ATX-SCA: Impact 10/27/2025

City Council signed off on hundreds of millions of dollars of new spending related to the Austin Convention Center redevelopment this fall, as a campaign seeking to halt the project aims to put the process to a public vote next spring.

The details: The financing items and overall project were strongly backed this week by downtown business leaders and hoteliers, who cited the convention center as an "economic engine" supporting local jobs and Austin's place in the tourism industry. Council's Oct. 23 approvals came over the opposition of some residents promoting a campaign to halt the expansion, who said the project is unnecessary and pulling resources from cultural programs.

New spending will go toward the overall construction project, as well as a new Austin Energy facility, mobility improvements on Red River Street, and marketing of the convention center expansion.

Also of note: Some Austinites are pushing back on the overall project, and the public could end up considering whether to halt the redevelopment in a May election.

The Austin community is officially preparing for the upcoming holiday season with Austin Energy stringing the 155-foot-tall Christmas light tree at Zilker Park.

The setup: The tree is formed using 39 strings of LED bulbs which feature 81 red, yellow, green and blue bulbs. Lights are placed strategically so the yellow bulbs create a swirl pattern, accompanying a 10-foot by 10-foot double star at the head of the display.

The historic moonlight tower in the park which is used as the base for the holiday tree is one of the original 31 towers that the city used for its urban lighting system in 1895, as stated in a news release. Today, the tower is one of 17 original towers still remaining in Austin.

Stay tuned: The lighting of the tree will happen right after Thanksgiving on Nov. 30 at 5:15 p.m. at Zilker Park. Attendees can look forward to live music, entertainment and food.

• Zilker Park, 2100 Barton Springs Road, Austin

Restaurateur Wade McElroy and chef Nicholas Ford had a “a dollar and a dream,” opening a cozy Italian eatery in September, according to the company’s social media.

In a nutshell: Inspired by Northeast neighborhood spots, the venture—known as Rocco’s Neighborhood Joint—features Italian favorites like Noni’s meatballs and arancini as well as a selection of antipasti, salads, pastas and a collection of wines.

The “mom and pop” shop is open Wednesday through Sunday evenings.

• 5001 Airport Blvd., Austin

Travis County officials approved a $124,953 feasibility study Oct. 21 to explore a potential commuter rail line between Austin and San Antonio.

The big picture: Championed by Travis County Judge Andy Brown, the study will examine passenger rail options along state-managed land near highways, potentially connecting the Amtrak station in San Antonio to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Brown said the goal is to use existing corridors like SH 130 and I-10 to avoid major land acquisition and speed up development.

Why it matters: Brown said a rail line could remove up to 25% of I-35 traffic between the two cities as the corridor’s population—projected to reach 8 million by 2050—continues to grow. The study will run 175 days and include engineering, ridership and cost analyses.

Zooming out: The project complements a separate TxDOT study reviewing 11 alternatives along I-35, including commuter rail and multimodal lanes. Rail ranked as the top community preference in 2024 public feedback sessions.

Here are the top trending Community Impact stories in the Austin metro from Oct. 20-24.