City planners want to raise the developer fee and let up to 30% of park dedication funds be spent citywide to buy land and build parks in underserved neighborhoods. The move targets sectors that have hoarded most of the money for two decades.

The Woodlands Township is negotiating with Early Bird to build a 50-acre public par‑3 course at South Gosling Park, promising night-play options and lower-cost access while protecting the tree canopy.

Bob Hall Pier will reopen on Feb. 24, 2026, at Padre Balli Park. The rebuilt pier is free for 90 days before modest fees and annual passes return.

A rare neon-blue glow lit a stretch of Dickinson Bayou this week, drawing residents and visitors to the water.

State filings and permit records show Lawrence Park in the Heights may get a roughly $1.5M overhaul under Mayor Whitmire’s Let's Play Houston program, with phased work already permitted.

A new Kinder Trail segment along Buffalo Bayou East opened in January 2026, extending the lighted trail and adding safety upgrades and restored public spaces.

State and federal crews finished a months-long renourishment of Galveston’s Hershey Beach, placing roughly 378,000 cubic yards of sand to rebuild the west-end shoreline.

A planned downtown connector would link Jose Campos Torres Plaza to the Heights trail and is slated to finish before the 2026 World Cup. City Council will consider an interlocal agreement this week.

Conroe set aside roughly 40 acres of the Deison Technology Park to create a Discovery Green‑style public park after its biotech tenant left and the campus fell into disrepair.

The Houston Zoo has begun multi‑year upgrades to its African habitats, adding shade, a renovated rhino yard, giraffe improvements and a refreshed Shani Market. Phased openings are expected through 2026 and into early 2027.

A $7.5M gift from the Jerold B. Katz Foundation boosts funding for Memorial Groves and pushes the project's budget to about $50.5M. The 100‑acre redesign will add thousands of trees and a visitors' center.

Texas Game Wardens highlight enforcement of shark‑fin bans and a 2023 rule requiring fins be denatured and disposed to curb an illegal market.

The Houston Zoo euthanized a 53-year-old chimpanzee, Charlie, due to arthritis and age-related issues. Charlie was known for his "old-man play" and had been with the zoo since 2010.