Convenience Big Store: Houston's growth, seen from above

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Aerial images of the Bridgeland master-planned community in Cypress, showing a 2025 image transposed over a 2016 photo.

See how Houston's landscape transformed since 2015

From forests and farmland to sprawling subdivisions, Houston's suburbs have changed dramatically over the past decade. Nowhere is that more visible than from above. To capture the scale of the region's growth, the Houston Chronicle analyzed high-resolution aerial images and satellite data to pinpoint where the landscape has changed the most since 2015.

Explore side-by-side photos and an interactive map showing how your area has transformed.

Marissa Luck, Senior reporter, Real estate

Marissa.Luck@houstonchronicle.com

Residential

The property of former home of Pleasant Grove Missionary Baptist Church in the Fifth Ward is seen, Saturday, May 18, 2024, in Houston. A Houston Housing Authority affiliate has acquired the property and put out an invitation for bids to demolish the historic structure. The church has relocated to a temporary location as it searches for a permanent home.

Photo by: Jason Fochtman/Staff Photographer

Houston's housing agency got $86M from apartment tax breaks. Where did it go?

Developers have paid an estimated $86 million in fees to the housing authority to avert property taxes. But where did the money those fees generated go?

Map of short-term rentals by neighborhood in Houston.

Photo by: Taylor Nichols/Houston Chronicle

How many short-term rentals are in your Houston neighborhood? Search our map.

Even with the new required registration rules, short-term rentals remain controversial in many neighborhoods. Search our map to see where they're located.

The Texas Medical Center seen from McGovern Lake in Hermann Park on Friday, Nov. 6, 2020, in Houston. Major institutions that have sponsored H-1B visas include top-tier medical and research organizations.

Photo by: Mark Mulligan, Staff Photographer

Houston faces one of the nation's worst housing shortages for low earners

Houston has a reputation for housing affordability, but the region still faces one of the biggest housing shortages in the country when it comes to providing housing for very low-income earners, a report finds.

The average time Houston homes are spending on the market before being sold now, the highest days on market average since March 2013, according to Houston Association of Realtors.

Commercial

An aerial rendering showing what Magnolia Town Center could look like once completed. The 200-acre project is proposed west of Highway 249 in Montgomery County, north of Houston.

Photo by: Tannos Development Group

$1 billion proposed development sparks pushback from Montgomery County residents

Residents are pushing back on a proposed $1 billion, 200-acre mixed-use development in a city north of Houston already experiencing rapid growth.

Houston's Ben Taub Hospital is planning to expand into a 100-year floodplain.

Photo by: Photo By John Shapley, Graphic By Caroline Ghisolfi / Houston Chronicle, Map By Caroline Ghisolfi / Houston Chronicle

Ben Taub hospital expansion proposed in 100-year FEMA floodplain

In the Texas Medical Center, Harris County's hospital district is proposing a major expansion of Ben Taub Hospital that would take about 9 acres of Hermann Park to build a new tower in the 100-year floodplain, where Texas law typically prohibits building new hospitals.

An aerial view shows the site of the incoming Texas Heritage Marketplace.

Photo by: NewQuest Properties, Courtesy

Katy area will have more retail stores, restaurant options under new development

Three more major tenants have signed on to Texas Heritage Marketplace, one of the most closely watched retail developments on Katy's fast-growing west side.

🍣 Sushi restaurant coming to Midway's Uptown redevelopment: Sushi restaurant Handies Douzo is planning a fourth location in the Uptown area after Dukstache Hospitality signed a 1,658-square-foot lease at 2000 Post Oak Blvd Suite 130. Handies Douzo is expected to become the first restaurant to open within Midway's redeveloped Central Park Post Oak, formerly known as Post Oak Central. The restaurant space will feature an intimate, 26-seat counter-style layout opening in late 2026. Bond Retail Partners represented Midway and Colliers' Hannah Schiro represented Duckstache in lease negotiations.
🏪 Conroe shopping center sold: JBL Asset Management recently bought Montgomery Plaza, a 315,708-square-foot strip center in Conroe near Interstate 45 and Loop 336. The strip center is 94.3% leased to tenants such as Academy Sports + Outdoors, Spec's Liquor, Petco and Dollar Tree. JLL's Ryan West and John Indelli represented the seller.