Denton City Council members directed city staff to begin design on a new permanent fire station in the Landmark master-planned community that will serve Landmark and Robson Ranch at a Feb. 3 council work session.

The gist: The new facility, Fire Station 10, will improve the fire department’s response time to Robson Ranch, Denton Fire Chief Kenneth Hedges said.

A report from Hedges showed that the Denton Fire Department has an average response time to Robson Ranch of about nine minutes from Fire Station 7, the closest station to Robson Ranch. The fire department aims for a response time of four minutes, Hedges said. Currently, Fire Station 7 is unable to make it to Robson Ranch Road within four minutes.

By the numbers: The station’s design phase will cost roughly $800,000, and the total project cost will reach about $12.3 million, Hedges said.

Looking ahead: The city would need to issue bonds to finance the $12.3 million permanent fire station, which would incur about $950,000 in annual debt service over 20 years.

The Linda McNatt Animal Care & Adoption Center, the city of Denton’s animal shelter, will start a $14.5 million expansion project at the end of April, city officials confirmed.

What’s happening: The shelter is expanding at its current location to meet the rising demand for animal care in Denton. According to the city’s website, the shelter is expected to grow 38% by 2030, prompting the need for expansion.

The expansion project includes:

• Replacement of the facility’s heating and cooling systems
• Larger dog adoption and stray holding areas
• New dog isolation and quarantine spaces to help prevent disease
• Relocation of the facility's veterinary services
• Updated animal housing rooms
• Updated exercise yards

Last week, McKinney City Council approved another step toward building an affordable apartment community. Meanwhile, Richardson ISD is moving forward with an $86 million Career and Technical Education facility.

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Richardson ISD to grow CTE offerings with new $86M facility

Northwest ISD officials announced Feb. 2 that the district will have limited open enrollment to students who live outside of district boundaries for the 2026-27 school year.

The details: The program is limited to campuses with space available to bring in new students, according to the district release. The following aspects are part of the NISD limited open enrollment program:

• Students accepted to a Northwest ISD school must meet academic, attendance and behavioral standards.
• Students accepted into the program are considered NISD students and will have access to the same academic and extra-curricular offerings.
• District academies are excluded from this program since they are considered separate programs.

Texas gained more new residents last year than any other U.S. state, recently released U.S. Census Bureau data shows. Yet the Lone Star State’s overall population growth slowed significantly amid a nationwide reduction in immigration from other countries.

The big picture: Texas grew by 391,243 residents in 2025, bringing the state’s total population to 31.7 million. This includes:

• Domestic migration: Over 67,000 people moved to Texas from other states.
• International migration: Over 167,000 people moved to Texas from other countries.
• Natural change: There were roughly 157,000 more births than deaths in Texas.