Driverless semitrucks to hit Texas roads "By the end of 2024, Texas drivers could look over to see a semitruck traveling down the highway with no one in the driver’s seat. Leading the charge in the Austin area is autonomous truck company Kodiak Robotics, which is already hauling IKEA furniture, C.R. England refrigerated products and Tyson Foods chicken daily on Texas roads." (Katy McAfee, Community Impact)
Bastrop film studio site to be removed from city's regulatory control under new state law "The site of the long-awaited Bastrop 552 film studio has been cleared to be removed from the city of Bastrop's regulatory control, a move the developer of the project said will save "several months" toward expected completion of the first phase next year." (Justin Sayers, Austin Business Journal)
$7.1B Project Connect light rail to break ground in 2027 "Construction for Austin’s 9.8-mile Project Connect light rail system is slated to kick off in 2027, Austin Transit Partnership announced March 22. Trains could be up and running throughout Central Austin by 2033." (Katy McAfee, Community Impact)
Austin ranked fastest-growing city for millionaires "If you thought living in Austin was expensive, you're not mistaken. The state's capital city seems to be the right place to live for the well-off, with Austin having the fastest-growing number of millionaires in the U.S., according to an investment company's 2024 wealth report." (Cristela Jones, San Antonio Express-News)
Downtown Austin has major issues "There are 10 already-built towers downtown with at least 100,000 square feet of direct vacant office space — and three of the biggest and newest office blocks are completely empty despite being ready for tenants for many months. [H]uge new office towers are in the works and will be courting prospective tenants soon, and there's no shortage of less expensive office space outside of downtown." (Cody Baird, Austin Business Journal)
