Round Rock ISD officials green-lit the purchase of maintenance vehicle replacements and approved construction contracts for several campuses in November.

The purchases and contracts are funded by 2024 bond monies, per the district. 

What you need to know: Trustees approved contracts and purchasing orders replacing eight district vehicles, resurfacing the middle school track and hiring architects and construction managers for several campus renovations.

The contracts total just over $2.3 million in bond funds approved by voters in November 2024.  

The latest branch of Texas Roadhouse held its soft opening in Leander on Nov. 24.

The details: The restaurant chain is known for its ribs, steaks, burgers, fried chicken and homemade sides. The franchise has more than 700 branches worldwide.

• Opening in late November
• 1416 Sparkle Lane, Leander

So far in 2025, Community Impact has covered two election cycles, major transportation updates, development news and local businesses throughout the greater Austin area.

Learn more about the top stories this year to date.

1. Billboard on Bee Caves Road receives resident complaints, city violation notice

2. A regional destination: Texas’ second-largest retail store set to bring visitors to Cedar Park

3. City of Austin to take unauthorized billboard to court

4. Check out these 20 new nonstop destinations from Austin’s airport

5. Billboard in Round Rock faces removal amid ordinance violation

Austin short-term rental operators can expect to see a streamlined licensing process for their properties and increased enforcement of unsanctioned units, following regulatory changes that went into effect this fall.

What's happening: Changes rolling out in the weeks and months ahead follow an "overhaul" of local policies related to short-term rentals, or STRs, completed this year. The process played out in response to some past legal challenges to Austin's STR system, and in an effort to rein in the thousands of unlicensed STRs believed to be operating around town.

To that end, City Council advanced contracts totaling nearly $2.5 million to assist with STR enforcement and licensing services. The contracts, both with San Diego-based Deckard Technologies, were authorized Nov. 20.

Quote of note: "We look forward to having these tools in place to improve compliance and services for short-term rentals in Austin," Austin Development Services spokesperson Robbie Searcy said in an email.

Texas State University will purchase a 128 acre tract of property in San Marcos as part of a conservation effort around Sink Creek.

What you need to know: The Texas State University System Board of Regents approved the land purchase for $4.5 million Nov. 20, allowing the university to take ownership of an ecologically sensitive area and continue efforts to preserve it. Acquiring the property is part of a commitment to environmental stewardship on behalf of Texas State University, per a release shared by the system.

The details: The property is located northeast of Spring Lake and Spring Meadows, adjacent to the Spring Lake Natural Area, a city of San Marcos-owned park protected for several environmental features. 

What they're saying: Being located within the Sink Creek Watershed provides an opportunity for students to further study local ecology, said Robert Mace, director of The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment.