Estella, a seasonal Mexican-inspired restaurant, is coming to Canyon Ranch in Spicewood for overnight guests and property owners this fall.

The overview: Award-winning chef Val M. Cantú will spearhead Estella, highlighting local ingredients and Mexican cuisine.

Cantú is the culinary director and chef-in-residence at Canyon Ranch. He is also the chef and owner of Californios, the first Mexican restaurant to have earned two Michelin-stars, according to the Culinary Institute of America.

The details: Along with Estella, Canyon Ranch will include a spa, fitness barn, on site health and wellness providers and a variety of daily activities.

Estella will open to overnight guests and property owners in fall 2026 along with the rest of Canyon Ranch.

• 600 Moonlight Bend, Spicewood

A potential fall bond election could ask voters to approve hundreds of millions of dollars of new debt, and Austin officials and community members are pursuing different approaches to shape the final package.

The details: City Council called for the development of a new comprehensive bond package funding various city needs in 2024. Since then, a resident-led task force and city staff have been reviewing what projects could be funded. With a changing civic financial outlook, council members also revised the policies that guide how and when bond elections should be called earlier this year.

After staff produced a $700 million bond projects recommendation in January, the bond task force released its own draft totaling $750 million this month and will finalize its proposal in May. At the same time, some council members called for a much smaller package this year—$400 million or less—to potentially be complemented by another bond in 2028 for priorities that wouldn't be covered this year.

A 2026 bond will be finalized later this summer.

Check out the latest transportation updates around the Austin metro.

Upcoming projects

Austin Transit Partnership approves Light Rail maintenance building construction, land acquisition contracts: On April 15, the agency approved a contract in an amount not to exceed $25 million for the construction of an operations and maintenance facility as part of Phase 1 of the project. The facility will serve as the light rail's home base for the trains to be cleaned, serviced and maintained. The agency also approved a resolution not to exceed $230 million to acquire up to 18 parcels of property to use as part of Phase 1.

Ongoing projects

Greenlawn Boulevard widening
Project: The city of Round Rock is reconstructing Greenlawn Boulevard from an existing four-lane divided roadway to a six-lane divided urban roadway with pedestrian and lighting improvements.
Update: Per city officials, the traffic pattern was adjusted in March, reducing a portion of Greenlawn Boulevard to one lane in each direction.

• Timeline: completion is expected by April 2027

• Cost: $13.95 million

• Funding source: type B sales tax revenue

Texans interested in casting a ballot in next month’s primary runoff election have until April 27 to register to vote or update their registration, if applicable.

The background: Texas’ primary runoff election will be held May 26. A runoff is held when no candidate secures over half of the vote in a partisan primary race.

Registering to vote: Prospective voters must submit a paper application, which is available online. Applications must be printed, signed and mailed to the voter registration office in a voter’s county of residence.

On the ballot: Various federal, state and local races will appear on the May 26 runoff ballot.

At the top of the ticket, Republican voters will pick between incumbent Sen. John Cornyn and state Attorney General Ken Paxton to determine the party’s nominee for U.S. Senate. The winner of that race will face state Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin, in November.

Something to note: The runoff election is separate from upcoming local elections, which take place May 2. Visit www.communityimpact.com/voter-guide for more information about those elections.