Development of the Fitzhugh Park commercial complex is nearing completion in Southwest Austin.

The details: Spread across multiple buildings, the space is marketed as a project that could house retail, offices, manufacturing facilities, studios and other commercial spaces.

The complex’s 11 total buildings include warehouse units from 2,000-20,000 square feet, according to the project website. The 100,000-square-foot project is now 80% complete, Rhodes said, and about one-fifth of the commercial park's space is still available.

What's next: Fitzhugh Park's expected completion and closeout is late 2026.

From Fifth to 15th Street, locals and visitors alike can find an array of venues, live music, restaurants and entertainment at Austin’s Red River Cultural District. The district released its first ever economic impact report with AngelouEconomics on April 2, detailing more than $2.3 billion in economic impact over the last five years from over 12 live music venues.

By the numbers: Between 2021 and 2025, the cultural district’s annual impact surged from an estimated $380 million to nearly $530 million, pointing to a post-pandemic resilience, the release details. 

Zooming in: The report outlined the district’s output in 2025, revealing an estimated $529.9 million in total economic impact. 

The district also supported around 3,715 full-time equivalent jobs in the Austin area, with an approximate $174 million in labor income paid to workers, according to AngelouEconomics. 

Check it out: Following the economic report, the Red River Cultural District will release a five-year strategic plan April 14, detailing upcoming enhancements and vision for the space.

City Council voted to dissolve the South Central Waterfront Advisory Board, the body established almost a decade ago to help guide a wave of planned development south of downtown.

The details: The board's deactivation came after it had struggled to meet on a regular basis since early 2025, and as a series of civic planning updates made its duties less critical. Austin requires its resident-led boards and commissions to meet regularly or face the potential of being shut down. The South Central Waterfront board had experienced frequent turnover and meeting cancellations, only convening once in the year leading up to council's vote this spring.

The board's work is ending as Austin wraps the nearly 120-acre South Central Waterfront into a wider initiative for the future of the central city area stretching from south of Lady Bird Lake to The University of Texas at Austin campus.

Three medical cannabis businesses have been conditionally approved to participate in the Texas Compassionate Use Program, state officials announced April 1.

The big picture: The companies received conditional licenses from the Texas Department of Public Safety in an effort to expand access to medical cannabis products. Under the compassionate use program, physicians can prescribe medical-grade, low-THC products to eligible patients in partnership with licensed dispensaries.

Zooming in: Two of the three businesses given conditional licenses April 1 are affiliated with existing medical cannabis dispensaries that work in several other states. The new licensees are:

• GTI Texas, LLC (doing business as RISE Dispensaries) in West Texas

• Cresco Labs Texas, LLC in East Texas

• Texas Medica Collective, LLC in Northeast Texas

Conditional licensees must pass additional state evaluations before they can begin operating, according to the DPS.

More context: As Texas expands its medical cannabis program, the state is also tightening restrictions on the multibillion-dollar consumable hemp industry, Community Impact reported.