City to discuss 400-acre Bastrop West mixed-use development
Bastrop City Council will consider a professional services agreement with Round Rock-based Place Designers at a future meeting for a feasibility study on Bastrop West—a project featuring a hotel and convention center, hospital and more—that would be located at the intersection of Hwy. 20 and Hwy. 71.
“The agenda item seeks to determine the viability and potential return on investment of the project types, as incentives will be requested by the development group," City Manager Sylvia Carrillo-Trevino said in a Sept. 23 staff report.
The details: According to Carillo-Trevino, the mixed-use development would be situated on about 400 acres, and would include:
A medical mall with a hospital and clinics
A hotel and convention center
Area for outdoor entertainment, such as concerts
Fields for youth sports
“This is super exciting as we continue to grow and the line between Travis County and Bastrop County is really blurred,” she said during her State of the City address in early September.
Sunny Hill Juice and Provisions joins growing Bastrop beverage scene
Sunny Hill Juice and Provisions has joined the growing beverage scene in Bastrop.
The details: Dominique Barnett, who owns Sunny Hill Juice and Provisions, has served cold-pressed juices, hydrogen water, locally sourced provisions and drip coffee since early September. “I worked at a little juice bar for a while,” Barnett told Community Impact. “I just loved the benefits of juicing, so I started doing it myself for myself and my family. Then it kind of became a ‘what if?’ dream.”
Barnett, who said she is working to source some of her vegetables from Eden East, is also building a fall menu.
Also of note: Her family owns The Hill RV Park, where her storefront, a former gas station, is located.
“When they bought the property, and this was here, they said, ‘Whenever you’re able to do this, we want this to be yours,’” Barnett said. “I thought maybe in 10 years, but everything has serendipitously fallen into place.”
Texas to overhaul STAAR, launch 3 new exams in 2027
The Texas Education Agency will begin transitioning to a new standardized testing system after Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law Sept. 17 to replace the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness with three shorter exams.
The overview: Through the 2026-27 school year, Texas public school students in third through 12th grade will continue taking the STAAR each spring. Beginning in fall 2027, students will take three tests at the beginning, middle and end of the year under House Bill 8, the new law.
Students’ results will be released within 48 hours after each new test is administered. STAAR scores are currently released about six weeks after a test ends, according to the TEA.
The debate: Bill author Rep. Brad Buckley, R-Salado, said the new system will reduce test-related anxiety; give students and teachers feedback throughout the school year; and increase legislative oversight of Texas’ assessment and accountability systems. Critics of the plan said it would increase the amount of time students spend taking exams and essentially create “another STAAR test” developed by the TEA.
