A pet store located in the Round Rock Premium Outlets closed in January.

What you need to know: The Round Rock location of pet store Furever Pets closed mid-January in the outlet mall.

About the business: The retail store first opened in 2022 and sold cats and dogs. 

A new tanning studio opened in Round Rock in February, bringing both UV and spray tanning options.

About the business: Glo Tanning provides services such as UV bed and booth tanning, airbrush spray tanning, massage chairs, red light therapy and full-body skincare. Some of the beds Glo Tanning offers include Vitality Total Light, which offers a 10-minute tanning session using three types of light, and the Sunrise, which allows clients to listen to a mix of music through an acoustic system in a stand-up tanning unit.

• Opened Feb. 7
• 2400 I-35, Ste. 145, Round Rock

A first-of-its-kind study of the Williamson County Transformative Justice Program shows a reduction in arrest rates and jail time, according to a county news release.

Researchers with the Texas A&M University’s Public Policy Research Institute presented the study and findings at a Feb. 3 Commissioners Court meeting, and commissioners authorized the district courts to apply for grant funding for the program for fiscal year 2026-27.

About the program: Launched in 2020, the Transformative Justice Program is a felony-diversion program for youth and emerging adults. The program is geared toward 17-to-24-year-olds who have committed a felony, an age group that is overrepresented in the criminal justice system.

The impact: Emerging adults who graduated from the program were:

• 48% less likely to get arrested
• 61% less likely to be arrested for a felony

The extension of CR 110 officially kicked off Feb. 5 with county and city officials celebrating the project’s groundbreaking.

About the project: Williamson County will extend CR 110, connecting CR 111 and Rockride Lane to Patriot Way and Sam Houston Avenue. The project to build a three-lane road also includes drainage structures, signs and pavement markings, according to a county news release.

Project costs come out to $6.5 million, funded through the 2023 Williamson County Road Bond.

The why: The connection will help facilitate safe access for residents and emergency services, according to county documents.

The project is also necessary because of the “tremendous residential growth in this part of the county,” Williamson County Precinct 4 Commissioner Russ Boles said at the groundbreaking ceremony.

What they're saying: “What makes [the CR 110 extension] even more important is that it shows the continuity that the county has a plan and that we’re working for our citizens,” Boles said.

From a Department of Veterans Affairs outpatient facility to a new McDonald’s and more, here are five of the most expensive projects filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in the Austin metro this week.

1. Round Rock: The Department of Veterans Affairs will construct an outpatient facility with a dedicated parking lot for visitors and staff, as well as a service access area in Round Rock.

2. Pflugerville: Two office warehouse buildings, totaling 68,924 square feet, will be built by Workhub Developments to accommodate start-up and flex space for businesses

3. Buda: Illinois-based collision repair provider Crash Champions will build a 15,131-square-foot garage and office space constructed from a pre-engineered metal building.

4. Cedar Park: Another McDonald’s will bring its popular menu items, such as the Big Mac and Quarter Pounder, to the Bell District.

5. Austin: A 6,445-square-foot QuikTrip will soon fuel up South Austin, bringing a full-service pumping station alongside a made-to-order kitchen with grab-and-go options.