Hundreds of new units were cleared for construction during the initial year of the Home Ownership for Middle-income Empowerment, or HOME, initiative's first phase allowing for more housing on single-family lots.

The details: The effects of the new policy are already being felt around Austin, although more time may be needed to determine its clear outcomes on housing affordability, resident displacement, public infrastructure and the environment, according to city reporting.

City Council required annual reporting on HOME's impacts when the land-use update was approved in late 2023. During its first year in effect, from February 2024 through February 2025, the city approved plans for more than 400 new housing units, including many projects featuring multiple homes on a property.

The city's first in-depth analysis, released Nov. 19, suggests HOME is "beginning to achieve its intended objectives without triggering widespread negative impacts." However, city staff wrote that further annual reviews are likely needed before drawing conclusions about HOME's potential success or consequences.

The median price for homes in the Central Austin market remained the same for October 2025 compared to last year, according to Unlock MLS data.

The breakdown: The median home price across Central Austin’s 12 ZIP codes was $750,000 in October, with no change year over year.

The 78752 ZIP code saw the greatest change year over year, with the median home price decreasing by -35.57% in October 2025 compared to October 2024.

In September 2025, The median home price for the market was $780,000, up 18.18% compared to September 2024, as previously reported by Community Impact.

What else: Across all 12 ZIP codes in Central Austin, homes saw a slight increase in days spent on the market. The 78752 ZIP code again saw the greatest change year over year, spending about 224% more time on the market compared to last year.

In October 2025, the largest share of homes sold in Central Austin was in the $900,000 and over price range.

A new, craft cocktail lounge has opened in North Austin, where locals can indulge in a polished vibe without a trip Downtown.

The overview: Known as Foxtail, the space features 58-seats, while bartenders specialize in craft cocktails such as the Ristretto Martini, a spice-forward riff on an espresso martini, and the Kitsune, a signature old-fashioned built on Suntory Toki Whisky, honey and bitters.

The concept is designed to evoke “old-world charm,” a news release states, and comes from the same team behind Mama Betty’s, the newly opened neighborhoring Tex-Mex restaurant by Jason Carrier.

• 7001 Burnet Road, Ste. 1102, Austin

Google is targeting Texas for future investments in data and artificial infrastructure, with $40 billion expected to be spent on adding three new data centers.

Federal, state and local leaders announced the new centers to be constructed in Armstrong and Haskell counties at a Nov. 14 event at the first Texas Google Data Center in Midlothian, near the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

The gist: One new data center will be constructed in Armstrong County near Amarillo, and two new data centers will be constructed in Haskell County near Abilene. One center in Haskell County will also use a new solar and battery energy storage plant.

“They say that everything is bigger in Texas—and that certainly applies to the golden opportunity with AI,” Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said.

Also of note: The driverless car company Waymo is expanding to North Texas in 2026, Pichai said.