Local communications technology company CesiumAstro has plans to bring a $500 million expansion and hundreds of new jobs to the former West Austin Business Park site, officials announced early this year.

The details: This comes alongside a settlement agreement between the city of Bee Cave and former site developers Wheelock and Velocis, marking the anticipated end of over a year and a half of disputes over the legality of the development.

“To recruit such an exciting industry to Bee Cave, that’s a big win,” Bee Cave Mayor Kara King said.  

What’s next: The goal is for CesiumAstro to begin operations at its new site in 2027, CesiumAstro Chief Financial Officer Ken Smith said.

The settlement agreement was signed by all parties as of Feb. 20, meaning the case will no longer go to court. Former City Manager Clint Garza was dropped as a defendant in the lawsuit Jan. 21 after signing a cooperation agreement with the city.

The Eanes ISD community could see a transformative bond on the ballot in May 2027.

Remember this? EISD's Long-Range Facility Planning Committee presented a list of recommended projects earlier to the board last May, which included projects at each campus such as academic, athletic and fine arts expansions; updated classroom spaces, libraries, gyms, cafeterias and administrative areas; and bus and parking upgrades. 

Breaking it down: The full package of the LRFPC's recommendations would be around $900 million, which would include $800 million for construction and $100 million for the maintenance and operations portion.

Next steps: The board will establish project priorities while taking the LRFPC recommendations into account and establish a Bond Advisory Committee. The first few meetings of the BAC, slated to be held this fall, will establish estimated construction costs in timelines. The board would then receive the BAC's recommendations in December and revise the package as needed before calling for an election in January and holding the election in May.

Austin Homeless Strategies and Operations unveiled its first-ever strategic plan in February, detailing how the city plans to invest and coordinate across the local homelessness response system in the coming year-plus.

The details: The full plan, available to view online, was developed last year and is meant to serve as a blueprint for AHSO from Austin's current fiscal year 2025-26 through FY 2026-27. The city's homelessness office spent months engaging with more than 30 local groups and polling its own team to build out the plan that addresses five high-level objectives, with dozens of specific benchmarks that will be further outlined or completed over the year ahead.

Those include improving how the city tracks its spending and contracts, outcomes for homeless clients, resident and stakeholder engagement, and internal training. New shelter beds and other homelessness facilities are also called for.