Costco to build new store, gas station in Cypress along Grand Parkway
Costco plans to build a new superstore and gas station in Cypress, according to Sept. 5 filings with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. The exact address is unknown as of press time, but the TDLR filings show the store will be located off of the Grand Parkway.
The details: Construction of the 160,000-square-foot warehouse and 11,680-square-foot gas station are set to begin in March, with expected completion in November 2026, according to the architectural filings. In total, the privately-funded project is projected to cost approximately $67.8 million.
The Cheesecake Factory set to open mid-November in Cypress
The Cheesecake Factory officials confirmed via email the new location near the Houston Premium Outlets has plans to open on Nov. 18 and is looking to hire over 270 staff members.
On the menu: According to officials, the new location will feature a menu with over 250 selections prepared from scratch and over 30 cheesecake flavors. Menu items offered, per the website, include a variety of bowls, flatbreads, burgers, salads and pastas. Cheesecakes offered range from original to strawberry and red velvet.
The details: Per the email, the new location is hiring hospitality-minded individuals, including:
The background: Commissioners and department leaders have spent the last eight-plus months weighing how to offset at least $102 million in cuts and other savings surrounding the projected $2.95 billion FY 2025-26 budget. Factors impacting county department cuts in the budget process, according to the proposed budget document, included jail costs, indigent defense costs, health care costs and law enforcement contracts.
Items worth mentioning: The county clerk and administration offices will request discussion as part of a Texas law that allows for the creation of a salary grievance committee for elected officials. Several officials from elected offices went to Commissioners Court seeking higher pay in August, including judges within the county’s district courts and the county’s eight elected constables.
What to know: Most Texas school districts required to display donated Ten Commandments posters under state law
Most Texas public schools are required to display donated posters of the Ten Commandments in classrooms under Senate Bill 10, a state law that took effect Sept. 1.
The details: On Aug. 20, a Texas federal judge temporarily blocked the following 11 school districts from displaying the Ten Commandments:
Alamo Heights ISD
Austin ISD
Cy-Fair ISD
Dripping Springs ISD
Fort Bend ISD
Houston ISD
Lackland ISD
Lake Travis ISD
North East ISD
Northside ISD
Plano ISD
Attorney General Ken Paxton appealed the ruling and directed other school districts to begin displaying donated copies of the Ten Commandments.
The debate: Proponents of SB 10, including Paxton and Republican state lawmakers, have argued that seeing the Ten Commandments on a daily basis will help Texas students better understand U.S. history and learn about morality.
Some religious scholars have stressed the importance of teaching students about religion in an “appropriate educational context.” Democratic lawmakers have expressed concerns that non-Christian students will feel left out or be bullied by their peers for not following the Ten Commandments.
