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San Marcos CISD to open new elementary campus ahead of school year

On May 15, 2025, construction crews broke ground on the site of the new San Marcos CISD Irene K. Mendez Elementary School.

The campus will first open for the new school year Aug. 19. An official ribbon-cutting will be held Aug. 13 to celebrate the new facility’s completion

The gist: The new Mendez Elementary School building was funded as part of a 2023 bond project, according to previous Community Impact reporting. The project, originally estimated to cost over $73.5 million, came in under budget at $58.1 million.

Demolition of the old Mendez Elementary School building is set to begin now that construction is complete.

Also of note: The building is named after former SMCISD Dual Language teacher Irene K. Mendez, who served in the district for 28 years, according to the school’s website. First opened in 1969, the original campus was established as Mendez Elementary School in 2009.

 
CI Business
AutoZone coming to development-heavy San Marcos intersection

Editor's note: This article is based on a Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations filing. Community Impact will provide updates as more information is available.

AutoZone will soon begin construction on its third location in San Marcos on the city’s southwest side near multiple major developments.

The gist: The auto parts store will build a new location at the intersection of I-35 and McCarty Lane, an area experiencing a surge in business development.

Construction on the 7,147-square-foot shop is scheduled to begin on Aug. 7 and be completed on Jan. 6, 2028, according to the filing.

Diving deeper: The region has multiple planned developments and large-scale businesses under construction.

Projects include the city’s third H-E-B grocery store, a 52,460-square-foot Rooms to Go and the first San Marcos Home Depot.

What they offer: The store sells a variety of auto parts, including brakes, automotive batteries, vehicle lighting and electrical parts, motor oil, filters, windshield wipers, alternators and interior accessories.

  • The intersection of S. I-35 and McCarty Lane, San Marcos
 

Your Weekend To-Do List

Check out these weekend events across the metro area.

Float and Flick

Cedar Park Rodeo

Aug. 7, 7:15-10 p.m.
Dripping Springs

Aug. 7-8, 7:30 p.m.
Cedar Park

More info

More info

 

Buda Summer Concert Series

New Moon Sound Bath

Aug. 8, 8-9:30 p.m.
Buda

Aug. 9, 6-8 p.m.
Georgetown

More info

More info

 
To submit your own event, click here.

Statewide News
Texas to pause new data center projects until audit is conducted, Gov. Abbott says

Texas is halting the approval of new data center projects until state regulators can audit all data centers seeking to connect to the power grid, Gov. Greg Abbott announced Aug. 3.

The overview: The governor directed the Public Utility Commission of Texas and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas to conduct “a comprehensive verification and audit” of all data center applicants “before any additional data centers are approved to move forward.” 

Data center regulation has emerged as a bipartisan issue in recent months, and the move comes amid both growing public criticism of Texas’ booming data center industry and recent political pressure for Abbott to respond.

Zooming in: Abbott asked the PUC and ERCOT to collect information about the tax exemptions each data center is collecting; details about each project's anticipated water and electricity usage; and how data center developers will work to limit noise, light pollution and other impacts on local communities.

Officials did not say how long the pause would last or when the audits would begin.

 

Your local team

Sierra Martin
Senior Editor

Heather Demere
General Manager

Email [email protected] for story ideas, tips or questions.

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