Check out some of the most-read stories from the Austin area July 20-23.<\/p>\n
1. New bridge over Onion Creek opens in Buda, increasing city access<\/p>\n
When Buda Mayor Lee Urbanovsky first ran for the City Council in 2016, former council member Wiley Hopkins told him the city\u2019s transportation system needed a second crossing on Onion Creek, he said.<\/p>\n
Ten years later, on July 17, the second creek crossing became a reality with the opening of a new bridge on Cole Springs Road and the official launch of The Colony at Cole Springs, a new 496-home master-planned community.<\/p>\n
Find out more from Reporter Michael Milliorn.<\/a><\/p>\n 2. Liberty Hill approves $1.5M for preliminary planning of downtown project<\/p>\n Liberty Hill City Council approved a contract for roughly $1.5 million with developer Griffin Swinerton to conduct preliminary planning of the city\u2019s Downtown District project.<\/p>\n The contract is part of a yearslong effort to revitalize downtown, with the goal of transforming it into a walkable destination for residents to gather.<\/p>\n Read the story by Reporter Daniel Schwalm.<\/a><\/p>\n 3. Sunbird Ranch neighborhood to offer land-lease model for homebuyers 55-plus in Georgetown<\/p>\n Construction on a new 55-plus community is underway off Ronald Reagan Boulevard in Georgetown.<\/p>\n The neighborhood, called Sunbird Ranch, will offer 343 homes at full build-out. Developer High Point Living specializes in taking the land-lease model common among manufactured homes to more traditional single-family detached homes, said Rich Love, vice president of sales and marketing.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople have been selling homes the same way for decades, and now we\u2019re coming in and saying, \u2018Alright, let\u2019s take this new concept of land-lease and apply it to site-build homes,\u2019\u201d Love said.<\/p>\n Learn more from Editor Claire Shoop.<\/a><\/p>\n 4. New Braunfels to conduct full analysis of police headquarters due to structural issues<\/p>\n The city of New Braunfels has hired a third-party engineer to conduct a full analysis of its police headquarters four years after the building\u2019s completion due to pavement lifting and consistent reports of a leaky roof.<\/p>\n New Braunfels city staff is receiving an independent structural assessment of the building\u2014located at 3030 W. San Antonio St.\u2014that was substantially completed in July 2022, according to a July 13 meeting presentation.<\/p>\n