When Buda Mayor Lee Urbanovsky first ran for the City Council in 2016, former council member Wiley Hopkins told him the city’s transportation system needed a second crossing on Onion Creek, he said.

Ten years later, on July 17, the second creek crossing became a reality with the opening of a new bridge on Cole Springs Road and the official launch of The Colony at Cole Springs, a new 496-home master-planned community.

The overview: The Cole Springs Road bridge project was originally approved in 2021. M/I Homes and Meritage Homes provided a shared $7.6 million infrastructure investment to develop the bridge, according to a Buda news release.

The bridge will provide community members and first responders a faster route to travel in the city, connecting Cole Springs Road with FM 2770, Urbanovsky said.

Diving deeper: The Colony of Cole Springs development is located on the west side of Onion Creek and the new bridge. Homes in the community are currently for sale as the neighborhood is further developed.

A new full-service bar featuring wine, beer and liquor called Happy Foxhole has opened at Memorial Miniature Golf and Museum in Buda.

The details: The bar is family-friendly until 9 p.m., with indoor and outdoor seating, seven TVs to watch sports and arcade and sweepstakes games. The venue also hosts events such as bingo, live music and karaoke. Other unique events include speed puzzling and Magic: The Gathering card clubs. Happy Foxhole is co-owned by local husband-and-wife duo David Pearc and Naomi Kramer-Pearc. 

A closer look: Happy Foxhole is currently in its soft opening phase, with plans to host a grand opening once the weather cools off. In the future, Kramer-Pearc said the location hopes to update the playground area, bring in more food trucks and arcade games, and begin offering frozen drink options.

"We'd like to work with the community closely and do a lot of community events," Kramer-Pearc said.

• 1710 N. FM 1626, Buda

Canyon Lake’s former Holiday Inn Club Vacations Hill Country Resort is being transformed into a condominium development.

About the project: The condominium development, named Limestone Landing, will have 72 condos across six buildings. The community will offer 800-square-foot, two-bedroom, two-bathroom condominiums, according to a news release.

The property was acquired by Missouri-based developer KC Hospitality in April 2025, Jeff Wait, KC Hospitality’s director of development, told Community Impact. Limestone Landing will offer various amenities, including a sand volleyball court, resort-style pool, pickleball court, basketball court and pavilion.

“I think it will be a really cool gathering place for the community,” Wait said.

Digging deeper: The property will help create investment opportunities by providing a “cost-effective” way for individuals to purchase or lease, Wait said. There will be units starting at $99,000, which will give buyers the opportunity to renovate and personalize their condo. There will also be units starting at $149,000 that will feature newly renovated interiors, the release states.

A new subdivision in Leander, off-campus student housing in Austin, and a pair of oil change spots are among the five most expensive projects filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in the Austin metro this week.

1. 900 West 23rd: This project involves the new construction of off-campus student housing.

2. Glory Hill Subdivision ($3.5 million): Glory Hill Subdivision is a new construction project in Leander for 43 single-family lots on 15.45 acres.

3. Brushy Creek MUD Sewer Capacity Project ($1.9 million): This project involves the installation of 3,000 linear feet of 12" sewer line, crossing through an existing accessible parking space located at Brushy Creek North Park.

4. Jiffy Lube ($1.8 million): This project includes the construction of a commercial building for use as a 2,226 square-foot Jiffy Lube.

5. Valvoline ($1.4 million): A 3,447 square-foot Valvoline Instant Oil Change is planned for Austin.

Sandy Creek resident Georgia Bishop was out of town when 22 inches of rain fell on parts of northwest Travis County over the July 4, 2025, weekend. When Bishop returned home days later, her community was significantly changed.

What happened: Residents of the hard-hit Sandy Creek neighborhood described a “wall of water” that tore through their community last July, washing away homes, cars and roads. Nine people died in the flooding, including Bishop’s best friend, 16-year-old Felicity Jarmon.

The context: One year later, residents of the unincorporated Travis County community are still working to rebuild from last July’s catastrophic flooding. Central Texas has seen two straight years of intense, deadly flooding in July, leaving some residents on edge as they recover from last year’s disaster and mourn lost loved ones.

Community Impact spoke with Bishop and Kylie Nidever, whose neighborhood in Hunt flooded last year, on July 13, days before heavy rainfall hit large swaths of the state once again. Officials confirmed two deaths due to this year's floods, while 137 people died last July.