Art Village, a Lakeway-based “boutique home builder,” emphasizes architecture, aesthetics and craftsmanship to create homes with distinct identities, CEO and founder Ihor Stepanov said.

The background: Stepanov came to Austin from Kyiv, Ukraine, over seven years ago to continue pursuing residential development opportunities. In Ukraine, Stepanov worked in residential and commercial development and was eager to bring his expertise to Austin, he said.

The process: Stepanov describes a “big idea” as crucial to everything the company creates. This includes combining technical challenges with unique design aspects, he said.

That philosophy can be seen in the variety of Art Village’s projects. Rather than relying on one architectural style, the company’s portfolio includes modern, Scandinavian and contemporary designs, with individual homes ranging from roughly 2,000 square feet to nearly 5,200 square feet.

One example is the company’s Hill View Residence in Lakeway.
 

Two candidates will be on the ballot for the Leander ISD board of trustees Place 1 seat. Serenity Coats and Gerald Prater are running for Place 1. Incumbent Trish Bode did not seek reelection.

What you need to know: Candidates were asked to answer the questions provided, limit their answers to 50 words and not attack other opponents. Answers may have been edited or cut to adhere to these guidelines or for style and clarity. Candidates were informed that "questionnaire not returned by deadline" would be published if Community Impact did not receive the candidate information and answers by the deadline provided.

Voter deadline registration is Oct. 5. Early voting will be held Oct. 19-30, and election day is Nov. 3.

LISD trustees are elected at-large, meaning all registered voters living within LISD boundaries can vote for each place.

Check out six trending Austin-area stories from Aug. 24-27. 

1. Bad Habits Card Company now open in Georgetown

2. Tejas Meat Supply closes Round Rock restaurant, butcher shop

3. COTALAND Theme Park to host grand opening event in late September

4. Scheels holds ribbon cutting ahead of Aug. 29 opening

5. Amazon picks East Austin for multi-billion dollar robotics facility

6. Hutto, Williamson County poised for $674M Blue Origin facility

The Texas Department of Transportation manages over 200,000 miles of state highways. Roughly 72% of all vehicle travel in the state occurs on TxDOT-maintained highways, TxDOT Executive Director Marc Williams said.

As Texas’ population continues to grow, so does “demand on our transportation systems, from busy urban corridors to rural communities,” Williams told lawmakers during an Aug. 17 hearing held by the Texas House Transportation Committee.

What's happening: More than 11,000 TxDOT projects are currently in the works, according to the agency’s website.

To keep motorists informed about road construction, TxDOT collects public input during the project planning process, then conducts outreach on social media, on project websites and through email notifications before and during closures, according to Eric Lykins, TxDOT’s senior director of district operations. The agency also places electronic message signs on roadways ahead of closures or detours, he said.

Some state lawmakers are encouraging transportation officials to improve outreach to motorists when roads, lanes and exits are closed or adjusted.