Cedar Park City Council voted unanimously June 25 to approve changes to the city’s food truck regulations that city staff said are necessary in order to comply with a new state law.

The context: As of July 1, the operators of food trucks, referred to in government documents as mobile food establishments or MFEs, no longer need permits from cities or counties. Instead, a single statewide permit process has replaced the mix of local regulations previously in effect.

House Bill 2844, also known as the Mobile Food Vendor Regulatory Consistency Act, aims to streamline permitting and reduce regulatory inconsistencies across different jurisdictions by shifting regulatory powers from the local level to the state, according to state legislators.

The family behind Austin’s Soupleaf Hot Pot has launched another local venture: SoupGreen Buffet. The new restaurant follows the same all-you-can-eat style bringing together American classics and Asian-fusion dishes, according to its website. 

The buffet opened in Northwest Austin on June 16 and has since changed its name from Mama Lin’s to SoupGreen Buffet, according to its social media. 

Learn more: The buffet, owned by Jin Lin and her sons Nelson and Nick Lin, has over 100 items and ingredients for guests to customize their plates. 
On the menu: The restaurant offers noodle dishes including japchae, pomodoro spaghetti and mac and cheese. The bakery features pizzas, croissants and muffins. 

The salad bar has a range of ingredients, as well as pre-made mandarin salad, caesar salad and bacon broccoli salad. Soups include clam chowder, tom yum, cream of mushroom and egg drop soup. Customers can also expect to see a range of proteins like baked salmon, seafood salad, kimchi tuna salad, roast beef and vegetarian options. 

• 13450 Research Blvd., Ste. 112, Austin

For the second time in just over a month, the Leander Planning and Zoning Commission voted to recommend amending the Leander Springs planned unit development, voting 5-1 June 25 to allow the project to move forward to City Council with fewer apartments and changes to the project's phasing.

“We believe that this will compete with the Kalahris of the world, that it will be a destination and the economic impact for the city is tremendous,” former Leander Mayor Troy Hill said.

In a nutshell: While the Leander Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously to approve the same item May 14, an error notifying the neighboring Overlook Estates Homeowner’s Association blocked the item from moving forward to City Council.

The setup: Updated plans for the 77.9-acre development include:

• A 4-acre lagoon
• A 275-room hotel
• A 20,000-square-foot conference center
• More than 1 million square feet of commercial space
• 21 acres of parkland

Former state Sen. Don Huffines was appointed as the Texas comptroller of public accounts, Gov. Greg Abbott announced July 2.

Huffines, a Dallas-area native with a bachelor's degree in business administration in finance from The University of Texas at Austin, will take over as the state's finance and budgeting officer from acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock. Huffines will officially begin his service Aug. 1.

Huffines defeated Hancock, who became acting comptroller one year ago, in the March Republican primary. He'll now face former state Sen. Sarah Eckhardt in the November general election for a four-year term.

A YMCA renovation, road reconstruction and a Crunch Fitness are among the five most expensive projects filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in the Austin metro this week.

1. Johnny Morris Road ($32.7 million): This project involves roadway reconstruction with improvements to curbs, sidewalks, shared-use paths, signal modifications, and signage and pavement markings.

2. Texas Children's Hospital Austin ($17.9 million): This project includes a shell infill on the existing 5th floor of the hospital to house 12 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, or NICU, beds and 12 Universal Care Pediatric Beds.

3. YMCA Four Points ($17 million): This project involves the single-story renovation of the existing YMCA facility and a new outdoor space with a pool house.

4. Blue Hole Nature Center ($4 million): A new 2,375-square-foot nature center is being built in Wimberley.

5. Crunch Fitness ($1.5 million): A new Crunch Fitness location is coming to Hutto, with construction set to begin this fall.