Lakeway City Council approved a special use permit May 18 allowing Lake Travis Fire and Rescue Station No. 602 to install a portable station behind the Lakeway Police Department while the original station is under demolition and reconstruction.

The details: The proposed temporary station will be a portable, manufactured building located on the backside of the police station at 1941 Lohmans Crossing Road, providing emergency vehicles access to and from Lohmans Spur Road.

The building is anticipated to house five firefighters with temporary living quarters, an office area, common area and a small kitchen.

What’s next: The existing station is expected to be under construction for 18 months beginning in January 2027 and will not be funded by the city, according to city documents and a filing from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

Installation for the portable building is expected to begin in Jult and will remain behind the police station for three years.

Austin officials will spend $6 million to renovate the Charles Page Zilker Clubhouse. Years of deterioration and multiple recent break-in incidents have damaged the historic structure.

What's happening: The nearly 100-year-old clubhouse, located in the Zilker Nature Preserve west of MoPac, is situated at Zilker Park's highest point and has traditionally served as an event venue. The property and nearby Lookout Point now require multiple maintenance updates. Security improvements are also needed after a recent string of break-ins that resulted in damage, according to Austin Parks and Recreation.

City Council authorized a $6.07 million contract for the facility and security updates, funded with historic preservation dollars from Austin's hotel occupancy tax revenue. Construction is expected to begin later this year and wrap up in 2027.

Quote of note: “This is a very important moment, not only for protecting the history of the Zilker Preserve and the Zilker Clubhouse, but making it safer and more accessible to all," council member Paige Ellis said.

From a new apartment community in Austin to a trail in Cedar Park, here are five of the most expensive projects filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in the Austin metro this week.

1. Pflugerville Business Park ($37 million): This project involves the construction of the shell industrial buildings with speculative office space in each.

2. Oak Hill Highline Phase II ($26 million): Construction on a 129,306-square-foot apartment community will begin in September.

3. Buda Sportsplex Phase I ($15.2 million): A multifaceted expansion and enhancement of the Buda Sportsplex began last summer and will run through September.

4. Lakeline Park to WilCo trail connection and pedestrian bridge ($9.65 million): This project involves the construction of a one-mile trail connecting Lakeline Park to the Brushy Creek Regional Trail, including a pedestrian bridge crossing South Bell Boulevard.

5. Cedar Park Police Department dispatch renovation ($3 million): This project involves approximately 5,000 square feet of office space renovation for the communications center relocation. 

The Texas Supreme Court on May 15 denied Gov. Greg Abbott’s request to remove state Rep. Gene Wu from office after the Houston Democrat led his colleagues in a walkout to protest congressional redistricting last summer.

The details: In the court’s majority opinion, Chief Justice Jimmy Blacklock ruled that because Wu and other House Democrats “voluntarily returned” to the Capitol two weeks after their August departure, it was not necessary for the court to get involved.

The court also rejected a petition by Attorney General Ken Paxton to expel Wu and 12 other Democrats over the walkout, consolidating the two requests in one ruling.

What they're saying: Wu celebrated the ruling in a May 15 statement, saying that "the Constitution does not let a governor erase voters’ choices when their choices are inconvenient to him."

Abbott's office argued the governor's August lawsuit helped end the walkout and said the state was prepared to fight future quorum breaks: "If Democrats abandon their offices again, the governor will bring them right back to the Texas Supreme Court."