Good Morning, Pearland, Friendswood & Manvel!

Top Story
Kroger, Target included in updated Presidio development

An updated proposal for the nearly 390-acre Presidio development in Manvel has removed its residential component to expand the detention area.

In case you missed it: The development, located east of Hwy. 288 along Hwy. 6, includes retail uses such as Target and Kroger, and potential medical facilities. The revised land use includes approximately:

  • 150 acres for commercial use

  • 50 acres for medical use

  • 5 acres for a Manvel Civic Site

Zooming in: The residential portion was removed after the detention plan was revised to use a gravity outfall instead of pumped detention, which increased the acreage needed for detention.

The discussion: City Manager Dan Johnson noted that while wastewater capacity is available, water capacity is low. Additionally, Mayor Dan Davis raised concerns about traffic volume, as a traffic impact analysis projected more than 52,000 daily vehicle trips before the residential component was removed.

 
In Your Area
Free community health screenings coming to Pearland

DaVita, in collaboration with Bridge of Life, the YMCA and local community partners, will host free health screenings at three Houston-area locations Sept. 24-26.

What you need to know: No appointment or insurance is required, and walk-ins are welcome. The free community event will offer preventive health services, including:

  • Kidney health screenings to assess risk for kidney disease

  • Blood sugar and blood pressure checks

  • Flu vaccines

  • Dental screenings

  • Food distribution

  • Free haircuts

 
Neighboring News
League City authorizes citizen-city-led committee to oversee Flock camera use

In August, League City City Council voted to put a question on the November ballot about whether the city should use Flock Safety automated license plate reader cameras.

Now, the city has authorized a Citizen Data Privacy Committee to consider public concerns and make recommendations for city policies regarding the cameras.

What residents should know: League City City Council voted unanimously at its Sept. 22 meeting to approve the first reading of an ordinance to create a citizen-led committee which would authorize and review results of an audit on the city’s use of the cameras.

Why it matters: Long said he felt the city was currently equipped to discipline clear misuse of the cameras and collected data by the police department, but investigating potential abuses of the data outside the city’s control, such as by Flock Safety.

Quote of note: “Frankly, I don’t know if we’re equipped to figure that out, but we’re going to give it a try,” Long said.

 

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FOODIE FRIDAY
Check out these new restaurants and bars opening across the Houston area.

H&H Bagels, one of New York City's most famous bagel brands, has opened its first Texas location in River Oaks.

The H&H Bagels website states the business has maintained its original recipe for over 50 years. Its bagels are proofed—letting the yeast dough rest and rise long enough to become light and puffy—kettle-boiled, then oven-baked. Bagels are baked on-site all day.

The menu will feature the company's signature items, including the classic bacon, egg and cheese and the Nova salmon with "the works." The shop will also offer its cream cheese spreads in flavors such as scallion, veggie and strawberry.

Read more

 

🍩 Donut Block & Cafe now open in Spring
(Read more)

🥟 La Placita now serving Bolivian-inspired cuisine in Sugar Land
(Read more)

🌮 Casa Nueva Mexican Grill and Bar now open in Spring
(Read more)

🍱 Nikubol opens 2nd Greater Houston location in Katy Asian Town
(Read more)

🍖 The Rusty Buckle to debut new restaurant in New Caney following 2023 fire
(Read more)

Affecting All Texans
Ending school property taxes for homeowners would cost Texas nearly $9B per year, officials say

Some Texas Republican leaders have vowed to get rid of the property taxes that homeowners pay to their local public school districts, and lawmakers are analyzing how much it would cost to do so.

The big picture: Texas school districts collect about $29 billion per year in maintenance and operations taxes, which cover schools' daily expenses.

Of that $29 billion in school tax revenue, the state comptroller's office estimates that about $8.6 billion is paid by homeowners, and the rest comes from commercial and industrial property taxes.

This means the state would need to spend at least $8.6 billion annually to zero out homeowners' school property tax bills, officials said.

Quote of note: "Broadly speaking, you have a question about how much you want to fund schools, and then separately, where does that money come from?" Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath said during a Sept. 15 legislative hearing. "If you have a target of how much you want to spend, you need to make sure you have enough variable revenue sources to reach that."

 

Your local team

Haley Velasco
Editor

 

Papar Faircloth
General Manager

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