Good Morning, South Central Austin!

Top Story
City Council OK's $4.38M property purchase for new Austin homeless services center off I-35

A property off I-35 is expected to serve as a new city homeless navigation center after council members approved the site's acquisition, despite objections of some South Austin residents.

The details: The Sunrise center has drawn criticism given its location near an elementary school and park, and due to frequent public safety and nuisance complaints around the property. Attorney General Ken Paxton also sued to shut the facility down last year; legal proceedings are ongoing this fall with a hearing next scheduled for Nov. 6.

For months, Austin officials have been planning for a relocated navigation center under greater city oversight. The Homeless Strategy Office, now called Austin Homeless Strategies and Operations, announced a property at 2401 S. I-35, Austin as a potential option for the new facility in early September.

City Council voted in favor of the $4.38 million property purchase Oct. 9. The new navigation facility could open as soon as next spring.

 
Latest News
Base Power launches first Texas factory with $1B funding

Battery-powered home energy service Base Power has acquired funds to expand its operations with a Texas factory in the heart of Austin.

What to know: The company has raised $1 billion alongside 20 investors which will help build its first Texas factory in the space previously occupied by the Austin-American Statesman printing press in downtown Austin.

"Base Power is an Austin-born company, and we're excited about deepening our investment in the city with the goal of bringing affordable, reliable power to Texans," Co-founder and CEO Zach Dell said.

The energy storage and power electronics factory will help meet the company’s current and future demands with its plans to expand services nationwide.

“We’re building domestic manufacturing capacity for fixing the grid,” COO and co-founder Justin Lopas said. “The only way to add capacity to the grid is physically deploying hardware, and we need to make that here in the U.S., ourselves.

  • 305 S. Congress Ave., Austin
 
In Your Community
Velvet Taco opens new location in North Central Austin

The Texas taco chain Velvet Taco has opened a new North Austin location on Burnet Road in the previously closed Flyrite Chicken.

A closer look: The new 2,469 square-foot space features 75 indoor seats and 35 patio seats

“This area has incredible energy and growth, and we're unleashing our globally-inspired flavors deeper into Austin's food scene,” General Manager Jared Jaramillo said in a statement.

Velvet Taco’s fusion menu includes more than 20 tacos and bowls with unique flavors such as spicy tikka chicken, beer-battered cauliflower, bacon smash burger and more, according to its website.

The menu also features dishes with brisket roasted for 18 hours, a 48-hour marinated Backdoor Chicken, candied pepitas and Thai basil.

The storefront serves alcoholic beverages, including margaritas and beer, as well as slices of red velvet cake.

Of note: The Dallas-based chain was established in 2011 and has three other locations in the Austin area.

  • 6539 Burnet Road, Austin
 
On The Transportation Beat
Hwy. 290 extension could improve travel between Travis and Bastrop counties

The Central Texas Regional Mobile Authority is planning for a 290 Extension Project—improvements that would reduce congestion between Hwy. 130 and Hwy. 95 South. 

The details: The Mobility Authority is working with the Texas Department of Transportation on a schematic design and an environmental study with other partners, including: 

  • Travis County 
  • Bastrop County 
  • City of Manor 
  • City of Elgin 
  • Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization

The approximately 15-mile stretch of Hwy. 290 under evaluation is among the top-100 most congested road segments in Texas, according to TxDOT. 

What they're saying: “Current congestion levels along [Hwy. 290], just east of Austin, can add up to 17 minutes to an average trip for commuters,” Mobility Authority officials said in a statement. “As the population in the fast-growing Austin metro area continues to increase, those delays will only get worse.”

 

FOODIE FRIDAY
Check out these new restaurants and bars opening across the Austin area.

Himalayan Flavor, a new restaurant serving Nepalese and Indian dishes in Pflugerville, recently opened.


The restaurant’s entrees include butter chicken, tikka masala, curry, biryani, chow mein, fried rice, chicken and tandoori and more. For appetizers, customers will find chicken lollipops, vegetable pakora, chili wings and pani puri. The eatery also serves naan, rice pudding, mango ice cream and rasmalai.


Read now.

 

🎉 Emmer & Rye celebrates one decade of cuisine on Rainey Street
(Read more)

🥪 Bastrop to welcome first Firehouse Subs
(Read more)

🍨 Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt now offering sweet treats in Kyle
(Read more)

🌮 Blue Agave Tex Mex restaurant and bar coming to far Northwest Austin this month
(Read more)

 

The duo behind Veracruz All Natural and Veracruz Fonda & Bar has launched its first mezcalería, La Mezca. Located next to Veracruz Fonda & Bar in Mueller, the business honors small-batch agave spirits and the generations of mezcaleros who create them.


Diners will be able to try more than 20 artisanal mezcals and ancestral agave spirits from family producers in Oaxaca, Guerrero, Durango and San Luis Potosí.


“It’s a celebration of the people, places and time-honored methods that make mezcal what it is,” Reyna Vasquez said. “From small-batch mezcals to rare agave distillates, we want every guest to leave with a deeper appreciation for the culture, complexity and beauty of agave.”


Read now.

Your local team

Elle Bent
Editor

Krista Box
General Manager

Email [email protected] for story ideas, tips or questions.

Keep Reading

No posts found