A new pickleball facility, PickleTex, broke ground in late February in Georgetown near the Liberty Hill and Leander border.

In a nutshell: PickleTex will feature nine outdoor pickleball courts with full coverage and lighting. The facility plans to offer open play, court reservations, coaching, clinics and events for both members and nonmembers, according to a company spokesperson.

The business plans to open early this summer. 

• 6827 Hwy. 29, Georgetown

From City Council elections to countywide infrastructure and public safety initiatives, here are five recent updates affecting Leander and the surrounding area this February.

1. Annette Sponseller sworn in as Leander's newest City Council member
Annette Sponseller was sworn in as Leander Place 4 council member Feb. 19. Both Sponseller and Mayor Na'Cole Thompson took the oath of office Feb. 17 after votes were canvassed.

2. Leander moves forward with International Dark Sky Place application
Leander City Council gave the green light Feb. 19 to move forward with an application to be recognized as an International Dark Sky Place by nonprofit organization DarkSky International. An International Dark Sky Community is a legally organized entity that has shown dedication to preserving quality views of the night sky by reducing light pollution.

3. Regional deep-water intake project a step closer to finish line
A project to draw water from the deepest parts of Lake Travis to supply the Brushy Creek Regional Utility Authority—which serves, Cedar Park, Round Rock and Leander—has marked another step forward.

Home prices fell in Cedar Park and surrounding areas in January compared to the previous year, according to Unlock MLS data.

The details: In ZIP code 78613, representing Cedar Park, there was a roughly 7% decrease in median home prices year over year for January, going from $522,077 to $483,030. Additionally, the area just southwest of Cedar Park in ZIP code 78750 experienced a 28% decrease over the same time frame, with home prices dropping from $690,000 to $494,000. The average number of days spent on the market also increased for several areas, with the 78750 ZIP code area seeing the largest year-over-year increase of 118%.

Also of note: Market-wide, the number of new listings was slightly higher in January than the previous year, totaling 308 in 2025 and 318 in 2026.

The price per square foot is slightly lower than the same time last year, running around $222 per square foot in 2025 and $211 in 2026.

With a few days left to vote early in the March primaries, more Texans have turned out to the polls this year than in recent primary elections.

The gist: The increase is particularly pronounced among Democratic primary voters, state data shows, with more than twice as many Democratic votes cast by Feb. 24 than in Texas’ last gubernatorial primary.

Zooming in: Statewide, nearly 1.3 million Texans, or about 7% of the state’s 18.7 million registered voters, cast early ballots through Feb. 24, the eighth day of the 11-day early voting period. This is up from about 6% turnout at the same point in 2024 and about 4% turnout in 2022.

In interviews with Community Impact, election analysts attributed Texas’ rising primary voter turnout in part to a slate of competitive, high-profile races on each party’s primary ballot.

At the polls: Early voting in Texas’ Republican and Democratic primaries runs through Feb. 27, and primary election day is March 3. During early voting, registered voters can visit any polling location within their county of residence.