolache Bakery Co-Owner Chase Katz said he had been eyeing expansion for the past couple of years.

What else? Northside ISD plans to close high school lunch periods as part of new safety measures in the 2026-27 school year.

Whataburger and Texas Roadhouse celebrated the grand opening of new locations in the San Antonio area. 

Community Impact compiled important holiday travel-related information, including what to know about traffic and airport activity, gas price data, and driver safety tips ahead of the year-end travel season, which runs Dec. 20-Jan. 1.

The overview: Texans should give themselves extra time to reach their destinations the weekend before Christmas, with many travelers expected to hit the road Dec. 21-22. Congestion is also expected as some Texans return home Dec. 26, according to INRIX, a transportation data company.

Minimal traffic is expected Dec. 24-25 and Dec. 31-Jan. 1, although AAA warned in a Dec. 10 news release that unexpected delays could arise from severe weather or crashes.

For the first time, more than 8 million people nationwide are expected to take domestic flights during the year-end holidays.

More information: Texas drivers will likely pay less for gas this holiday season than in recent years, AAA fuel data shows. On average, one gallon of unleaded gas costs about $2.51 in Texas as of Dec. 18, down from $2.65 one year prior.