A new ordinance change will allow residential daycares in Leander, enabling home child care providers to look after more children.

Leander City Council voted 6-1 July 16 to expand the capacity of in-home daycares from five to six children. Additionally, this ordinance change allows qualifying daycares to look after six more children after school for a total of 12.

The details: With the approval of this ordinance, in-home daycares that meet specific requirements can look after up to 12 children after school. These daycares would have to obtain a permit from the city, which would ensure the businesses meet traffic, parking and outdoor play area requirements.

There are over 30 in-home daycares in Leander, according to city officials.

The context: Before this ordinance was passed, in-home daycares could only look after a maximum of five children, fewer than those in surrounding cities like Round Rock and Cedar Park.

Sangam Chettinad Indian Cuisine & Bar will open a restaurant in the Cedar Park-Leander area, marking the third location in the Austin metro, according to a representative of the concept.

What’s on the menu: Sangam Chettinad serves authentic Indian food, more specifically, cuisine of the Chettinad region of Tamil Nadu, according to the restaurant’s website.
The expansive menu includes an assortment of vegetarian and non-vegetarian soups, Biryani, indo-chinese and tiffin combinations. Additionally, Sangam’s authentic entrees include meals like Chettinad egg masala and Karaikudi nattu kozhi varuval.

Of note: Following the 2018 opening of its first location on Parmer Lane, a second spot was established in Round Rock in 2025.

• 14300 Ronald Reagan Blvd., Bldg. 1, Suite 104-106, Leander

Williamson County commissioners are considering slowing down the justice center complex project, which plans to construct a jail and courtrooms near SE Inner Loop in Georgetown, in order to prioritize community engagement.

Officials discussed the next steps of the project at a July 21 Commissioners Court meeting.

The current situation: The county is currently wrapping up Phase 2 of planning for the new justice center complex, a project that began a year ago with an initial needs assessment. Although the county has purchased a site for the project, commissioners said they have not authorized final designs, contractors or any actual construction.

Commissioners are pushing to slow down the process to rebuild public trust and actively engage local residents, the school district and the city of Georgetown, Precinct 4 commissioner Russ Boles said at the meeting.

What's next: County Manager Rebecca Clemons plans to bring a proposal for public engagement and to begin preliminary design concepts to the first Commissioners Court meeting in August.

A Burlington in Kyle, a Fairfield Inn in Bastrop and an AutoZone in Austin are among the five most expensive projects filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in the Austin metro this week.

1. Burlington ($16.5 million): A new Burlington store is coming to the Kyle Park mixed-use development.

2. Fairfield Inn Staybridge Suites ($10 million): A new 121-key hotel is coming to Bastrop, with construction set to conclude in summer 2028.

3. Slaughter Lane Signal Improvements ($1.2 million): This project includes the installation of accessible pedestrian push-buttons, pedestrian signal poles, and renovation of curb ramps and adjacent sidewalks at 11 traffic signals on the Slaughter Lane corridor.

4. AutoZone ($1.1 million): A new AutoZone location is planned for Austin. The 6,446 square-foot auto parts store is set to begin construction in April.

5. Jersey Mike's ($250,000): A new Jersey Mike's is planned for Cedar Park. The 1,457-square-foot sandwich shop is expected to be completed in October.