A new arena football team is slated to make the Austin area its home, beginning its first season in spring 2027 as a member of the Indoor Football League, or IFL, team owner Vivi Lin told Community Impact. The team, which will be known as the ATX Draft, is “seriously considering” establishing its base of operations at the H-E-B Center in Cedar Park, Lin said.

The details: The team is in talks with the H-E-B Center and has received strong support from local leaders, including Mayor Jim Penniman-Morin and Chief Economic Development Officer Arthur Jackson, Lin said. She added that the team will focus on community engagement and aims to give fans more access than a typical professional sports team.

“We designed a lot of our resources and impact in the community to strengthen the families, develop leaders, create economic opportunities for local businesses and ultimately just to serve the Greater Austin community,” Lin said.

What's next: The team will share more details at a media launch event Aug. 5, Lin said.

A new restaurant is bringing South Indian cooking to Leander.

The details: The Pulao Company, named after the one-pot rice dish, opened July 8. While the restaurant offers both vegetarian pulaos and those made with a variety of meats, the menu also features soups, naans and biryanis.

The Pulao Company also has a location in Frisco.

• 13920 Ronald Reagan Blvd., Ste. 100, Leander

Local Italian restaurant, Dough It Up, is set to open its first Leander location in late August, owner Mimoza Hajmeli said.

The new restaurant represents the brand's second storefront. Dough It Up's first location opened in Cedar Park in October 2025.

What’s on the menu: Dough It Up is a scratch kitchen that follows traditional Italian recipes, specializing in homemade pasta, brick oven pizza and homemade sauces, Hajmeli said. Additionally, the menu includes beer and Italian wine.

15609 Ronald W. Reagan Blvd., Ste. D160, Leander

A new report from the Central Texas Community Foundation shows that in the year since July floods impacted the Texas Hill Country, the Round Rock-based nonprofit generated $9.4 million in donations to support those impacted. 

The big picture: The foundation released a one-year impact report July 1 detailing fundraising efforts in the wake of historic flooding impacting much of Central Texas in July 2025. 

Zooming in: The report shows over 1,200 individual donors as well as 150 organizers and corporate partners supported the Travis and Williamson County CARES Funds, with $8 million in direct financial assistance distributed to impacted families. An additional $1.4 million in flood recovery funding was distributed in Burnet and Concho counties, according to the foundation. 

This funding assisted about 260 families located in Travis and Williamson counties, the report states.

A storage facility and additions to Dessau Middle School in Austin, along with Costco renovations in Pflugerville, are among the five most expensive projects filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in the Austin metro this week.

1. Tri-Supply Austin ($13.5 million): This project involves new construction for a warehouse and office spaces.

2. Driftwood Storage ($5.5 million): This project involves expanding an existing self-storage facility by adding seven single-story buildings.

3. Minimax and Max Express ($4 million): This project involves the construction of a new convenience store and car wash with related site work.

4. Dessau Middle School additions ($2.5 million): This project involves a multipurpose room addition with locker rooms and an office, connected to the existing campus.

5. Costco Renovations ($320,000): Improvements to the Pflugerville Costco food court will begin in September. The project includes the removal and replacement of fixtures and finishes.