ATX-SWA: Impact 9/12/2025

Great Springs Project CEO Garry Merritt said the goal of a projected 100-mile trail system that will run continuously from Austin to San Antonio is to protect the area’s natural waters and improve the quality of life for residents, according to previous reporting.

With that aim in mind, GSP is partnering with the Texas Department of Transportation to administer a Trails Corridor Study, which will identify priorities for each component of the trail.

Mapping it out: There are three different surveys: one that asks what residents would like to see on the trails, another that focuses on which trails are a priority and one to identify how the trails will be used.

City Council is seeking to create new affordable housing financing zones in Austin neighborhoods using a state tool that's recently supported nearly 400 income-restricted units across three East Austin developments.

Under state law, cities can establish Homestead Preservation Districts, or HPDs, in targeted areas home to higher shares of low-income residents. Local funding tools under HPDs allow a portion of the district's city property taxes to be reserved for affordable housing purposes, like new development or land banking.

District 3 council member José Velásquez has drafted a pair of resolutions seeking to double the tax collections within East Austin's current HPD, and to establish new HPDs in North Central and Southeast Austin. Another district for the student-heavy West Campus area could also be included in the update.

Gov. Greg Abbott issued a Sept. 10 executive order aimed at prohibiting hemp-derived THC products from being sold to minors, which he called “safety for kids, freedom for adults.” The order comes one week after a special legislative session ended without Abbott and state lawmakers agreeing on legislation to ban or restrict THC sales.

The details: Abbott’s order directs the Texas Department of State Health Services and the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission to “immediately begin the rulemaking process” on new THC regulations, including:

• Limiting THC sales to people 21 years and older
• Requiring THC retailers to check all customers’ IDs
• Expanding testing and labeling requirements for THC products
• Raising manufacturer and retailer licensing fees to cover costs of enforcing the new rules
• Enhancing monitoring by state and local law enforcement