Home Care In Helotes, TX

On a charming street in Old Town Helotes, there's a cobblestone-bricked coffee house that smells sweet and comforting and looks like it belongs in the fictional Connecticut town of Stars Hollow from the TV show Gilmore Girls.

Texas Grounds Coffee Company in Helotes had a viral moment recently on TikTok after hosting its first "Gilmore Girls Week" from September 24 to October 1 to the enjoyment of the show's cult following.

The wholesale coffee roaster opened in 2018 in a quaint area with antique novelty stores that is the perfect setting to bring the Gilmore Girls theme week to life.

A life-sized cutoutof iconic mom-and-daughter duo Rory and Lorelai Gilmore stands in one corner of the cafe, ready for photo ops, while customers browse the bakery goods for items like a Star's Hollow cupcake, a rich, cream-filled "Chilton Puff," or Michel's Triple Threat Brownie, which was deep, chocolate perfection. Michel Gerard is a supporting character on the show.

The shop also kept a running tally of who customers believed was Rory's best boyfriend on the show. Jess, a moody, brooding delinquent with a soft spot for Rory, won by a lot. It wasn't even close, the coffee shop said.

There were also seasonal drinks on the menu, like pumpkin vanilla spice lattes that referenced the show, like "Coffee at Luke's," "Oy With the Toffee Already," and "The Dragonfly Matcha."

"It was unbelievable this weekend," co-owner and lead baker Jennifer Howard told MySA on Monday, September 29, after the first few days of the theme week. "It was just out the door, down around the corner, and the line moved so fast, and it was just absolutely wonderful."

Howard, a former teacher, and her neighbor Phillip Santillanes, an Air Force veteran, operate the space, along with "the girls" — employees who eagerly zip through the cozy coffee shop tending to customers.

"It was crazy. We've been open for seven years, and it was the busiest I've ever seen," Santillanes said.

Santillanes could be found during the week attempting a Luke Danes impression behind a sophisticated coffee machine and said the viral TikTok videos did net some major interest in the shop during the theme week. Luke is another character on the show.

"It was crazy. We've been open for seven years, and it was the busiest I've ever seen," he said.

Texas Grounds Coffee Company leans into Texas conservative branding with products named "2-A" in reference to the second amendment, "47," referring to President Donald Trump, and "Secede," which plays to those who want Texas to be an independent country.

The coffee shop said to stay on the lookout for a potential "Harry Potter Week" in October and maybe even a Friends-themed week next year.

Texas regulators on Wednesday approved a permit for a controversial northwest Bexar County wastewater facility that’s expected to pump an average of a million gallons of treated sewage daily into the Helotes Creek watershed.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality unanimously approved the permit sought by Florida-based developer Lennar Corp. with little discussion, saying it met “all applicable requirements.”

Opponents of the wastewater project, tied to Lennar’s Guajolote Ranch development, have waged a months-long fight against the permit, arguing the wastewater’s introduction into the watershed will endanger San Antonio’s drinking water and residents’ ability to swim and fish in Helotes Creek.

In an emailed statement, project opponents said they plan to file for a rehearing, which would trigger a new process that could push back a final verdict another 55 days. Should TCEQ reapprove the project, opponents would have another 30 days to appeal in Travis County district court.

“We are, of course, extremely disappointed in the commissioners’ decision, as we’d hoped that under new leadership they would chart a new course that truly abides by their own stated mission ‘to protect our state’s public health and natural resources consistent with sustainable economic development,’ ” Randy Neumann, chair of the steering committee of the Scenic Loop-Helotes Creek Alliance, said in the statement. “This decision does nothing of the sort.”

A 2020 study funded by the City of San Antonio found that any wastewater system from a large-scale residential development that released into the Helotes Creek watershed would “significantly degrade the watershed and the quality of water recharging the Edwards Aquifer.”

Roughly 2.5 million people depend on the Edwards Aquifer, which provides more than half of the Alamo City’s drinking water.

Bexar County commissioners, San Antonio City Council or other state entities still could shut down the project by rejecting a special funding mechanism Lennar seeks to fund the water plant, Neumann said in the statement. That mechanism, called a Public Improvement District, would pay for the project using assessments against area property owners.

However, “if the 2.5 million residents across Central Texas who depend on the Edwards Aquifer ultimately don’t get the remedy they deserve, our message will be, ‘See you in court,’” he added.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality voted today to approve a wastewater discharge permit for Municipal Operations LLC, advancing plans for the Guajolote Ranch development in northwest Bexar County.

The permit allows the release of up to 1 million gallons of treated wastewater per day into Helotes Creek, a tributary that feeds directly into the Edwards Aquifer — the primary drinking water source for more than 2.5 million people across Central Texas.

Despite widespread opposition from local officials, environmental groups and residents, TCEQ Chairwoman Brooke Paup voted to approve the permit as it met all environmental and legal standards.

“In my evaluation, I find that the evidence and record support the administrative law judge’s determination that the applicant met its burden to establish that the draft permit is protective and meets all applicable requirements,” Paup said, referring to the finding from the State Office of Administrative Hearings, which reviewed the contested case.

Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai condemned the state ruling on Wednesday.

“That decision fails to protect the fragile Edwards Aquifer. That decision fails to protect the water quality and health of local neighbors and families. And that decision ignores the unanimous voices of San Antonio leaders and community health experts,” Sakai wrote in a statement. “I oppose the state’s action and will work shoulder to shoulder with local residents to protect our aquifer and the health and safety of our families.”

Environmental groups, including the Scenic Loop–Helotes Creek Alliance, have long argued that wastewater discharge in the area’s porous terrain could quickly contaminate groundwater. The groups points to a 2020 Southwest Research Institute study that found any wastewater system in the watershed would “significantly degrade” the aquifer’s recharge quality.

Opponents plan to seek a rehearing, which could delay final approval by several weeks.

“This by no means is the end of our fight, and in fact is actually just beginning anew,” said Randy Neumann, chair of the steering committee of the Scenic Loop-Helotes Creek Alliance, in a press release.

The 2,900-home Guajolote Ranch development owned by Lennar Corp. would span about 1,160 acres near Grey Forest. The developer previously declined to connect to San Antonio Water Systems sewer lines for an estimated cost of $20 to $40 million, instead pursuing a private wastewater plant, which would be need to be financed through a Public Improvement District.

The Bexar County Commissioners Court is expected to vote on the Public Improvement District after TCEQ approval, which would require a $183 million bond to pay for the infrastructure of the development. An extra tax would be paid by future residents in the development to pay for the bond, said Michael Phillips, a member of the Gray Forest City Council, in an interview with Texas Public Radio in July.

Neumann said he hopes that TCEQ will grant a rehearing or that the Public Improvement District will be rejected by local leaders.

“Today was a setback, but this fight is not over,” Sakai said.