ATX-CPF: Impact 9/24/2025

Restaurant owners Forrest Higdon and Jason Carrier are collaborating to open Happy Slice Pizza in late October. 

Meet the owners: Carrier owns Mama Betty’s Tex-Mex, which opened on Parmer Lane in 2022, and Higdon owns Gumby's Pizza in San Marcos, which he initially opened in 2009.

The details: The duo is coming together to create a healthier pizza spot with more gluten-free offerings, no cellulose and unbromated flour. 

Quote of note: “With this restaurant being in our very own community, and our kids and friends' kids dining with us often, we take the challenge of only serving the cleanest pizza seriously,” Carrier states in an email to Community Impact. 

Stay tuned: The new pizza restaurant will include an updated interior space, as well as expanded seating in the back with a new patio deck and turf area, according to Carrier. The outdoor seating will have five TVs and 10 fans.

• 9900 W. Parmer Lane, Ste. 100, Austin

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Texas has announced the development of a new Ronald McDonald House for patients at Texas Children’s Hospital North Austin.

What to know: Construction has begun at Austin’s latest Ronald McDonald House which sparks the start of the first phase of A Place Like Home, RMHC CTX’s capital campaign, a news release states.

The campaign is dedicated to increasing capacity while ensuring families have access to comfort, care and community throughout their child’s medical journey.

The space is expected to open in 2026 and will feature nine private family suites, a communal kitchen, a laundry room and a multipurpose family support space where families can have private conversations with doctors, learn about support resources and more.

• 9835 N. Lake Creek Parkway, Austin

New rules for short-term rentals, or STRs, are moving into place as the city attempts to curb the spread of unlicensed rental operations and nuisances in neighborhoods, while raising more tourism dollars.

The details: Austin kicked off an "overhaul" to STR policies earlier this year, but had put several changes on hold while Texas lawmakers were in session this spring and summer. The city won't see any impacts from legislative activity this year, and is now moving forward with new policies to regulate how platforms like Airbnb can list rentals in Austin—and how the city can enforce local rules and remove problem operators.

Starting in October, renters in the city will also be allowed to participate in the STR market with their landlord's permission; more units in neighborhoods could serve as short-term rentals; and the number of STRs in apartment buildings will be limited. Other changes for operators and city enforcement are also planned.

The Samsung semiconductor plant in Taylor will receive $250 million from a Texas Semiconductor Innovation Fund grant, Gov. Greg Abbott’s office announced Sept. 17.

About the program: The TSIF is a part of the Texas Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors and Science Act, which Abbott signed into law in 2023.

The TSIF grant furthers the incentive program that aims to bring more semiconductor-related businesses to Texas, as well as support existing semiconductor manufacturers, like Samsung.

The history: Samsung announced its plans to build a semiconductor plant in Taylor in 2021.

A $45 billion project, it is the largest foreign direct investment in Texas on record, according to the Sept. 17 news release. The project includes two new fabrication plants, a new research and development fab, and a new advanced packaging facility on a 1,268-acre site, according to previous Community Impact coverage.

What's next: Samsung's Taylor plant expects to be fully operational by 2026, according to previous Community Impact reporting.

Texas voters will decide on 17 proposed amendments to the state constitution during the Nov. 4 election.

The overview: The propositions, which were adopted by state lawmakers earlier this year, include measures aimed at reducing property taxes, funding water supply projects and creating a state dementia research institute.

“This is an opportunity to make your voice heard about the governing document of our state,” Secretary of State Jane Nelson said in a June 25 statement.

More details: Texans have until Oct. 6 to register to vote in the upcoming election. Early in-person voting runs from Oct. 20-31, and Election Day is Nov. 4.

The secretary of state’s office randomly selected the ballot order for the 17 state propositions. Keep reading to learn about the proposed constitutional amendments and how they would change Texas law.