Richardson is set to update its comprehensive zoning ordinance in order to allow for more efficient housing and business development in the city. Tina Firgens, Richardson’s director of development services, explained the limitations of the current comprehensive zoning ordinance, first adopted in 1956, and requested feedback from City Council members on ordinance updates at the Feb. 2 meeting.

The overview: The comprehensive zoning ordinance is a set of regulations related to land use and development standards that tells property owners what they can do with their land and how. Firgens said Richardson’s zoning ordinance is out of date with current market realities and doesn’t support the development that the city needs.

Some context: Firgens said the city relies on special permits, planned development districts and special development plans to allow development that is not covered in the ordinance—each of these special zoning changes requires overview and approval by City Council. “That tells us that our zoning ordinance is broken,” Firgens said.

Port of Subs, a sub sandwich chain headquartered in Nevada, is set to open a location on Renner Road in Plano, across from Methodist Richardson Medical Center, Suzy Murff, Stonewood Investments project leasing and sales representative said.

On the menu: The eatery’s menu features a variety of classic subs as well as signature hot subs including gourmet grilled cheese, meatball marinara, teriyaki chicken melt and more. Additional menu items include wraps, salads and breakfast sandwiches.

• 3411 Renner Road, Plano

Ellie's Café and Tea Room recently opened in High Street Antiques & Design in Plano, business owner Selwin Flores said.

The Chocolate Angel, which closed Jan. 23, was previously housed at this location.

On the menu: The new business serves a variety of salads, sandwiches, soups and desserts.

Some of the menu items that were on The Chocolate Angel menu, like chicken salad and broccoli salad, are also on Ellie’s Cafe and Tea Room menu but the recipes have been altered, Flores said.

Some new items have been added to the menu and have already proven popular choices including a Mediterranean quinoa bowl and a hamburger called The Flint.

• 800 Central Expressway, Plano

Stay updated on five road projects around Dallas-Fort Worth.

Collin County
1. Craig Road construction
Project: The project will construct a three-lane road from Preston Road to First Street.
Update: The project is in the design phase and expected to start construction later this summer.

• Timeline: summer 2026-winter 2027
• Cost: $5.09 million
• Funding source: town of Prosper

• Timeline: Work started the week of Feb. 2 and will take six weeks to complete.
• Cost: $182,995.5
• Funding source: city of Grapevine

In the upcoming March 3 primary elections, Texas voters will have the opportunity to nominate their chosen candidates for the November midterm election. From top state officials to county commissioners, primary elections shape who is ultimately elected to dozens of seats, driving the future direction of the Lone Star State.

Yet less than one-fifth of registered Texas voters participated in recent primary elections, data from the secretary of state’s office shows.

The big picture: March Matters, a group that works to get more Texans to the primary polls, found that 146 of Texas’ 150 state House races were effectively decided during the 2022 primaries, with just four competitive seats during that year’s midterm election.

Data also shows that primary voters tend to be older and represent the more extreme wings of their political parties.

What they're saying: "When primary voter turnout is so small, when only a fraction of voters are voting, your vote counts more,” said Mark Strama, who leads the Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life at the University of Texas.