Georgetown officials presented a proposed sidewalk cafe and street patio pilot program to City Council members Sept. 8. The program will include the three blocks around the courthouse square and will allow downtown businesses to expand activity past their front steps.

About the program: Council members agreed to extend the pilot program to two years to accommodate construction timelines and costs. The program will prioritize street patios, which are converted parking spaces. Businesses can use up to three adjacent parking spaces each, but street patios are not allowed on the square or Austin Avenue.

What you need to know: To keep walkways safe, the program includes specific rules:

• Structures cannot be fully enclosed and must have protective railings.

• Power cords cannot run across sidewalks.

• Designs must preserve continuous, accessible routes for pedestrians.

Program permitting fees start at $210 per year for sidewalk cafes, plus parking utilization fees for street patios. Using all three parking spaces costs $7,410 per year.

Georgetown Cyclewerx is relocating this fall, owner Paul Littlefield confirmed.

What's happening? The bike shop is moving from the Williamsburg Village Shopping Center on Williams Drive to a stand-alone building on Morrow Street. The new location will put the shop next to San Gabriel Park, where cyclists ride on the Randy Morrow Trail, Littlefield said.

"We feel like we're just moving where everybody likes to play," Littlefield said.

The business sells a variety of bicycles for adults and kids, and also offers repair services.

Polished Smiles of Round Rock, a comprehensive dental services provider, opened in mid-September near the city's border with Hutto and Georgetown.

Zooming in: Patients at the practice will be seen by Drs. Daniel Im and Laura Maxey, who provide a full range of oral health services, including general, restorative, cosmetic and emergency dentistry.

• 4450 University Blvd., Ste. 150, Round Rock

A senior living facility in Leander, a LongHorn Steakhouse in Kyle and a drive-thru coffee shop in Cedar Park are among the five most expensive projects filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in the Austin metro this week.

1. Hayden Grove Northline ($50 million): This project involves the construction of a senior independent living, assisted living and memory care facility with associated common-use spaces.

2. 901 E. Fifth St. refresh ($39 million): This project involves the renovation of the first through fourth floors of 901 E. Fifth St. in Austin. Renovations include the Level 1 lobby area and the addition of amenities to Level 2, including a conference center, fitness center and tenant lounge.

3. LongHorn Steakhouse ($3.5 million): A new LongHorn Steakhouse location is coming to Kyle, with construction set to begin in December. 

4. LaundroLab ($1.5 million): This project involves the demolition of the interior of a former restaurant to build a laundromat. 

5. 7 Brew ($400,000): A new 7 Brew location is coming to Cedar Park. Construction on the drive-thru coffee shop is set to wrap up in December.

Circuit of the Americas is gearing up to go beyond racing with the opening of COTALAND Theme Park later this month.

A closer look: Officials said the park will offer everything from extreme-thrill coasters to children’s rides and family-friendly attractions.

Learn more: The roughly 30-acre park will feature 33 attractions, with a compact layout designed in part to help keep guests and employees cooler during hot Central Texas summers.

Bobby Epstein, chairman and founder of COTA, discussed the approach with Community Impact before construction began.

“Most parks would spread this many rides out over a wider space, but what we’ve tried to do with this park is actually condense it a little bit so that we have more shade,” Epstein said.

What's next? Beyond COTALAND, officials said they are planning a water park and, longer term, an on-site resort to expand the venue's year-round entertainment offerings.

Community Impact will provide more details as plans develop.

• Opening Sept. 26

• 9111 Circuit of the Americas Blvd., Del Valle

Some Texas Republican leaders have vowed to get rid of the property taxes that homeowners pay to their local public school districts, and lawmakers are analyzing how much it would cost to do so.

The big picture: Texas school districts collect about $29 billion per year in maintenance and operations taxes, which cover schools' daily expenses.

Of that $29 billion in school tax revenue, the state comptroller's office estimates that about $8.6 billion is paid by homeowners, and the rest comes from commercial and industrial property taxes.

This means the state would need to spend at least $8.6 billion annually to zero out homeowners' school property tax bills, officials said.

Quote of note: "Broadly speaking, you have a question about how much you want to fund schools, and then separately, where does that money come from?" Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath said during a Sept. 15 legislative hearing. "If you have a target of how much you want to spend, you need to make sure you have enough variable revenue sources to reach that."