1. Walmart to open new location in Cypress in 2025
A new Walmart location is under construction at 8927 Fry Road, Cypress. It’s expected to be completed by spring 2025, officials with the retail corporation confirmed in an email Sept. 17.
The new location will offer:
- Online pickup and delivery operations, with 45 dedicated parking stalls
- A walk-in fuel station with eight pumps that service 16 customers at a time
- A pharmacy with a health services room, pharmacy drive-thru and vision center
- Enhanced apparel with baby, home, and pet departments
- A full grocery offering
- A mother’s room
- An auto care center
Officials with Howard Hughes Holdings broke ground on Village Green at Bridgeland Central on Feb. 26. The project is the first major development in Bridgeland Central, which will ultimately be a “downtown urban hub for the community,” said Jim Carman, president of the Houston Region for Howard Hughes.
In addition to retailers and restaurants, the town center will have hospitality, office, residential and medical components as well.
“I think it's hard to sort of wrap your head around the scale of Bridgeland Central and Bridgeland as a whole, but Bridgeland Central is 925 acres,” Carman said. “When you compare that to, say, The Woodlands, that's the same size, relatively, to The Woodlands Town Center.”
Village Green will feature 28,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space in addition to the new 100,000-square-foot H-E-B grocery store located off Bridgeland Creek Parkway and Summit Point Crossing near Bridgeland High School.
3. BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse opens new Cypress location
A new location of BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse opened Sept. 30 in Cypress at the former location of Luby’s, 25660 Hwy. 290, Cypress.
BJ’s offers an extensive menu of appetizers, pizzas, sandwiches, burgers, salads, pasta, soups and steaks. Gluten-free options, desserts, a kids’ menu and a full bar are also available. The nearest location is at 7637 FM 1960, Houston, in the Willowbrook area, and there are several additional locations in the Houston area.
4. Fogo de Chão opens new Cy-Fair location
The new Fogo de Chão location opened Dec. 9 at 19820 Hwy. 290, Houston, where the dining room features a 360-degree view of gaucho chefs butchering, hand carving and grilling meats.
Fogo de Chão is known for its churrasco experience in which high-quality cuts of meat are roasted over an open flame. In addition to bone-in ribeye, lamb chops and picanha, the menu features the Market Table salad bar and Brazilian side dishes from the Feijoada Bar.
On-site dry-aged meat lockers allow for in-house aging; a full bar offers cocktails, wine and beer; and private dining spaces are also available.
“We look forward to opening in Cypress and bringing the culinary art of churrasco to Fogo fans and new guests seeking an unforgettable dining experience,” CEO Barry McGowan said in a statement.
Demolition has begun on phase two of an expansion project for Tunnel to Towers’ north Houston-area Veterans Village, according to an Aug. 7 email from a nonprofit spokesperson. Located at 18818 Hwy. 249, Houston, the village includes transitional and permanent housing for 131 veterans.
Phase two of the Veterans Village is expected to be complete in the first quarter of 2025. Phase two will add:
- 14 homes, measuring 500 square feet each, for senior veterans in need
- Outdoor recreation facilities, including barbecue spots, to the whole property
- Landscaping and beautification of the property
6. Prologis Legacy Point to bring 5 million square feet of industrial space to Cypress
Officials with Prologis logistics real estate firm are planning for over 5 million square feet of industrial space at the 350-acre Prologis Legacy Point property off Hwy. 290 and Fry Road.
It will cater to retailers, manufacturing, distribution and energy companies, said Hans Brindley, senior vice president of marketing for Prologis Houston.
Brindley said the property’s access along Hwy. 290 and proximity to the Grand Parkway is ideal for the business park, which officials estimate will ultimately bring 2,000-3,000 jobs to the community.
Industrial real estate rental rates increased by over 30% for Cy-Fair industrial facilities in the last five years, according to CoStar Group data.
7. The Angry Elephant politics-themed bar opens in Cypress
A new location of The Angry Elephant opened this fall in the Fairfield neighborhood at 15103 Mason Road, Ste. B3, Cypress. The restaurant offers a full bar selection and serves appetizers, hot dogs, burgers, salads and sandwiches.
Several menu items have politics-inspired names, such as:
- The Constitutionalist Shrimp Cocktail
- The Al Gore Frito Pie
- The Obama Chicago Dog
- The George W. Bush BLT Dog
- The Ben Franklin Philly Cheese-Steak Dog
- Original Trump Cheeseburger
- The Pacifist Pulled Pork Mac & Cheese Sandwich
Fast-casual restaurant chain Cava began serving Mediterranean cuisine at 7017 Hwy. 6 N., Houston, starting Aug. 16.
Cava is known for its build-your-own grain bowls, salads and pitas. Featured menu items, according to the company website, include the steak mezze salad, harissa avocado bowl and crispy falafel pita.
9. Houston Methodist prepares to open Cypress hospital
Although Houston Methodist’s new Cypress hospital isn’t expected to open until next March, officials launched several services this spring.
Housed at the medical office buildings on-site, the multimodal rehab center and orthopedic injury clinic opened in March offering physical and occupational therapy, certified hand therapy, and pelvic floor therapy. Future services include neurological rehabilitation, biofeedback technology, speech therapy, cardiac rehabilitation, a golf simulator and more.
Additionally, officials said a cancer center opened in May with comprehensive radiation and medication oncology, infusion, and breast care.
Construction on the campus broke ground in early 2022, and it will consist of a seven-story, 569,100-square-foot hospital in addition to the two six-story medical office buildings.
The hospital will be equipped with the latest technology to provide patients more efficient and personal experiences, said Trent Fulin, senior vice president and CEO of Houston Methodist Cypress Hospital. Some of these innovations will include:
- Smart hospital rooms
- Voice assistants and ambient listening
- Ambient intelligence
- Service robots
- Remote patient monitoring
- Self-controlling scheduling and check-in
10. Residential, commercial development picks up in Bridgeland
Bridgeland, Cy-Fair’s largest master-planned community, had a record-breaking year of home sales in 2023 and, in early 2024, broke ground on the first phase of a 925-acre urban district called Bridgeland Central.
According to real estate company Opendoor, 77433 was the No. 1 “hottest” ZIP code in the U.S. last year based on the number of homes purchased within 90 days of being listed.
Jim Carman, president of the Houston region for Bridgeland's developer Howard Hughes Holdings, said Bridgeland will one day have 1.5 jobs per rooftop so residents can live and work in the community. Last August, Chevron purchased 77 acres in Bridgeland Central for a research and development campus.
Bridgeland sold 985 homes in 2023—up 74% from 567 in 2022, according to real estate consultant RCLCO. In RCLCO’s annual master-planned community rankings based on the number of homes sold, Bridgeland earned the No. 5 spot nationwide and No. 2 in Texas.
“We expect to sell over 1,000 homes this year, ... and it won’t end there,” Carman said.
