Georgetown City Council directed city staff to create a pilot program for downtown businesses to use the sidewalk and parking spaces in front of their establishments, following a presentation on downtown parklets at a Nov. 25 City Council workshop.

The pilot program could begin in spring 2026.

The overview: Sidewalk cafes, which entail expanding business activity onto the sidewalk, are included in Georgetown’s downtown master plan as a way for businesses to engage pedestrians and have more activity outside their storefronts.

The parklets would build on the sidewalk cafe idea by allowing businesses to set up removable seating and dining areas in striped parking spaces, Georgetown Chief Development Officer Kelly Treitsch said.

Council members showed widespread interest in the downtown parklets, and asked that the pilot program have definitive start and end dates and be geared toward businesses off the square.

In case you missed it: Georgetown opened its first downtown parking garage Nov. 21. The city also plans to expand downtown sidewalks by removing 71 of the 120 parking spots in the square.

Paris Baguette, a bakery and cafe, will build its first Georgetown location, according to a filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

The details: The cafe will be built in the Bluebonnet Plaza shopping center off of University Avenue. Scheduled to start construction in February, the $750,000 project will add a patio to existing store space, according to the filing.

Paris Baguette has an anticipated completion time frame of July.

On the menu: The bakery's menu offers tiramisu and tarts, breakfast pastries and other sweets as well as sandwiches and coffee.

• 1314 W. University Ave., Georgetown

Georgetown ISD has acquired an 188.7-acre site in northeast Georgetown that could be used to build future campuses.

What you need to know: The GISD board of trustees approved the $8.4 million land purchase at a July 21 meeting. The property is located at the intersection of FM 1105 and CR 153 in the Walburg area, according to district documents obtained by Community Impact in November through a public records request.

The backstory: Demographers have projected that the district will see additional growth in its eastern portion, prompting the district to purchase the property for future schools, said Melinda Brasher, executive director for communications and community engagement.

The impact: The 188.7-acre property is large enough to accommodate a high school, middle school and elementary school “eventually, when needed,” Brasher said.

Stay tuned: The district does not have construction plans for the site at this time and would need voter approval through a future bond election to build more campuses, Brasher said.

Bastrop County officials are lobbying Texas State University to expand into the community.

The details: Precinct 4 Commissioner David Glass wrote a letter of support to Brian McCall, chancellor of the Texas State University System, on behalf of the Bastrop County Commissioners Court.

“The establishment of a Texas State University presence in Bastrop County would directly strengthen our regional workforce pipeline, provide lifelong learning opportunities for residents and support employers who are investing in our community’s long-term prosperity,” he said in the letter. “It represents the kind of forward-thinking collaboration that keeps Central Texas at the forefront of global competitiveness.”

A dozen new Texas laws are scheduled to take effect Dec. 4. The new laws come 90 days after the end of a special legislative session that took place this summer.

The overview: Some of the bills becoming law Dec. 4 include:

• House Bill 8, which will replace the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR, with three shorter exams beginning in fall 2027
• House Bill 18, which is designed to deter future legislators from leaving the Texas Capitol to prevent a legislative chamber from considering legislation, known as breaking quorum
• Senate Bill 54, which will roll back a short-lived rule that allowed registered Texas voters who moved within a county to update their address at the polls and immediately vote in their new precinct