Austin planners have detailed a new citywide strategy to allow taller buildings in various places, in exchange for affordable housing. The proposal responds to direction from City Council last year to revise a similar program, and the impacts of a new state law.

The details: After over a year of sometimes-controversial rezonings and new construction under Austin's "DB90" building program, city planners have proposed a replacement this spring. The citywide density bonus, or DBC, would allow different building heights in different places.

DB90 allowed a blanket 90-foot total of building height for projects that committed to either include some affordable housing, or pay the city fees. Under DBC, additional building height ranging from 0-60 feet beyond current allowances could be tacked on in exchange for affordable housing. City planners said the program's multiple tiers responds to different neighborhood contexts around Austin and a changing housing market.

Round Rock ISD will allocate resources at some campuses to support instruction and student performance, based on accountability performance and with the backing of grant funding. 

What you need to know: Trustees approved improvement plans for:

• Anderson Mill Elementary School

• Callison Elementary School

• Joe Lee Johnson Elementary School

• Bluebonnet Elementary School

• Wells Branch Elementary School

• Deerpark Middle School

These plans emphasize instructional improvements and curriculum adjustments to help teachers improve the performance of their students. This will come in the form of support for instructors, professional development and ongoing progress monitoring, administrators said. 

Did you know? The district received a "B" rating overall in 2025, with about 80% of all campuses earning a rating of "B" or higher.

Check out six upcoming or ongoing transportation projects across the Austin metro.

Upcoming projects
183A Toll at Scottsdale Drive dedicated U-turn
Project: This project will shift through-lanes west and construct a new right-turn lane at Scottsdale Drive.
Update: Plans that include the first 30% of the design process are being reviewed.

• Timeline: expected completion winter 2027

• Cost: $1.3 million

• Funding source: 2022 transportation bond

Ongoing projects
Austin to shutter South Terminal as airport expansion continues; future Concourse M designs revealed
The South Terminal at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport officially shut down March 31 after less than a decade in operation.

The auxiliary terminal will be demolished to make way for new midfield taxiways as part of the multiyear Journey with AUS campus expansion. That includes the addition of the 26-gate Concourse B with a new connecting tunnel to the existing Barbara Jordan Terminal, and the development of a temporary six-gate southern terminal called Concourse M.

Three medical cannabis businesses have been conditionally approved to participate in the Texas Compassionate Use Program, state officials announced April 1.

The big picture: The companies received conditional licenses from the Texas Department of Public Safety in an effort to expand access to medical cannabis products. Under the compassionate use program, physicians can prescribe medical-grade, low-THC products to eligible patients in partnership with licensed dispensaries.

Zooming in: Two of the three businesses given conditional licenses April 1 are affiliated with existing medical cannabis dispensaries that work in several other states. The new licensees are:

• GTI Texas, LLC (doing business as RISE Dispensaries) in West Texas

• Cresco Labs Texas, LLC in East Texas

• Texas Medica Collective, LLC in Northeast Texas

Conditional licensees must pass additional state evaluations before they can begin operating, according to the DPS.

More context: As Texas expands its medical cannabis program, the state is also tightening restrictions on the multibillion-dollar consumable hemp industry, Community Impact reported.