Need to catch up on Community Impact’s coverage from this week? Check out five trending stories in the Greater Houston area from March 23-27.
25-year old Seabrook Mexican restaurant reopened just six days after closing from strong community support
Las Anita’s Mexican Restaurant, which Carlos Zuniga opened with his three brothers in 2001, survived the challenges many restaurants suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic, but just six years later, it was forced to shut down due to a significant drop in customers.
However, with strong community support, the restaurant reopened on Feb. 6, just six days after it closed its doors.
Zuniga said he wanted to continue serving the community, but the dip in revenue made it unprofitable to keep the business open. The week before he closed the restaurant on Jan. 31, Zuniga had a candid conversation with his employees about the future of Las Anitas.
Read the full story by Reporter Rachel Leland.
A ‘face-lift’ for downtown: Montgomery commencing with downtown upgrades, new plans
Downtown Montgomery’s next chapter is starting to come into focus as city leaders push forward on several connected projects aimed at easing traffic, improving walkability and making room for future growth and development.
Among the efforts are updates to city ordinances, improvements for McCown Street and work on a new city complex in the former Jim’s Hardware building.
Mayor Sara Countryman said the ordinance revisions are expected to return to Montgomery City Council in final draft form in the coming months after city leaders reviewed earlier draft language in February 2025. She said the goal is to modernize rules that have not been fully updated in decades while preserving the downtown’s character.
Dig into the details with Reporter Nichaela Shaheen.
League City to consider rezoning land along League City Parkway from residential to commercial
League City City Council will consider an ordinance to rezone nearly 8 acres of land along the north side of West League City Parkway and west of Cones Lane at its March 24 meeting.
The ordinance proposes rezoning the land from a residential single-family zone to commercial, according to city documents.
If approved, the land would commence in two phases, with the first including office condos, retail and a convenience store. The second phase would include fast food restaurants, a Montessori school and a car wash.
Get caught up with Editor Haley Velasco.
Houston to return historic Freedmen’s Town bricks to the neighborhood after restoration
Houston City Council unanimously voted to relocate bricks from the historic Freedmen’s Town that it had been storing in a warehouse to the Fourth Ward, where the Houston Freedmen’s Town Conservancy will have custody of the bricks for safeguard and protection.
During construction in 2025, contractors and developers illegally removed bricks and failed to follow the designated process for protecting them, District C council member Abbie Kamin said during a March 25 council meeting.
“Over time, those bricks that have been removed, the city of Houston has actually been storing them,” she said. “We had an archeological expert come in, tag them, we have residents from the area that are supervising the operation, storage and placement of them, and they’re all cataloged.”
The bricks were sitting in a makeshift storage facility, Kamin said, but now they should be moved back to the community.
Learn more about it with Reporter Ariel Worthy.
Conroe City Council ends executive contracts, approves nearly $1.85M in payouts
Conroe City Council voted March 12 to end the executive employment contracts of city administration and approved related payments totaling $1.85 million.
Mayor Duke Coon said ending the contracts would stop future increases tied to those agreements and leave the city with only one contracted employee. The terminated contracts are tied to City Administrator Gary Scott; Nancy Mikeska, deputy city administrator and director of community development; Norman McGuire, assistant city administrator and public works director; and Human Resources Director Andre Houser.
Council first accepted Mike Garner’s resignation as city attorney and McGuire’s retirement, which will take effect March 27.
Follow along for more details with Reporter Nichaela Shaheen.