Your trash bill is going up $2.83 a month this fall, the school board met Thursday night to decide what happens to the three schools it's closing, and the city just said no for the third time to a big housing development on 377. Here's your weekly Keller recap.
📌 THE BIG STORY
Keller ISD's board met Thursday night with a loaded agenda: voting on the citizen committee's list of recommended bond projects, creating a committee to decide the future of district properties (including Bear Creek, Parkwood Hill, and Trinity Meadows, the three intermediate schools closing after this coming school year), and raising student meal prices for 2026-27.
This is the follow-through on May's consolidation vote, the one that moves 4,000+ kids and shifts the whole district to a K-5, 6-8, 9-12 setup in 2027. The district hadn't posted vote results by press time, so keep an eye on the KISD recap page this week. If a bond makes the November ballot, this meeting is where it started.
🏗️ WHAT'S GETTING BUILT
The city signed a new five-year deal with Community Waste Disposal, the same company that's picked up Keller's trash since 2010, and starting September 1 the residential rate jumps from $20.14 to $22.97 a month. Your pickup schedule and service stay exactly the same, and there's a new option to get a city-provided 95-gallon cart if you want one.
The Preserve at Keller Oaks, a plan for 55 houses and two commercial lots on 39 acres at US 377 and Park Avenue, was denied 6-1 on July 7. That's the third rejection for this land since 2024, and opposition letters outnumbered support letters 134 to 70. For now, that stretch of 377 stays exactly as it is.
The Planning & Zoning Commission meets Monday, July 28, on two items: a big detached garage on Ottinger Road, and a change to what kinds of businesses are allowed in the Town Center Medical Overlay. That second one is worth watching since it could reshape what opens in the Town Center area your family already shops in.
🎒 SCHOOLS & KISD
Mark it: classes start Wednesday, August 12, and the last day is May 26, 2027. Fair warning for the supply runs and bedtime resets. District offices are also still closed on Fridays through the end of summer, so plan your calls accordingly.
Thursday's agenda included ordering elections for board Places 4 and 5 plus a special election for Place 6, all headed for the November 3 ballot, with a filing deadline of August 17. If you've got opinions about how the district is run, this fall is when they count.
🚧 ROADS
Crews have been fixing a cracked section of Shady Grove between Rapp Road and Keller Smithfield since July 7, with traffic detoured to North Tarrant Parkway and Bear Creek Parkway. The city estimated about three weeks of work, so it should be finishing right about now, just in time for school-year traffic.
The city's repaving partnership with Tarrant County is in its final stretch, redoing eight local streets including Willis Lane and North Pearson Drive. Expect single-lane closures here and there through late July, then smoother rides after.
Water line work has Mt. Gilead running southbound-only between Robin Drive and Bancroft Road, with northbound traffic detoured to Bourland. It's part of a bigger improvement project that will eventually add a roundabout and sidewalks, so this one's a long game.
🍔 FOOD & EATS
The team behind Hush Sushi is building HOPS Kitchen + Bar at 200 Keller Parkway: a $3.5 million, 7,200-square-foot spot pairing aged steaks with elevated Chinese food, plus a speakeasy lounge. Groundbreaking is expected in early August, with an opening targeted for 2027. A real date-night option that doesn't require driving to Southlake.
Red Pepper Wok is building out the old Buffalo Wild Wings Go space at 1411 Keller Parkway, and Community Impact reports it's targeting a late July opening. If it hits that date, you've got a new weeknight pickup option right as school starts.
The popular breakfast chain broke ground at Keller Marketplace in early July, with construction reported to finish in November. Not open yet, but it's real concrete now, not just a rumor.
🎉 THIS WEEKEND
Keller Farmers Market — Saturday, July 25, 8 a.m. to noon at Bear Creek Park, 400 Bear Creek Parkway. Free. Produce, tamales, baked goods, and the playground and trails right there for the kids.
Chess Challenge at the library — Saturday, July 25, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. at Keller Public Library, 640 Johnson Road. Free. All skill levels, and a nice screen-free hour in the AC.
Dino Dan's Discount Death murder mystery — Saturday, July 25, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the library. Free. A dinosaur-themed whodunit the whole family can solve together. Yes, that's really the name.
That's your Keller week. See you next week!
