The city of Fort Worth is competing with three states to land a Carrier Global Corporation manufacturing plant. 

During the Sept. 15 regular meeting, City Council approved an ordinance creating a tax abatement reinvestment zone and nominated the project for a Texas Enterprise Zone designation in an effort to lure the proposed $433.8 million project to Fort Worth.

The context: Carrier is a multinational company that manufactures heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC) and refrigeration systems, according to its website.

The city is offering a seven-year tax abatement of 60% on real property and business personal property, valued at $10.9 million, and will nominate the company for a $2.5 million Texas Enterprise Zone grant. 

The city would receive $7.3 million in net new taxes, according to the presentation. 

What else? The company would need to bring 495 jobs by Dec. 31, 2029, with a minimum average salary of $75,000. There will be $261.7 million in estimated additional payroll over the seven-year term, Brown said. 

If Carrier fails to meet minimum capital investment, full-time job commitment or minimum average annual salary, it could forfeit or default on the abatement.

Southern Soul & Co. has opened a brick-and-mortar location in Keller.

For the past two-and-a-half years, Kristen Loveless, her mother and her daughter have been behind the boutique that sells clothing, authentic turquoise jewelry, western-inspired accessories and home decor.

The details: Loveless said the store plans to carry unique products for all ages, from teenagers to adults. She said everything in the store, from decor to the products, is a reflection of the trio.

“We try to come up with just really unique stuff that you're not going to find anywhere else,” Loveless said. “It just has grown and seeing that people love our products is definitely giving us the motivation to continue doing what we're doing.”

The business grew so much that Loveless resigned after teaching for the past 10 years.

• 228 S. Main St., Ste. 100, Keller

As part of the Tarrant County fiscal year 2026-27 budget, county employees and police officers are set to get a raise.

The Tarrant County Commissioners Court approved the nearly $843.08 million FY 2026-27 budget and the tax rate of $0.186 per $100 valuation by a 3-2 vote with County Judge Tim O’Hare and commissioners Matt Krause and Manny Ramirez voting to approve. Commissioners Alisa Simmons and Roderick Miles Jr. voted against.

The details: The budget is broken into three funds: the general fund, the road and bridge fund and the debt service fund, according to county documents. Both revenues and expenditures in the FY 2026-27 budget are $843.08 million, representing a balanced budget. Expenditures and revenues both increased by $10.59 million.

Zooming in: The adopted rate for FY 2026-27 is $0.186 per $100 valuation, a decrease from $0.1862 per $100 valuation for FY 2025-26.

A senior housing development will be constructed along US 380 and Plano East High School is under renovation. Check out some of the latest construction filings with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

1. Lake Forest Senior Living in McKinney

A 222-unit senior living development will be constructed in McKinney, per a TDLR filing. The project will include three apartment buildings, with one building to have a clubhouse. The site is also planned to have four garage buildings. McKinney City Council approved a zoning request for the project at a meeting May 19, per previous reporting.

• Location: 4656 W. University Drive, McKinney

• Estimated timeline: March 1, 2027-Nov. 1, 2028

• Estimated cost: $63 million

2. Plano East Senior High School renovations

Two new 15,000 square-foot corridors will be under construction for Plano East Senior High School to connect renovated areas with the rest of the school, per a TDLR filing. The school received renovations funded by Plano ISD’s 2022 bond, according to previous reporting, which included two new gyms and heating, ventilation, air conditioning and restroom repairs.

• Location: 3000 Los Rios Blvd., Plano

• Estimated timeline: March 1, 2027-Jan. 1, 2028

• Estimated cost: $14.5 million

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality must stop issuing new permits for data centers, Gov. Greg Abbott said Sept. 21.

The overview: His order expands an existing pause on data center development in the state amid consistent public criticism of the booming industry. Abbott, who is running for a fourth term as governor, has recently moved to slow the growth of data centers after calling Texas “the epicenter of AI development" last year.

The context: Hundreds of proposed data centers are currently being audited by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which operates the state power grid.

Some developers may be able to get around the ERCOT pause by building in-house power infrastructure that is not connected to the grid, experts have said.

However, any construction project impacting at least 1 acre of land requires permits from TCEQ.

What they're saying: "As Texas faces increasing pressure on our water supplies and electric grid, we need to ensure that data centers operate efficiently and sustainably," said Luke Metzger, executive director of Environment Texas.