Conroe City Council members are set to discuss reinstating the city's Planning and Zoning Commission on Oct. 8 over a year after the commission was dissolved due to efficiency concerns.

The big picture: As previously reported, the city's Planning and Zoning Commission was dissolved in July 2025 after city officials said the body had become a "rubber stamp" step in the process. The commission primarily reviewed land plats and plans for compliance with city zoning and ordinances.

Agenda documents show the new commission will focus in planning and addressing any variance requests or needs from residents and commercial property owners.

What else?: Council members will also consider rescinding a resolution which reserved a portion of the Deison Technology Park for an "entertainment venue concept," legally releasing the property for future use.

Since January, council has also reserved land at the park for a potential senior center as well as making a bid for the U.S. Space Academy.

A filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation was recently submitted to begin the build-out for a new Grit & Grind Coffee shop location.

The scope: According to its website, Grit & Grind Coffee has opened over a dozen franchise locations across the country. The standard franchise location offers customers a wide variety of options, including:

• Coffee and espresso

• Cold brews

• Energy drink infusions

• Baked goods

• Breakfast foods

The hope is for each store to “create a welcoming and inclusive community that uplifts and inspires everyone we cross paths with,” per the website.

Conroe City Council approved $195,000 in arts and cultural grants alongside a $65,000 project to replace the Owen Theatre’s digital marquee signs Sept. 24. 

The details: The arts grants will support eligible organizations during the 2026-27 grant year, which begins Oct. 1. Administered by Visit Conroe, the program is funded through hotel occupancy tax revenue. The council awarded $210,000 through the program for FY 2025-26, according to prior reporting.

A closer look: Council also awarded AlphaGraphics of Conroe a $65,000 contract to replace both digital display boards on the Owen Theatre marquee with full-color LED signs.

The approved contract covers the LED displays, with replacement expected to take approximately five weeks once the contract and equipment arrangements are underway.

Mayor Duke Coon urged the city to continue maintaining the theater.

“Let’s commit to keep it up and running and make Conroe proud,” Coon said.

The average annual insurance premium for a Texas homeowner rose 79% in six years, from less than $2,000 in 2020 to more than $3,500 this year, Texas Insurance Commissioner Amanda Crawford told state lawmakers Oct. 5.

The overview: The rise in home insurance costs has been caused by severe weather, high inflationary costs impacting home repairs and "the concentration of risk" in the insurance market, Crawford said.

Experts said hardening homes against severe weather could help reduce expensive losses from disasters, resulting in lower insurance premiums.

Zooming in: Proponents of home-hardening incentives have pointed to their success in other Gulf Coast states, such as Alabama. Texas consumer advocacy groups and the insurance industry backed proposals to create a similar grant program last year, according to previous Community Impact reporting, but those measures did not pass.

"Resilience helps homeowners long before it shows up in an insurance bill because a stronger home holds up better when the storm comes," said Chelsea Stallings, a regional vice president for the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies.