An 11-acre plat of land in Lakeway was rezoned to commercial/retail status during Lakeway City Council's June 15 meeting.

The rezoning was the latest step in the advancement of a multiuse development called The Square on Lohmans, which will mostly contain residential housing. The rezoning approval for the 11 acres is for a parcel that sits along Lohmans Crossing.

Two Lakeway residents living near the acreage submitted complaints to City Council, expressing their objections, citing added traffic, noise and higher density.

Information from the city states the land's owners, Carlson, Brigance & Doering Inc., must submit for approval a preliminary plan and plat to the Lakeway Planning & Zoning Commission and City Council prior to its development.

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The 80-acre Village at Spanish Oaks multiuse development in Bee Cave has been cleared for construction of storm drain and water quality infrastructure.

The approval came during Bee Cave City Council's June 9 meeting and follows an April 28 approval of a preliminary plat application from the developers.

Lindsey Oskoui, Bee Cave planning & development director, said April 28 the project's developers are planning to submit roadway construction plans this summer or early fall.

Developer Greenbrier Southwest, in partnership CCNG Development, first submitted plans for the final extension of the Spanish Oaks subdivision in 2018. Included in the development is room for shops, restaurants, office buildings, an upscale inn and spa as well as a range of…

A divide between local leaders representing Austin and Travis County and those representing more suburban and rural areas in Central Texas emerged June 8 in a vote on which local projects should be deferred to funnel funding toward I-35.

The Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization is made up of government leaders from across Central Texas and responsible for coordinating funding for transportation projects in the region. On June 8, CAMPO’s board voted to defer $633 million of construction projects that had previously received funding—setting those aside so the organization can support the state’s effort to take on a $4.3 billion project to add managed lanes to I-35 in Central Austin.

Deferred projects include $25 million of work that would have

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Bar 620 celebrated a soft opening May 22 at 1113 N. RM 620, Lakeway. The restaurant formally called Grumpy’s Saloon underwent a renovation and rebranding.

Bar 620 is currently serving drinks and dinner with plans to become fully operational in July. Once fully open, Bar 620 will also serve lunch. 512-382-5441. www.bar620.com

 

Two Baylor Scott & White Health hospitals will undergo changes at both facilities that will consolidate labor and delivery services to Lakeway and expand medical and surgical services in Marble Falls.

The move will allow Marble Falls to expand its medical and surgical services, including orthopedics, ophthalmology and endocrinology, to better serve its Hill Country residents, according to a news release sent out June 4 by Baylor Scott & White Health.

"Effective July 31, Labor & Delivery (L&D) units at Lakeway and Marble Falls will combine into one unit at Lakeway, providing moms-to-be enhanced quality care by shifting our focus to a single nurturing location," the release states. "The last day for deliveries at Marble Falls will be July 28."

The release

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Twin Liquors unveiled its new renovated location in Bee Cave’s H-E-B shopping center May 29. The liquor store located at 12400 Hwy. 71, Bee Cave, expanded by nearly 1,000 square feet with the addition of a beer cooler and temperature-controlled wine room. 512-402-0333. www.twinliquors.com

 

Information from the Texas Department of Transportation as of late May shows while traffic counts along Hwy. 71 where it meets RM 620 in western Travis County have risen steadily from 2014 to 2020, the death rate on that road has also dropped substantially in that same time period.

The numbers, taken from TxDOT’s Crash Records Information System and other department databases, show in 2014, the average daily traffic count on that intersection stood at 36,788 automobiles. So far through the end of May, 2020 numbers show an average daily traffic count of 59,926.

In the same time period from 2014-20, TxDOT data shows the average death rate along the roughly 15-mile stretch of Hwy. 71 from Southwest Parkway to the Blanco County line showed gradual

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Hamilton Pool Vineyards & Farms opened its doors at 25711 Hamilton Pool Road, Round Mountain, for the first time in May after coronavirus precautions prevented the business from its planned Easter weekend opening.

According to Chief Operating Officer Alfonso Castillo, the business's vineyard is now open and hosting wine tastings, bottle sales, pickup and delivery.

Wine tastings and other on-site services are offered in Hamilton Pool Vineyards' large indoor tasting room or in an outdoor courtyard at private tables. Both options accommodate social distancing, he said.

More features will be added to the business in the months to come, according to Castillo, including a two-acre farm that will feed into a farm-to-table restaurant on the premises. Staff

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The Eanes Education Foundation named Dana Meserole Delorenzo as the nonprofit’s new executive director at a May 26 board meeting, during which Kathi Haralson, the outgoing director, presented a $2.65 million donation to the district.

Delorenzo has 26 years of professional and volunteer experience, according to Haralson. She is also a parent to a sixth-grade student at EISD’s West Ridge Middle School.

EEF seeks financial support and corporate donors to provide opportunities for educational excellence within the district, according to the EEF website. Each year, the majority of donations fund teacher and staff positions, with over 421 positions funded since 2004.

 

Article published by Community Impact. 

Between 2010 and 2019, Austin went from the 14th-largest city in the U.S. to the 11th largest and added more residents than all but four American cities, according to U.S. Census Bureau data released late May 20.

Austin went from 801,829 residents on April 1, 2010, to 978,908 residents on July 1, 2019, according to the data. That increase of 177,079 residents only trailed Phoenix, Houston, San Antonio and Los Angeles as the most in the country.

Four of the six cities that added the most residents in the decade are located in Texas: Houston, San Antonio, Austin and Fort Worth. Dallas added the ninth-most residents in the U.S., with an increase of 145,014.
Texas also peppered the list of the fastest-growing large cities in the U.S. through the…