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.

Ahead of their vote for the plan April 23, Austin officials appear supportive of a proposed city incentive for a hotel and convention center project at Circuit of the Americas that could pour hundreds of millions of dollars into the local economy.

The details: The potential 30-year economic incentive deal between Austin and RIDA Development would support an estimated $985 million resort project at COTA. RIDA plans to build a 1,000-room hotel and 170,000-square-foot conference center. The hotel will include dining and bar areas, a golf course and driving range, and a lazy river similar to the Texas-shaped feature at RIDA's Marriott Marquis Houston.

What else: The proposed performance-based incentive wouldn't affect the city's general fund budget or require any upfront public payment. Austin would instead reimburse 8.25% of the room night revenue eventually generated by the hotel after it's in operation and contributing hotel occupancy tax, or HOT, revenue to the city.

Liang Wang and Mark Huetsch shape Austin’s dessert scene by developing new flavor profiles for their locally made cookies, chocolate and gelato. 

The context: Wang’s first introduction to the sweets industry was in 2009, when she and Huetsch started an American pie company in Beijing, China. For Wang, the goal was to bring American flavors to Chinese households. Now, with KESSHŌ, she strives to bring a mixture of Asian ingredients to Austinites. 

Diving in deeper: Wang and Huetsch officially launched KESSHŌ in 2019. The first food truck opened on South First Street in 2023, with KESSHŌ’s Burnet location launching in May 2025.

For dessert: Chocolate flavors include the guava lime dark chocolate bar, jasmine yuzu dark milk chocolate bar and black sesame chocolate butter cups. For gelato, patrons can choose between mango sticky rice, ube, banana shoyu or yuzu lemon cheesecake. 

• 601 W. Live Oak St., Austin; 6726 Burnet Road, Austin

From an elementary school replacement in Austin to a Home Depot in San Marcos, here are five of the most expensive projects filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in the Austin metro this week.

1. Andrews Elementary School modernization ($52 million): This project involves the complete removal and replacement of an existing elementary school. Construction will start this summer.

2. Willow East leasing office ($25 million): Construction on a leasing office for a new apartment complex in Austin will begin this summer.

3. Home Depot ($13 million): The new store in San Marcos will be 107,797 square feet with a 28,120-square-foot garden center.

4. Discount Tire ($2 million): Construction will begin next month on an 8,000-square-foot Discount Tire location in Georgetown. 

5. Layne's Chicken Fingers ($1.1 million): A new Layne's chicken fingers restaurant will be built in New Braunfels.