The San Marcos City Council is once again considering zoning and map designation changes related to a potential data center that has received pushback from residents over potential high water and energy usage.

In a nutshell: The council heard a presentation on a request to amend the Preferred Scenario Map designation for approximately 200 acres of land on the western side of Francis Harris Lane at a Dec. 16 meeting.

The San Marcos Planning and Zoning Commission approved a recommendation for the designation amendment and zoning change at a Jan. 13 meeting.

The overview: The recent request, submitted in October, is the second designation amendment application for the tract of land by owners Highlander SM One LLC. 

The owners hope to develop a data center on the land with an associated zoning change, according to previous Community Impact reporting.

The impact: Residents raised worries regarding the potential impact on livestock in the area, high water usage, excessive electricity usage and possible utility cost increase.

The next steps: The council will address the designation request at multiple upcoming meetings.

Café Cortado, a coffee truck featuring European-inspired menu items, opened to the public under new management on Dec. 10 when Lyndsay Lantz, a long-time customer of the coffee truck, took ownership of the business.

How we got here: Café Cortado first opened on May 31, 2024, under the ownership of local Krendi Harmon. The truck window closed for an extended break on Sept. 2, 2025, before the change in ownership and reopening in December.

On the menu: Many classic menu items from Café Cortado’s original menu remains available, such as the banana pudding latte; Dubai chocolate latte; and the caramel, chocolate and coconut latte.

What's changed? Customers looking to expand their order may check out new drinks such as the lavender lemon latte, rosemary honey latte and the pistachio latte.

The coffee truck team also makes simple syrups in-house, including:

• Pistachio
• Lavender
• Rosemary
• Lemon
• Honey
• Brown sugar

• 221 North St., San Marcos

Wondering what’s behind recent lane changes or detours? Several road and pedestrian projects across Southwest Austin are reshaping local traffic and enhancing safety for all road users. Transportation updates from the city of Austin and Texas Department of Transportation indicate several changes across Southwest Austin.

Ongoing projects:
I-35 Capital Express South
Plans for the stretch of highway include adding two high-occupancy-vehicle, or HOV, lanes in each direction between Hwy. 71 and SH 45 Southeast. The project will also include a southbound I-35 bypass lane that will allow traffic to bypass Stassney Lane and William Cannon Drive. According to a December update from TxDOT, crews have completed 61 of the needed 98 columns to support the planned elevated managed lanes. 

Slaughter Lane: Work includes widening the roadway from four to six lanes, adding shared-use paths, signal upgrades and landscaping enhancements. Spanning FM 1826 to Old Lockhart Road, the project is aimed at increasing safety for pedestrians and bicyclists as well as increasing mobility. The most recent phase of work kicked off this past summer.