As Austin celebrates the 40th year of South by Southwest Conference & Festivals, the event that began with just 150 anticipated attendees has grown into one of the festival industry’s most influential events. From March 12-18, Austin will host thousands of artists, entrepreneurs, industry leaders and art lovers.

At a glance: The Austin Convention Center has served as the central hub for SXSW since 1993. Due to construction at the convention center, this year’s festival will operate around three central clubhouses for Film & TV, Music and Innovation.

What's new: For the first time, all three segments of the festival will take place during the same week.

40 years of history: SXSW was started in 1986 by Roland Swenson, Louis Jay Meyers, Louis Black and Nick Barbaro, with the first festival taking place in the spring of 1987.

A sneak peek: The All-American Rejects will kick off the music festival at the SXSW Music Opening Party. 

Home energy provider Base Power is no longer pursuing a multimillion-dollar city incentive deal for a new manufacturing facility but may still be expanding its local presence.

The details: The Austin-based power company was founded in 2023 and currently has an office near downtown. Last year, Base announced $1 billion in fundraising to develop its first Texas factory at the former home of the Austin American-Statesman.

Earlier this year, city officials were slated to consider another investment from Base under Austin's Business Expansion Program for a $265 million manufacturing and production facility on the east side. A proposed economic development agreement expected to support hundreds of new local jobs was up for City Council consideration Feb. 5, but was pulled before a vote. Base's incentive for more than half of Austin property taxes over a 10-year period would've been worth up to $4.9 million.

While the city incentive deal fell through, the company may still be pursuing added space in East Austin, according to a state project filing.

As swim season nears, the reopening of Barton Springs Pool has been delayed to complete a maintenance project.

The overview: The pool closed Feb. 23 for maintenance. It was originally slated to reopen March 13, but Austin officials announced March 21 as its new tentative reopening date. Weather could cause further delays in the pool's reopening.

The details: The delay is due to the Barton Springs Skimmer Project, according to a city news release. The project consists of removing aging infrastructure within the pool. During the removal, crews "encountered conditions" that will require more time and specialized equipment to safely complete work, according to the release.

For more information on the project, view previous Community Impact reporting here.

From a state office building to a gas station and more, here are five of the most expensive projects filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in the Austin metro this week.

1. Texas Facilities Commission Pflugerville State Office Building: A four-story, 100,000-square-foot site featuring a conferencing center, flexible work suites and offices will house two state agencies.

2. Crescent Bluff West sections nine and 10 in Georgetown: The subdivision is slated to grow larger with an additional 3,384,612 square feet of single-family residential space. 

3. Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Pflugerville: Seating for 300 people, restrooms, classrooms and offices are among the amenities planned for a one-story, 16,644-square-foot sanctuary.

4. Fuel Hub in San Marcos: Motorists traveling through San Marcos will have another place to fill their tanks once a 20,500-square-foot facility is constructed. 

5. Cash America Pawn in Austin: A pawn shop will be rebuilt on its existing site after the previous facility was damaged in a fire. It will total 5,156 square feet when complete. 

The Travis County Commissioners Court approved $12 million in funding for a new Precinct 2 building at a March 3 meeting.

The new facility comes as the county prepares to borrow $138 million through certificates of obligation in fiscal year 2025-26.

A closer look: The county has identified a new facility for its Precinct 2 office in Northwest Travis County, said Michelle Surka, Travis County assistant budget director. The Travis County Precinct 2 Constable's Office and Justice of the Peace Precinct 2 building is currently located at 10409 Burnet Road, Austin.

The $12 million in approved funding would cover the $11.5 million purchase of the property and $500,000 to design renovations. An additional $8 million in funding would be needed in FY 2026-27 for renovation-related construction costs, according to county documents.

The impact: The issuance of $138.88 million in debt for FY 2025-26 would increase a homeowner's annual tax bill by $13 based on an average taxable homestead value of $515,212, according to county documents.