The intersection of I-35 and E. McCarty Lane on San Marcos’ south side is undergoing major changes, defined by three business developments: H-E-B, The Home Depot and Rooms To Go. 

Company representatives have confirmed opening timelines for the two projects still under development.

What happened: The Home Depot is developing its first location in San Marcos next to the city’s newest H-E-B grocery. The 107,797-square-foot store will cost approximately $13 million to develop and feature a 28,120-square-foot garden center.

The location is under construction and currently slated to open in 2027, said a spokesperson for The Home Depot.

Rooms To Go is developing a 52,460-square-foot store on the southeast corner of the McCarty Commons development. The project is under construction and expected to open during the fourth quarter of 2027, said Vice President Peter Weitzner.

Also of note: The third H-E-B grocery location in San Marcos officially opened its doors on Oct. 7. The 114,000-square-foot store was the first of the three to open.

The city of San Marcos has relaunched a program that provides local businesses with free training, coaching and resources.

The overview: The San Marcos Business Owners Optimization, Support and Training, or SMTX BOOST, program helps businesses in the city grow through support provided by the city and the Business and Community Lenders of Texas, or BCL.

The program was formerly known as Think Business Improvement and Growth.

Local small businesses participating in the program receive personalized business and financial coaching sessions, classes and workshops. The workshops are available in person, online and on-demand, according to a spokesperson with the city of San Marcos.

The details: Business owners may take classes on a variety of topics designed to build their knowledge of growth and development and strengthen their business practices.

The program is designed for established business entities that employ one to 25 full-time employees and have a physical presence within a qualified census tract in the taxing jurisdiction of the city.

Check out the latest updates on upcoming or ongoing transportation projects across the Austin metro.

Upcoming projects

Freedom River Parkway East and West

Project: Construction of new east-west roadway connections from Hwy. 29 to RM 1869 and from Bagdad Road, or CR 279, to Hwy. 29, improving Liberty Hill bypass connectivity.

Update: Both projects remain in the design phase through 2026 as part of the Liberty Hill bypass connectivity network.

• Timeline: early 2027–early 2029

• Cost: $36.3 million (East); $61.5 million (West)

• Funding source: Williamson County 2023 road bond

Ongoing projects

MoKan Trail: Boggy Creek Bridge Segment

Project: The project is a 1.5-mile trail in Austin connecting the Pedernales Street bike path to the Southern Walnut Creek Trail.

Update: Phase 5, the bridge over Boggy Creek, is the trail's final piece and is expected to be complete by late 2026.

• Timeline: expected completion in late 2026

• Cost: $5.3 million–$5.8 million

• Funding source: 2020 mobility bond, Community Project Funding

As Election Day nears, candidates seeking to represent Texas in the U.S. Senate are raising—and spending—large sums of money, their campaign finance reports show.

The details: Candidates and political action committees, or PACs, involved in federal races had until midnight Oct. 15 to submit reports detailing their fundraising and spending from the third quarter of 2026—July 1 through Sept. 30.

• Democrat James Talarico raised $60.2 million and spent $67.2 million, according to his campaign finance report.

• Republican Ken Paxton, the state's current attorney general, reported raising $10.2 million and spending $7.1 million

• Libertarian Ted Brown's campaign finance report shows he raised about $5,208 and spent $3,410

Preparing for the polls: Early voting in Texas' midterm election runs from Oct. 19-30, and Election Day is Nov. 3.

Texans can view a personalized sample ballot with information about dozens of candidates and local propositions at communityimpact.com/voter-guide.