Bay Area Edition | May 2025

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Bay Area Edition VOLUME 7, ISSUE 10 MAY 17JUNE 17, 2025

INSIDE

West side story League City moves forward with new master plan for 5.5k acres of undeveloped land

BY JAMES T. NORMAN

League City’s western area

FRIENDSWOOD PKWY.

528

LEAGUE CITY PKWY.

517

League City City Council could vote on a new west side master plan in May. The plan will create a template that ocials will use to help guide future development in the area. (Jamaal Ellis/Community Impact)

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Clear Lake - Bay Area Blvd. 1060 Bay Area Boulevard Houston, TX 77058

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League City West Main 2204 West Main League City, TX 77573

South Shore 2460 Marina Bay Drive League City, TX 77573

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COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM

Owners John and Jennifer Garrett launched Community Impact in 2005, and the company is still locally owned today with editions across Texas. Our mission is to provide trusted news and local information that everyone gets. Our vision is to build communities of informed citizens and thriving businesses through the collaboration of a passionate team. Our purpose is to be a light for our readers, customers, partners and each other by living out our core values of Faith, Passion, Quality, Innovation and Integrity. About Community Impact

Market leaders & metro team

Reporters Jovanna Aguilar Asia Armour Angela Bonilla Melissa Enaje Valeria Escobar Wesley Gardner Rachel Leland Emily Lincke Nichaela Shaheen Jessica Shorten Julianna Washburn Graphic Designers Richard Galvan Ellen Jackson Matt Mills Haley Velasco Aubrey Vogel Kevin Vu

Papar Faircloth General Manager pfaircloth@ communityimpact.com

Martha Risinger Jesus Verastegui Taylor White Ronald Winters Account Executive Anita Orellana Senior Managing Editor Matt Stephens Senior Product Manager Kaitlin Schmidt Quality Desk Editor Sierra Rozen

James T. Norman Editor jnorman@ communityimpact.com

Jason Culpepper Houston Market President jculpepper@ communityimpact.com

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Impacts

design through either appointments or walk-ins. • Opening in late May or June • 156 W. Bay Area Blvd., Webster • Facebook: Lia”s Nails Lounge Webster 9 Magnolia Living The 55-and-up community will offer one- and two- bedroom units, as well as various amenities, including a fitness center, a beauty salon, a game room and a movie theater with stadium seating and surround sound. • Opening in July 10 Medical and retail space The 25,000-square-foot development will offer spots for orthopedic, physical therapy, a pharmacist and medical supply businesses. • Opening in July • 1320 W. League City Parkway, League City 11 Volvo Cars Clear Lake The business will sell Volvo vehicles, as well as provide services for oil changes, tire rotations, transmission exchanges and inspections, among other services. • Opening late 2025 • 17970 Gulf Freeway, Friendswood • www.volvocarsclearlake.com • 540 Hobbs Road, League City • www.themagnolialiving.com

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MAIN ST.

UPPER BAY RD.

CLEAR LAKE

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GALVESTON BAY

BAYBROOK MALL DR.

Nassau Bay

518

528

SOUTH SHORE BLVD.

Webster

646

W. WALKER ST.

HOBBS RD.

League City

517

What’s next

12 Keke’s Breakfast Cafe Filings for the business were submitted in April to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. The eatery has locations in a couple states and offers a variety of breakfast foods, served all day, as well as lunch and beverages. The business’s buildout is set to

dishes, breakfast sandwiches and eggs Benedict, among other menu items. • Opened April 7 • 1065 W. Bay Area Blvd., Ste. 170, Webster • www.hashkitchen.com 5 The Learning Experience The business offers day care and preschool services from ages six weeks to five years. • Opened April 14 • 16216 Moonrock Drive, Houston • https://thelearningexperience.com/centers/clear-lake 6 The Vibe League City The lounge offers food and live music. It also offers brunch every Sunday, as well as various drinks. Grand • Opened May 17 • 3202 Marina Bay Drive, Ste. H, Kemah • Facebook: The Vibe League City 7 Courtside Fitness The facility will offer both adult and youth fitness, two basketball courts, a cycling studio, a cafe, cryotherapy for recovery and a day care drop-off center. • Opened May 10 • 386 S. Egret Bay Blvd., League City • www.courtsidefitness.com

Now open

1 MyFitFoods The business specializes in meal prepping and offers customers various options for meals they can order along with meal plans. Many of the dishes are aimed at

begin in July and wrap up in November. • 140 El Dorado Blvd. Ste. 300, Webster • www.kekes.com

high protein diets. • Opened March 2 • 1065 W. Bay Area Blvd., Ste. 120, Webster • www.myfitfoods.com

Relocations

2 Opulent Salon Suites Co. The business provides fully equipped, customizable suites for professionals in the beauty industry. The facility is designed to support a range of services, including hair styling, skin care, and wellness treatments. • Opened March 15 3 Batteries Plus The business sells batteries for vehicles, generators, electronics, boats and wheelchairs, among other items. The store also offers device repair services for phones, tablets and computers, among other electronics. • Opened March 17 • 599 W. Bay Area Blvd., Webster • www.batteriesplus.com • 3101 NASA Parkway, Ste. B, Seabrook • Facebook: Opulent Salon Suites Co. 4 Hash Kitchen The restaurant serves pancakes, souffle cakes, salads, French toast, waffles, chilaquiles, hash brown-focused

13 Alspaugh’s Boutique ‘By KellyAnnette Previously, the boutique was located at 2100 NASA Parkway, Ste. 201, Seabrook, for more than two years. It offers a number of home goods, including clothing, purses, candles, seasonings, art and other decorations, as well as hunting and fishing licenses. • Relocated mid-April • 1409 Main St., Seabrook • www.alspaughsboutiquebykellyannette.com

In the news

14 Chair King Backyard Store The business celebrated its first anniversary on March 28 after relocating to a new Webster location. The store sells outdoor furniture like daybeds, sofas, dining sets,

fire pits and garden accessories. • 1255 W. Bay Area Blvd., Webster • www.chairking.com

Coming soon

8 Lia”s Nails Lounge Webster The nail salon will offer elevated nail care and bespoke

COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM

BY COMMUNITY IMPACT STAFF

15 League City The city was designated as a Music Friendly Texas certified community in April. It is the 80th community in Texas to receive such a designation and the ninth in the Greater Houston and Galveston area. • 300 W. Walker St., League City • www.leaguecitytx.gov 16 St. Thomas the Apostle Episcopal Church The church launched a new respite program to provide weekly relief for caretakers of dementia patients in the Bay Area. Services include volunteers and a spot for those with dementia to play games and socialize with other patients. • 18300 Upper Bay Road, Nassau Bay • www.sttaec.org/respite 17 Hawaii Fluid Art New ownership took over the location in early March and held a grand opening in May. The business offers art classes and opportunities to use the paint-pouring technique known as fluid art. Patrons also have access to resin, mosaics and glass paintings, among other services. • 2945 Gulf Freeway S., Ste. E, League City • www.hawaiifluidart.com

Worth the trip

Now open

Lagoon Development Company A development north of FM 1488 in Magnolia will bring a lagoon with water and beaches to the Greater Houston area. The $30 million investment, similar to Lago Mar in Texas City, will include a swim-up bar, floating obstacle course, food trucks and paddle boarding. The first phase is anticipated to wrap up in May 2026, although no date

has been provided for opening. • www.lagoondevelopment.com

Closings

19 Kroger Officials did not disclose the reason for the Dickinson location closing. The store is a national grocery chain that sells produce, meat, seafood, deli and baked items, among other items and services. • Closing June 10 • 3410 Gulf Freeway, Dickinson • www.thekrogerco.com

18 Angry Chickz The restaurant chain is known for its signature blend of customizable spice and heat levels for its Nashville hot chicken tenders. Menu items also include hot chicken sliders; loaded bowls with chicken, rice, fries and other additions; mac and cheese and cole slaw. • Opened April 25 • 18207 Egret Bay Blvd., Houston • www.angrychickz.com

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BAY AREA EDITION

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Government

BY RACHEL LELAND

League City approves nearly $1.5M in projects Several capital improvement projects in League City will move forward, including projects that will ease traffic congestion, upgrade utilities and improve stormwater drainage. What happened League City City Council unanimously approved several infrastructure projects at its April 22 meeting, including expanded water infrastructure on FM 518 and drainage improvements in the Bay Colony area. The projects, which total more than $1.5 million in cost, include: 1 Landing Lift Station improvements: A $180,380 project to Lubbock-based Oller Engineer- ing is for the design, bid and construction phase for rehabilitation of the lift station. 2 Water line upgrades: A $119,186 project to Dickinson-based Branch Construction Group will repair an existing 12-inch water line bridge

League City City Council voted April 8 to postpone voting on awarding a $1.5 million bid to build a kayak launch on Kansas Avenue that accesses Clear Creek. As part of the postponement, officials asked the contractor to provide a more detailed breakdown of the cost. Council member Chad Tressler asked City Council to postpone a vote on the item until May 27. The details The project is part of the broader Clear Creek Connections Paddle Trail expansion, which aims to extend the trail by adding two kayak launches at the terminus of North Kansas Avenue and one within the Dudney Clear Creek Nature Center, according to agenda documents from the city. City postpones vote on kayak launch

GALVESTON BAY

MARINA BAY DR.

SOUTH SHORE BLVD.

646

146

CLEAR CREEK

646

LEAGUE CITY PKWY.

crossing on Enterprise Avenue. 3 Kilgore-Davis Tract Trail Project: A

$464,867 contract to Oller Engineering for design, bid and construction services is for environmental services for 28 acres of parkland at the Kilgore-Da- vis Tract Trail, located at the end of Kansas Avenue along Clear Creek. 4 Bay Ridge Flood Reduction Phase 4 Proj- ect: A $788,348 project with Houston-based LJA Engineering will go toward this project, which is aimed at reducing the flood potential and overflow of a 500-year storm through culverts and ditch improvements.

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BAY AREA EDITION

Education

BY COMMUNITY IMPACT STAFF

Clear Creek ISD scored a “B” for the 2022-23 school year with 83 out of 100 possible points in the Texas Education Agency’s 2022-23 accountability ratings for school districts statewide. The ratings were released April 24 after a delay due to lawsuits, TEA officials said. The announcement follows an April 3 ruling by Texas’ 15th Court of Appeals, which overturned a lower court’s injunction that had blocked the 2023 ratings for over a year. In August 2023, over 100 Texas school districts sued TEA Commissioner Mike Morath, arguing the agency’s revamped accountability system was “unlawful” and would unfairly harm school districts. According to the TEA, 11% of all districts earned an “A” rating, while 40% earned a “B.” About 32% received a “C,” 14% earned a “D” and 3% earned an “F.” Clear Creek ISD earns ‘B’ rating for 2022-23 CCISD accountability ratings Since the A-F system launched in 2017-18, CCISD has only received three official ratings due to three years of State of Disaster declarations. 2017-18: Not rated due to Hurricane Harvey 2018-19: B (89) 2019-20: Not rated due to the COVID-19 pandemic 2020-21: Not rated due to the COVID-19 pandemic

In a nutshell

2022-23 ratings were “updated to more accurately reflect performance.” CCISD was not one of the districts involved in the lawsuit. In an April 24 press release, officials noted the district saw an 18% increase in the number of distinctions received—from 62 to 76. Distinctions acknowledge districts and campuses for outstanding achievement based on several indicators. “Clear Creek ISD remains committed to provid- ing each student with a world-class education in a safe learning environment,” CCISD Superinten- dent Karen Engle said in the release. “CCISD was recently named the second-best place to teach in Houston and a top performing school district by Educational Results Partnership, among other accolades. We will continue to strive for educa- tional excellence within our schools while using data to guide our improvement efforts.”

The state’s A-F accountability system was designed to measure whether students are ready for the next grade level and how well each district prepares them for success after high school, Community Impact previously reported. “For far too long, families, educators and com- munities have been denied access to information about the performance of their schools, thanks to frivolous lawsuits paid for by tax dollars filed by those who disagreed with the statutory goal of raising career readiness expectations to help students,” Morath said in an April 24 news release. Texas school districts last received ratings through the A-F system for the 2021-22 school year, when about one-third of districts statewide earned an “A” rating for 2021-22, and slightly more than half earned a “B,” according to prior reporting. TEA officials said the methods of calculating

The breakdown

were elementary, three were junior high and two were high school, ratings show. No campus received a “D” or an “F,” according to the data.

Of CCISD’s 47 campuses, just 44 were included in the ratings. CCISD’s alternative and disciplinary schools were not listed with grades. Of its eight campuses that received a “C,” three

District snapshot, 2022-23

CCISD ISD ratings by campus, 2022-23 A: 9 B: 27 C: 8

47 campuses within district 40,469 students enrolled 37.2% economically disadvantaged 13.7% in special education

13.2% emergent bilingual 93% average attendance rate

21.3% missed 10% or more of the school year 16 students per teacher

2021-22: B (89) 2022-23: B (83)

SOURCE: TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY/ COMMUNITY IMPACT NOTE: CHART INCLUDES ONLY CCISD CAMPUSES THAT RECEIVED RATINGS

SOURCE: TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY/COMMUNITY IMPACT

What’s next

with the highest degree of transparency to deliver the best outcomes that we can for our kids,” Morath said April 22.

“A-F ratings are very public, and so that is a leadership challenge that our leaders bear, but this is the cross that we bear for being publicly funded and having the public’s children in our schools. It’s up to us to operate

The TEA remains blocked from issuing ratings for the 2023-24 school year due to a separate lawsuit, which is pending in the state appeals court. Morath also said the TEA intends to release ratings for 2024-25 on Aug. 15.

COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM

Education

BY HALEY VELASCO

50 new CCISD staff members added for 2025-26 school year

CCISD adjusts rules, policy related to AI More requirements related to artificial intelligence are making their way into the school code at Clear Creek ISD after the board of trustees approved revisions to a pair of policies at its April 14 meeting. What’s happening? The district’s revisions to the two policies include: • Employees and students are allowed to explore and implement AI. • Students are only allowed to use AI with a teacher’s permission. • Using AI to complete an assignment in part or whole without teacher approval is considered academic dishonesty. • Teachers can use AI detection tools approved by CCISD to prove cheating.

New staff at CCISD

1 instructional coach at Ed White and Walter Hall elementary schools 0.5 teacher position for the choir program at Clear Creek High School 0.5 teacher position for the band program at Westbrook Intermediate 1 teacher for the new culinary arts program at Clear Lake High School 0.5 teacher position for the robotics and coding coursework at Space Center Intermediate 0.5 teacher position for advanced academics at Walter Hall Elementary 12 teachers, 34 paraprofessionals for special education services

Clear Creek ISD’s board of trustees at its April 14 meeting approved nearly $2.5 million in addi- tional staff for the 2025-26 school year, including 16 additional teachers and 34 paraprofessionals. The overview A large bulk of additional teachers and all additional paraprofessionals will be used for the district’s special education department, Robert Branch, CCISD’s assistant superintendent of human resources, said at the meeting. This includes programs such as dyslexia, alternative academics and the early childhood special education program, Branch said. Other positions approved include an elemen- tary instructional coach as well as visual, per- forming arts, career and technology education

NOTE: POSITIONS LABELED AS 0.5 INDICATE HALF OF A FULL-TIME POSITION.

SOURCE: CLEAR CREEK ISD /COMMUNITY IMPACT

teachers, including a new culinary arts teacher, according to district agenda documents.

Clear Creek ISD approves over $12.5M in contracts

CCISD’s recent contract, vendor purchases $5.2M for commercial property insurance $2.1M for special education, studio live production, identity management supplies and support

Vendor purchases are for restaurant equipment for the new culinary arts program at the Learner Support Center, cybersecurity and identification card services for students, among other items. A large bulk of contract and vendor purchases will be made through the 2023 bond, general, capital and federal funds, according to district agenda documents.

Clear Creek ISD’s board of trustees approved over $8.5 million in contract renewals and increases, as well as an additional $4 million with multiple vendors at its April 14 meeting. The gist Updated contract agreements are for special education equipment, security camera upgrades and wholesale supplies, among other items.

$1.2M for cybersecurity technology $1.8M for culinary arts equipment and identity card supplies

$1.2M for multicampus security camera upgrades

Total $12.5M

$1M for maintenance of playgrounds

SOURCE: CLEAR CREEK ISD/COMMUNITY IMPACT

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BAY AREA EDITION

West side story From the cover

The overview

League City’s undeveloped western area

Single-family residential

Mixed-use

Civic

Flex

Open spaces/parks Commercial

Planned roads

Industrial

Drainage/Detention

League City is close to formalizing a new master plan for its undeveloped west side. The plan, built by Houston-based LJA Engineering following a $175,000 contract approval in March 2024, has been in the works for around a year and has involved meetings with city officials and stakeholders to assess the city’s needs. In total, the undeveloped west side contains around 5,500 acres of land—roughly 4,300 of which is owned by a handful of developers, Director of Planning Kris Carpenter said. However, much of that owned land remains without a set plan, Executive Director of Development Services Christopher Sims said. As a result, city staff are calling for a bevy of options from commercial and mixed-use developments, as well as natural features and park space. The final plan, which will need two separate approvals by City Council in May, comes at a time when the city’s population is projected to increase by nearly 40% from 2020-2030. More growth could happen due to state plans to extend Grand Parkway through the city in 2027, per city and state documents.

528

E. BAY AREA BLVD.

Boundary of plan

MAGNOLIA BAYOU

MC FARLAND RD.

517

SOURCE: LEAGUE CITY/COMMUNITY IMPACT

Assessing the needs

Land usage of west side broken down

Land usage by acre

Type of land

Residential: 35.38% Residential 1

1,954.4

The new plan calls for a variety of features, including new districts that help create what Carpenter called “a sense of place” on the west side, as well new road networks, drainage features and a higher portion of land for commercial and industrial businesses, according to the plan’s breakdown. Within the plan are four new districts, according to city documents. They include: • The Gateway, which will welcome visitors with mixed properties, signage and artistic elements. • The Preserve , which will include parks and open spaces. • The Groves , which will highlight trees in the area and include different types of land. • The Quarry, which will include ponds, greenways, a new park and water-based activities. Meanwhile, investment in infrastructure will be key, as the city’s fiscal year 2025-2029 Capital Improvement Plan includes $785 million in investments citywide for the city’s streets, drainage, parks, water and municipal buildings, according to the plan.

Lakes/Detention

1,080.4

Constraints: 32.04%

Roadways Drainage Commercial Mixed-use

362.9 326.8 436.4 560.5

Total acres 5,524.7

5 6 7 8

Commercial/industrial 20.14%

Industrial

62.6 52.9

Flex

Parks

444.1 161.3

9 10 11

Community elements 12.45%

Open space

SOURCE: LEAGUE CITY/COMMUNITY IMPACT

Civics

82.4

land will go to commercial use. Sims said the city looked at how to incorporate more commercial land into the area to help take the tax burden off residents. He said much of that land will be concentrated along Grand Parkway, which acts as a natural spot to draw in business.

Expanding the city’s water and wastewater capac- ities to keep up with the anticipated 6.5 million gallons of water per day needed for the west side are part of the plan too, documents show. A higher portion of land will also go to commer- cial use, Carpenter and Sims said. Land for open space, roads and detention totals around 45% of the land. More than one-third of that remaining 55% of

COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM

BY JAMES T. NORMAN

The approach

What they’re saying

Developers were included in the planning process, Sims said. Hillwood Communities Vice President Brian Gates, whose company is building out the Legacy development on the west side, said he played an “active role” in the plan’s development. He said among several goals, one was to focus on balancing the west side while “preserving the unique character of the area.” Among the topics of focus, Gates said he felt the city needed to prioritize its infra- structure investments and balancing its land usage on the west side. Legacy will include more than 1,600 homes on the west side and take seven to nine years to build out, Gates said.

On the already-developed east side, much of the city's planning dates back to 1999, when the city’s first zoning was approved, Carpenter said. Over time, however, standards for items such as drainage, as well as the infrastructure needs, were changing rapidly due to how fast the city grew. “I think on the west side we’re trying to be more proactive and establish good corridors, right-of-way width,” Sims said.

The west side’s population starting in 2030 is expected to more than double by 2060, according to city data. The total number of households and employment numbers will roughly triple in that time as well. As a result, city officials are looking at meeting the needs of the new area—and learning from the hangups that came with developing the city’s east side, Sims said.

Projected League City population League City total population

West side

18.06% projected increase over the next +30 years

188,609

183,509

173,067

159,756

131% projected increase over the next +30 years

37,080

33,103

25,414

16,052

Looking ahead

SOURCE: LEAGUE CITY/ COMMUNITY IMPACT

2040

2060

2050

2030

Sims and Carpenter said the plan could go in front of City Council on May 13 and May 27, as the plan will need two separate approvals before becoming official. Once approved, the plan will act as a guide toward future development— as opposed to the city rezoning and making adjustments to match what the plan calls for. Currently, the entire west side is zoned for residential. “When they [developers] come in and buy [land], negotiations with city staff starts at everything being residential,” Sims said. “Whereas once this plan is adopted, those negotiations start at what we’re showing [in the plan].” As a result, little action is expected in the immediate future related to the plan itself, Sims said, adding that next steps for upgrades will be more “developer driven.” The exception to this will be some small updates across other established master plans to match the new west side plan given slight changes made as a result of the new plan. Those include the city’s transportation master plan and parks master plan.

League City resident survey for west side

Public input

Residents were asked to rank their preferences based on importance, with the higher score out of eight total points indicating the most important preference for residents.

Across two surveys, a town hall and survey comments, the city received roughly 2,000 total responses from residents. Those results showed parks and green space, detention and traffic, housing and mixed-use land were among the top priorities for residents. Residents were also provided two overarching options of planning, documents show. One was a more traditional build-out—emphasizing detention for each parcel with commercial land built in. The second option, titled Option B, received about 64% of the vote from residents and calls for using land throughout the area in multiple ways. This would see parks and multiuse devel- opments used to meet needs such as drainage, Carpenter said. The hope is for this approach to help make the quick growth more sustainable in the decades ahead. “Ultimately, Option B provides a vision for a well-balanced, integrated development approach that prioritizes both economic growth and quality of life,” a passage from the plan reads.

Parks 7.54 Open green space 7.44 Detention 6.07 Single-family residential 5.05 Civic opportunities 4.8 Mixed-use 4.69 Commercial opportunities 4.27 Multifamily 2.5 Industrial 1.66

In a separate survey, residents were asked their thoughts on specific topics and additions to the west side.

59% had interest in more shopping opportunities 72% had interest in more entertainment opportunities

69% had interest in more employment opportunities 65% had interest in more retail and restaurant options

SOURCE: LEAGUE CITY/COMMUNITY IMPACT

BAY AREA EDITION

Transportation

Development

BY RACHEL LELAND & JAMES T. NORMAN

BY JAMES T. NORMAN

A new community totaling more than 1,000 acres is coming to the Bay Area off I-45. The development, titled Midline, is from Brookfield Residential and CDC Houston, Inc. and will include 2,800 single-family homes, according to a news release from Brookfield. Located west of I-45 South between El Dorado Boulevard and Grissom Road, the development will sit between Baybrook Mall and Challenger 7 Memorial Park, according to maps provided by Brookfield. Officials said amenities will include: • The Midline club, which will feature an indoor fitness center, event space and community room • Swimming pools and water attractions • Parks and a walking trail throughout 2K homes coming to Baybrook area

League City Parkway to get new right turn lane League City Parkway will soon have a new eastbound right turn lane from Butler Road to Calder Drive. What you need to know League City City Council at its April 22 meeting awarded a $1.41 million contract to Houston-based Teamwork Construction Services, Inc. to build an eastbound right turn lane. The lane will run a little west of Butler Road to the east of Calder Drive, city diagrams show. Adding to that, City Council also approved roughly $158,000 in work changes and a contract for materials testing, which will bring the project’s total cost to around $1.57 million, according to city agenda documents. The project is part of the city’s capital improve- ment plan and is partially funded by the 2018 Galveston County bond program.

City activates new traffic signals

Looking ahead

Future residential New commercial

Parks & open space

Future road

Construction on the model homes and inventory homes should begin by the end of the year or in early 2026, with the first homes slated to be completed in the second quarter of 2026, officials said April 22. As part of the development, Brookside will extend Beamer Road and Fife Lane, officials said. A grand opening event for the development’s model homes and its welcome center is expected to come in the first half of 2026, according to the release. The Midline Club could open in 2027. The first phase of the project will include 271 homes across six collections, according to the release. The first homebuilders as well as the projected prices for those homes will be announced in the summer.

Baybrook Mall

LEAGUE CITY PKWY.

League City in partnership with the Texas Department of Transportation has activated several new traffic signals throughout the city, according to a League City news release. Long story short Officials said the new signals are mounted on poles, making them sturdier in the case of a weather event, as opposed to being attached to wires that dangle over the road.

East bound right lane turn

CALDER DR.

Welcome center

The details The project is part of a broader effort to provide a continuous eastbound lane from Hobbs Road to I-45, according to agenda documents. Along with adding a new turn lane, work will include intersection and sidewalk improvements, among other objectives, according to the city’s bidding notice for the project. Next steps Construction will begin within 10 days after the notice to proceed is issued, according to agenda documents. Once issued, work is expected to take 180 calendar days to complete.

The Midline club

528

2,800 homes 40-70 feet wide for homesites 3 parks 14 miles of trail

W. BAY AREA BLVD.

E. WALKER ST.

646

SOURCE: BROOKFIELD RESIDENTIAL/COMMUNITY IMPACT

LEAGUE CITY PKWY.

BAY AREA 1033 Bay Area Blvd (281) 486-9558 LEAGUE CITY

KEMAH 243 FM 2094 (281) 538-9095 SEABROOK 3126 Nasa Pkwy (281) 326-5127

196 Gulf Fwy S (281) 316-2140

Business

BY HALEY VELASCO

With a wall of jeans, Lee said her and her sta help people nd the style of jean that ts their wardrobe.

Many of the vendors for Moxie District 31 are local, which allows the boutique to oer goods such as local jewelry.

PHOTOS COURTESY MOXIE DISTRICT 31

Moxie District 31 helps craft style in Bay Area Moxie District 31 was just an idea for owner Abbey Lee in August 2017—right before Hurricane Harvey struck the Greater Houston area and destroyed her home.

The big picture From dresses and jumpsuits to wedges and sneakers, Moxie District 31 oers an assortment of items for women—especially in denim, Lee said. Known as the “Jean Queens,” Lee said customers often come in in hopes of nding a new pair of jeans, whether it’s denim straight leg, wide leg, relaxed t, bootcut, crop or are. “We have a whole wall full of jeans, lots of dier- ent styles, lots of dierent sizes,” Lee said. Lee said she also strives to seek new vendors every chance she can, especially local vendors. Currently, Lee oers local jewelry, as well as candles and body scents, she said.

Lee said she wants people to feel welcomed and invited.

The plans, as a result, came to a halt, she said. Nevertheless, Lee continued to launch her rst website in April 2018 to sell a couple of boutique items from inside her dining room. After opening her rst shop in Kemah, Lee said she found a new location in Houston in March 2019. By November 2022, Lee moved once more to the place where Moxie District 31 resides today. “I want [people] to feel welcome and invited and loved, like they’re part of the family, and they just feel like shopping is easy,” Lee said.

1934 El Dorado Blvd., Houston www.moxiedistrict31.com

6640 South Shore Blvd., Suite 100 League City, TX 77573 713.852.6700 TexasBayCU.org

¹APR = Annual Percentage Rate. Restrictions apply. Standard variable rate APR of 4.64% to 18.00% based on your creditworthiness and relationship product discounts. Rates current as of 05/01/2025. Payment periods range from 12 to 84 months. Example payment: $10,000 for 60 months at 6.00% APR will have a monthly payment of $194.00. ²Restrictions Apply.

COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM

MORE STELLAR THAN USUAL!

A TOUR OF THE STATE, MADE ESPECIALLY FOR COMMUNITY IMPACT MAY 2025

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

DETOURS: Hoodoos in Big Bend Ranch State Park CRITTER: The Caprock Bison

OUT THERE: Meanwhile, in Texas MADE IN TEXAS: Music Makers FEATURE PREVIEW: Meet the Texperts

Above: Big Bend Ranch State Park.

BAY AREA EDITION

DETOURS

Clods and Monsters

Location: In Big Bend Ranch State Park, 26 miles west of the Barton Warnock Visitor Center BY PAM LEBLANC WALKING AMONG the weird spires of rock that sprout like giant mushrooms in Big Bend Ranch State Park feels like wandering the set of the original Star Trek series. The sand-colored hoodoos—some as tall as a two-story building—look otherworldly, but they developed natu- rally. Eons of wind and rain have scrubbed away softer materials such as fine-grained mudstone and porous tu at the base of the columns, leaving caps of hardened rock at the top. Use your imagination and you might see a human-shaped figure, a lumpy rendition of a troll, or a colossal bird egg balanced on a pedestal. These “fairy towers” famously appeared in the closing scenes of Boy- hood, Richard Linklater’s 2014 coming-of-age drama. An easy stop if you’re driving through the park, the Hoodoos Trail is about a mile long. If you’re not up for the walk, a shaded picnic table oers views of the hoodoos, the Rio Grande, and Mexico beyond.

acres, “they’re usually just cud chewing and wallowing and walking around like they have all day to do nothing,” says Na- talie Smith, a park interpreter. Still, she warns visitors to stay at least fifty yards, or half the length of a football field, away from a bison—and even more during rutting season, which typically lasts from June to September, when they can be aggressive. “If you get two bulls that are equally dominant and are physically equals, they can fight, and they will,” says park superintendent Donald Beard. “We have had bulls killed by other bulls.”

The bison at Caprock Canyons State Park, in the Panhandle, default to photogenic docility, as befits a noble symbol of the American West. They are the descendants of five herds, in- cluding one created by Charles and Mary Ann Goodnight, who in 1878 rescued several calves during the great slaughter that made the once plenti- ful bovines a rarity. There are other herds on private land, but Caprock’s has been designat- ed the o cial herd of Texas, a celebrity status the bison seem unaware of. Mostly unrued by the campers and day hikers who visit the park’s 15,314

YIKES. HOW DO I AVOID IRRITATING A BISON? Leave appropriate space be- tween yourself and any animal capable of tap dancing on your organs, and look out for signs of agitation. “If their tail is in the air, like it’s flagging, you need to step back,” says Smith. Ditto if it’s swinging its head from side to side. WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I’M BEING CHARGED BY ONE? Beard says, “If you get into a situation where you’ve been charged, it’s too late.”

The Caprock Bison CRITTER OF THE MONTH

OH. —Lauren Larson

COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM

MADE IN TEXAS

The Sound Machinists A Houston-area company creates modern synthesizers with vintage vibes for Joe Walsh, Duran Duran, and LCD Soundsystem. BY MICHAEL HALL

OUT THERE

Meanwhile, In Texas

In the right hands—customers include Chro- meo, Duran Duran, LCD Soundsystem, and nu- merousfilmandTVsounddesigners—theycan create audio that is human and otherworldly, animated and moody, hard and soft. “The idea that synths are just beeps and bloops is not accurate at all,” says Mike Gra- ham, an engineer and the vice president of business development. “They can sound creepy; they can sound angry; they can sound happy or sad. They can sound inquisitive.” The company’s roots go back to 1969, when Roger Arrick, then an eight-year-old living in suburbanFortWorth,firstheardSwitched-On Bach, an album of the composer’s songs played on the synthesizer created by Robert Moog. To read the rest of this story and stories about other independent makers in Texas, subscribe to Texas Monthly.

THE BUILDING’S WALLS sometimes shake with a sonic rumble. Other times, it’s like a spaceship is flying overhead or as if the elec- tronic duo Daft Punk has reunited in this pleasant industrial park in Stafford, thirty minutes from downtown Houston. But it’s just business as usual at the workshop head- quarters of Synthesizers.com. Thecompanyhasmadeanalogmodularsyn- thesizers for nearly thirty years. The instru- ments are based on the classic Moog (rhymes with “vogue”) synths of the sixties and sev- enties, but these modern-day machines are cheaper and easier to play. They are elegant, with black panels, silver knobs, and red lights.

Numerous attendees at a pickle- themed event in New Braunfels claimed that it was a fiasco, with one unhappy patron posting that she “didn’t even get 1 pickle” and that organizers “should have called it the dusty long line festival.” A pig named Peppa and a blind dog named Amy were reunited with their owner after the lost pair trotted along- side U.S. 290 and wandered into a general store in Austin’s Harris Branch neighborhood. Drivers of two vacuum trucks caused a large explosion and fire after they al- legedly attempted to steal petroleum from a pipeline maintenance station near Orla. The discovery of more than one hun- dred human teeth buried in the yard of a Hondo home prompted an investiga- tion by local police, who found out that the previous owners of the property were dentists who may have been fol- lowing a tradition of burying teeth for good luck . A state representative from Smithville introduced a bill called the Forbidden Unlawful Representation of Roleplay- ing in Education (FURRIES) Act, which would ban “non-human” behavior in schools, such as wearing a tail. A substation explosion at Texas Tech University caused widespread power outages and the eruption of green flames from manhole covers across campus. —Meher Yeda

Mike Graham operates a Studio-110 system at the Synthesizers.com oce in Staord.

BAY AREA EDITION

Space Center Houston tour guide Irwin Stewart.

for a movie about space to get a VIP tour from Stewart, though he has guided actor Natalie Portman, who portrayed an astronaut in 2019’s Lucy in the Sky, and director Alfonso Cuarón, an Oscar winner for 2013’s Gravity . You just have to reserve a spot on one of Stewart’s week- days-only excursions, which cost about $200 per person and are limited to small groups. With light gray hair styled in the manner of Albert Einstein’s, the 56-year-old Stewart is expressive and enthusiastic, often peppering conversations with “Did you know that?” He and eleven others on the Space Center’s sta give these specialized tours, and Stewart is comfortable with famous visitors. He is also a certified commercial pilot who spent more than a decade as an aircraft-maintenance in- structor. In other words, he can go deep on all things that fly. He can easily talk for three hours, the average length of a tour, and show no sign of flagging. Stewart greets me on a hot fall day at the entrance to Space Center Houston and makes small talk while he escorts me around the back of the building to a black SUV. Then, as he drives onto the NASA campus, he launch- es into tour guide mode. His voice becomes louder and more animated. “There’s one hundred buildings on this cam- pus! Each has its own specialty.” To read the rest of this article about Stew- art and more of our favorite tour guides all across Texas, subscribe to Texas Monthly.

IF YOU’VE BEEN among the million-plus annual visitors to Space Center Houston, the museum at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, you’ve probably seen the Apollo 17 command module, walked through the replica of the space shuttle Independence, and touched a moon rock. You may have even taken a tram to the 1,600-acre working campus behind the museum and walked up to the Saturn V rocket —more than thirty stories tall—lying on its side like a giant in repose. But have you met Irwin Stewart? You don’t have to be a celebrity preparing

FEATURE PREVIEW

Meet the Texperts Tour guides, park rangers, and docents interpret our state in wildly different ways, but their mission is the same: tell a story no one would ever want to walk away from. BY KATY VINE

TEXAS MONTHLY : WRITTEN BY TEXANS FOR TEXANS FOR MORE THAN FIFTY YEARS. JOIN OUR COMMUNITY OF READERS.

TEXASMONTHLY.COM/TEXAN Subscribe to Texas Monthly for just $9 and never miss a story!

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