The tavern-style restaurant recently closed after approximately two years of operation in Southwest Austin.

The latest update: Located in Shady Hollow Village, the establishment served classic American fare, craft cocktails and beer. A new location of Phoebe's Diner will be opening in its place, according to previous reporting by Community Impact.

• 9901 Brodie Lane, Ste. 120, Austin

St. Edward’s University and H-E-B have collaborated to create the first Tiny Forest in Austin and Central Texas to help improve canopy cover in communities throughout Austin.

How it works: On Jan. 17, H-E-B team members, community volunteers, university students, faculty and staff joined together to plant 54 square meters with 164 trees and shrubs.

The project uses the Miyawaki Method, an approach that enables trees to grow 10 times faster and seclude 10 times more carbon than traditional tree planting methods. Through this method, the trees planted at the event are expected to reach full maturity within the community’s lifetime, as stated in a news release.

Get involved: Community members can directly help the Tiny Forest project by participating in a fringe mantel planting in the fall or reaching out to [email protected] for information about how to plant a tiny forest in their community.

St. Edward's University, 3001 S. Congress Ave., Austin

A $700 million bond package to fund mobility, watershed protection, parks and public facility projects has been recommended by city staff after months of review.

The details: The outline may not represent Austin's final 2026 bond, as a public task force will also weigh in with its own project proposals this spring before a final City Council vote. Officials are also now deciding whether an election should be called this year given the city's debt capacity, infrastructure needs and related cost impacts on taxpayers. 

The new $700 million bond outline in January is a reduction from a nearly $4 billion project list developed last year, based on needs assessments from many city departments. The recommendation from city staff will now be reviewed by a resident-led task force also involved in the bond development process, and council members will have final say on the package later this spring.

Check out some of the top trending stories in the Austin area Jan. 19-22.

1. PopStroke eyes spring opening for new Cedar Park venture

2. 11 new and coming soon Georgetown-area businesses

3. Austin ISD to retake Mendez Middle School following charter school partnership

4. Construction of Round Rock ISD's $31M Early College High School complete

5. Check out these 8 Pflugerville business updates

6. Monkey Sports coming soon to The Crossover in 2026

More Southwest Austin and Dripping Springs homes sold in December 2025 compared to December 2024, according to Unlock MLS data.

The details: Only the 78739 ZIP code saw a decrease in home sales year over year, by 6.7%. All other ZIP codes saw an increase in home sales compared to December of last year, except for 78736, which saw no change.