The first phase of Hill Country Studios could open next year in San Marcos. Groundbreaking is expected later this year. HILL COUNTRY GROUP LLC

Austin Business Journal reports, "a quarter-billion-dollar film studio planned south of Austin has secured key approvals that should keep the first pieces on track to open next year.

Hill Country Group LLC on Aug. 1 received a second and final approval from San Marcos City Council to annex and zone pieces of what's earmarked to be the $267 million Hill Country Studios project on 209 acres at 6202 W. Centerpoint Road, in the La Cima master-planned community.

It's a significant milestone for a project that has turned heads for more than a year and could eventually provide more than 800,000 square feet of studio facilities at full buildout, including 12 purpose-built sound stages, four workshops and more than 200,000 square feet of production…

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Construction on the Park at 51st housing development in Northeast Austin in August 2022. MIKE CHRISTEN/ABJ

Austin Business Journal reports, "a push by a handful of Austin-based nonprofits to expedite construction of denser, more affordable housing has garnered a response from City Hall.

A coalition of housing-focused organizations issued a call to city leaders on July 7 to expedite code changes to enable developers to build denser and faster than previously allowed. The letter was from the Austin Housing Coalition, Transit Forward, HousingWorks Austin and the Austin Justice Coalition.

About two weeks later, Austin City Council unanimously approved a resolution July 20 that authorizes the city manager to propose code amendments that complement the city’s ongoing piecemeal changes to its land development code. The ultimate goal is to streamline…

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Shonda Novak of Austin American-Statesmant writes,  "last week, I attended the Austin Board of Realtors' second annual Central Texas Housing Summit. It was loaded with facts, figures, insights and prognostications about the Austin-area housing market. One panel featured the board's housing economist, Clare Losey; Mark Sprague, a longtime Central Texas housing market analyst with Independence Title; and Selma Hepp, CoreLogic's chief economist who gave a national economic update.

Below are a few takeaways with Losey's outlook for the Austin metro's housing market over the next several months. Losey made the comments in a weekly audio interview called "Driving It Home" that features Losey and the board's CEO, Emily Chenevert.

  • Inflation will continue…

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