There are several new and coming soon businesses along Georgetown's Hwy. 29 corridor, including new restaurants in Wolf Ranch Town Center and an upcoming pickleball facility.

Machi Sushi
The new Japanese restaurant in Wolf Ranch Town Center features all-you-can-eat sushi, sashimi and hibachi, along with cocktails and boba tea.

• Opened Feb. 20
• 1019 W. University Ave., Ste. 101, Georgetown

• Opened Feb. 17
• 1013 W. University Ave., Ste. 150, Georgetown

• Opening in the summer
• 6827 Hwy. 29, Georgetown

Voters in Williamson County will be able to use any of the county’s polling locations in two upcoming May elections.

This comes after some residents experienced longer-than-average wait times and other complications on election day during the March primaries, which had precinct-based voting.

The update: The local Republican Party announced it will adjust its primary runoff contract with the county to allow voters to cast ballots at any polling location in the county, rather than in their specific voting precinct.

The runoff election for the March primaries will take place May 26, with early voting running May 18-22.

Additionally, the upcoming local elections May 2 will also allow for countywide voting locations, as set by Williamson County. Round Rock, Hutto, Cedar Park and Georgetown have city council seats on the ballot in this election. 

Some context: The local Republican and Democratic parties determine election day procedures for primaries. 

Check out six upcoming, ongoing or completed transportation projects across the Austin metro.

Ongoing projects

Chisholm Trail South improvements
Project: The city of Round Rock is reconstructing Chisholm Trail Road from Sam Bass Road to RM 620, with drainage, pedestrian, and lighting improvements.
Update: Construction recently resumed. Pedestrian improvements are under design. In February, traffic was temporarily rerouted to address utility issues.

• Timeline: roadway completion expected in summer 2026
• Cost: $4.26 million for construction
• Funding source: type B sales tax revenue

• Timeline: July 2024-February 2026
• Cost: $25.9 million
• Funding source: 2020 Mobility Bond

The world's largest semiconductor plant could be coming to Austin after billionaire Elon Musk announced the project at a March 21 livestreamed event in downtown Austin.

Terafab—a joint venture between Tesla, SpaceX and xAI—would be "the largest chip manufacturing facility ever," producing a combined compute capacity of 1 terawatt annually, according to a post by Tesla on X.

The big picture: The advanced technology fab would enable Musk's companies to escalate their production efforts, he said. Musk said current global semiconductor production meets only a fraction of the energy and compute demands his companies anticipate.

The facility would generate 100-200 gigawatts of chips for Optimus humanoid robots along with terawatts of chips for solar-powered AI satellites, according to Tesla information.

A closer look: In a post on X, Musk said Terafab could be 100 million square feet. Several potential sites are under consideration for the facility, he said.

Tesla opened its new 10 million-square-foot headquarters—Giga Texas—in southeast Travis County in 2021.

On March 31, Texas’ roughly 9,000 licensed consumable hemp retailers will face sweeping regulations, including a more than 3,000% increase in annual licensing fees and a ban on most smokable cannabis products.

The overview: The new rules, which also include age verification requirements, stricter packaging guidelines and more rounds of product testing, were originally proposed in December. The Texas Department of State Health Services, which regulates the state’s hemp industry, adopted the rules March 2.

The debate: Supporters of the increased regulations previously said they hoped the changes would result in more comprehensive oversight of Texas’ hemp industry and improve consumer safety. 

Some experts said they were concerned the new rules were taking effect too quickly and could lead some hemp businesses to close their doors.

"It is really tragic that these entrepreneurs are being faced with this, especially in a state like Texas that touts being pro-business ... and here we are shutting down businesses and relegating consumers to an illicit market," said Heather Fazio, director of the Texas Cannabis Policy Center.