The Greater Houston Partnership celebrates our members making important announcements and sharing news about their operations and impact in our region. Learn more about some of those announcements over the last month below.
Business Moves
- Emancipation Park in Houston’s Third Ward has begun an $18.5 million expansion to strengthen its role as a cultural and community hub. The project includes building a 5,000-square-foot outdoor performance stage nearby the Eldorado Ballroom, complete with green rooms, climate-controlled storage, and an audio-visual tech suite. The park’s 11,000-square-foot cultural center will also be renovated, adding digital storytelling features, upgraded audiovisual systems, a gift shop, and improved landscaping. Funded by the Kinder Foundation with support from The Brown and Cullen Foundations, the expansion is expected to be completed by June 2026.
- Targa Resources Corp. announced plans to build a new 500-mile natural-gas-liquids pipeline from the Permian Basin to Mont Belvieu, Texas. The pipeline, named the “Speedway” system, is expected to cost $1.6 billion. It is expected to move up to 500,000 barrels per day initially, and has expansion potential up to 1 million barrels per day. In line with the pipeline announcement, Targa also disclosed expansions of its Permian area gas-processing and gathering assets to support increased volumes.
- Memorial Hermann Health System is expanding its presence in Mont Belvieu, Texas, by constructing an expanded medical office building to meet the growing healthcare needs of the community. This facility will offer a range of services, including primary care, specialty care, imaging, and laboratory services.
- Rice University has opened Susan and Fayez Sarofim Hall, a 94,000-square-foot facility designed to centralize and modernize its visual arts programs. The building features state-of-the-art studios for disciplines like film, photography, painting, and sculpture, as well as a 215-seat cinema and flexible social spaces to foster team collaboration.
- MetroNational has acquired the 309,000-square-foot retail component of Houston’s CityCentre, a major mixed-use development at I-10 and Beltway 8. The purchase expands MetroNational’s presence beyond its core Memorial City portfolio and strengthens its foothold in West Houston’s retail market. The company plans to partner with Radom Capital to improve CityCentre’s shopping experience, focusing on experiential spaces and long-term community engagement.
Education
- Texas Southern University has made a historic investment in its Aviation Science and Management program by acquiring a fleet of 12 Cirrus SR20 G7+ aircraft. This purchase introduced advanced safety features, including the Safe Return Emergency Autoland system. This makes TSU the world’s first university to operate an aircraft equipped with this technology. The fleet aims to modernize training, enhance student safety, and attract a diverse range of future pilots. This initiative is supported by generous alumni donations and funding from the Texas Legislature and the City of Houston.
- Two University of Houston projects have been selected as finalists for the $50 million Gulf Futures Challenge in order to address critical Gulf Coast issues. The first project, part of UH’s ROICE program, proposes converting decommissioned oil platforms into clean hydrogen generators and marine habitats. The second focuses on recycling old wind turbine blades into seawalls and coastal habitats to reduce erosion and pollution. These initiatives were chosen from 164 entries across five Gulf Coast states.
- The University of Houston has received a $1 million grant from the Houston Endowment to study teacher certification pathways. The two-year project, led by UH’s Center for Research, Evaluation, and Advancement of Teacher Education, aims to generate data and policy recommendations to reduce uncertified teachers in Texas classrooms. The study will evaluate student achievement through metrics like standardized test scores, attendance, and graduation rates. It will involve a statewide advisory group to ensure relevance and impact.
Energy Transition
- CenterPoint Energy announced a new 10-year, $65 billion investment plan to upgrade and expand its electric and natural gas infrastructure from 2026 to 2035. The plan aims to meet growing energy demand driven by Texas’s rapid population growth, industrial development, and the rise of data centers. CenterPoint said the investments will improve reliability, support cleaner energy, and benefit customers across its service areas.
- Fervo Energy was spotlighted by Bill Gates through his investment firm. Breakthrough Energy Ventures sees geothermal energy as a major future source of clean power, potentially supplying up to 20% of global electricity. Gates praised Fervo’s innovative approach to deep and horizontal drilling down to 8,000-15,000 feet, combined with a closed-loop system that recirculates water to conserve resources. The company is developing the “Cape Station” project in Utah, which aims to eventually produce up to 2 gigawatts of power. Its first phase is slated for 2026 and a large expansion in 2028.
- Calpine Corporation has secured a $278.3 million loan from the Texas Energy Fund to develop the Pin Oak Creek Energy Center, a 460-megawatt natural gas peaking power plant in Freestone County, Texas. This facility is designed to provide rapid-response electricity during high demand, such as hot summer days or industrial surges. Located next to Calpine’s existing Freestone Energy Center, the plant is expected to begin operations in summer 2026.
- Greentown Labs in Houston partnered with Shoreless to launch an AI lab focused on climate-tech and energy startups. The lab will provide “climate sprint” sessions and AI-driven tools to help companies improve supply chains, reduce Scope 3 emissions, and scale globally.
Health Care
- Rice University and Houston Methodist have established the Digital Health Institute to accelerate healthcare technology innovation. This collaboration aims to develop AI-driven solutions for early disease detection, predictive analytics, personalized medicine, and remote patient monitoring. The institute has initiated 20 active projects, involving 21 faculty members from both institutions. It has dedicated 10,000 square feet of lab and office space to Rice’s Bioscience Research Collaborative. The partnership also focuses on translating research into practical applications, such as wearable medical devices and patient-specific digital models.
- UTHealth Houston received a $27.2 million grant from the National Institute on Aging to lead a national Alzheimer’s research initiative called ReCARDO. The project will use real-world data from electronic health records, insurance claims, mobile apps, and wearable devices to develop standardized data elements for Alzheimer’s and related dementia research. UTHealth Houston will serve as a central hub, collaborating with 10 other institutions.
Innovation
- Rice University researchers have developed an innovative method to remove and destroy PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” from water. The team also created an eco-friendly process to thermally decompose the captured PFAS using calcium carbonate, eliminating over half of the contaminants without producing toxic by-products. This technology could have major applications in industrial cleanups and municipal water treatment systems.
- Houston Dynamo FC is enhancing the fan experience at Shell Energy Stadium with several upgrades for the 2025 season. The team introduced the “Hat Trick” initiative, offering affordable matchday snacks, hot dogs, popcorn, and bottled water, for $5 or less. It also improved concession efficiency with additional point-of-sale terminals and the self-service “mega stand” on the north concourse. Looking ahead to 2026, further enhancements are planned, including an upgraded sound system, advanced security screening technology, and better air flow on the upper levels.
Transportation
- Lucid Group, Nuro, and Uber Technologies have announced a partnership to launch a next-generation autonomous car program. The program will deploy at least 20,000 Lucid electric vehicles equipped with Nuro’s Level 4 autonomous driving system over six years. This will begin in a major U.S. city in 2026. Lucid’s Gravity vehicle platform will serve as the basis for the robotaxi fleet.
- University of Houston-Downtown has acquired nearly 12 acres of land through a no-cost land swap deal with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). This acquisition is a significant step toward fulfilling UHD’s Campus Master Plan. The 11.93 acres of land, which currently sits adjacent to and under a portion of the existing I-10 highway, will be freed up once the highway is decommissioned as part of TxDOT’s North Houston Highway Improvement Project.
- Houston ISD has launched a pilot program providing free Metro passes for high school students to address bus system challenges. About 800 students have enrolled, using preloaded Metro cards for local buses, MetroRail, and curb2curb services. The program aims to reduce long commutes, bus driver shortages, and high transportation costs, which previously averaged $6,400 per student annually.
- METRO is offering free rides on buses, light rail, and curb-to-curb services during early voting and on Election Day for the Nov. 4, 2025 election. Voters just need to show a valid voter ID or other approved form of identification to ride free during designated hours. This initiative aims to reduce transportation barriers and encourage voter turnout across the Houston-area region.
If you are a member and want us to help communicate news about your organization, please send a press release or information about the announcement to [email protected] and we will share it with our content team for possible inclusion in an upcoming roundup. Learn more about Partnership membership.