Convenience Big Store: Cypress animal rescue and llama ranch is moving west

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Cypress animal rescue and llama ranch relocating to make way for Harris County flood project.

A longstanding nonprofit animal rescue and llama ranch will be packing up their home and alpacas and leaving the site they have operated on for decades.

Figment Ranch is moving from Cypress to New Ulm, Texas, after the Harris County Flood Control District purchased their property through eminent domain to make way for a proposed detention basin.

If you are not sure what eminent domain is, it's when the government has the right to take over private property for public use by giving property owners compensation. In many instances, people are against this and try to fight it — for example, Aldine ISD recently tried using it to take a 79-year-old resident's home before backing down.

Figment Ranch owners said this wasn't the case with them and it came as no surprise when they found out the land was needed for a flood control project. One of the owners said she understood that the land was in a flood zone because she had been approached about selling some of the property years prior. She said the county was helpful throughout the process.

As Figment Ranch transitions its operation from Cypress to New Ulm, they will be taking hundreds of their rescued animals with them, as well as their gift shop, Airbnbs and private event setups.

They are welcoming donations while they temporarily pause tours, events and rentals that help generate funds to feed and care for the animals.

As the flood control district continues to move forward on efforts to reduce flooding throughout the county, they announced the start of construction this month on a new $13.6 million batch of Cypress Creek maintenance projects.

The projects are part of a five-batch program that will help to restore channel conveyance capacity in Cypress Creek and its tributaries, according to the flood control district.

Ralph Green, Suburban reporter producer

ralph.green.@houstonchronicle.com

Need to Know

A channel in the Cypress Creek watershed, looking north from Cypresswood Drive in Spring, is shown in a Google Maps street view image from March 2022.

Photo by: Google Maps

New batch of Cypress Creek flood projects get under way.

Construction kicked off this month on the fourth batch of major maintenance projects in the Cypress Creek watershed. The new Cypress-area projects will include repairs and desilting efforts on approximately four miles of channels.

Openings and closings

A popular car wash company is expected to open a location in Cypress next summer.

Houston-based Mister Car Wash is planning to open on Fry Road. The car wash franchise is known for leaving vehicles clean, dry and shiny.

Shout out

Congratulations to Hairgrove Elementary School art teacher for being named 2023 Texas Art Educator of the year.

Last month Hairgrove Elementary School art teacher Gretchen Bell-Young was named 2023 Texas Art Educator of the Year by the Texas Art Education Association (TAEA).