Real Estate Photographer in Bastrop, TX

As large Texas cities continue to strut their technology hub and business incubator bona fides, more of the Lone Star State's smaller communities are in line to flourish. One of those cities is Bastrop, and signs are pointing to a swelling of population and infrastructure in this home of about 12,000 Texans.

One of the latest signs is the beginnings of a massive, mixed-use development taking shape in this city about 30 miles southeast of Austin. Pearl River Companies, a Houston developer boasting more than $1 billion in lifetime transactions, has announced what is reportedly an approximately $300 million construction project. Called Sendero, the development is poised to be a standalone fixture with hospitality, residential, and retail and restaurant space on 75 acres at the intersection of Texas Highway 21 and FM 969, just west of downtown Bastrop.

Pearl River has planned a groundbreaking for Sendero for April 10, according to the Austin American-Statesman. Ultimately the development will include 782 apartments that are already accepting renters, plus a 120-room hotel and more than 250,000 square feet of retail and food-and-beverage. Sendero tenants will include Einstein Bros. Bagels, Jersey Mike's, Texas Roadhouse and Chuy's, the Austin-born Tex-Mex eatery now owned by Darden Restaurants.

"Sendero represents our commitment to creating a truly distinctive development that enhances the Bastrop community while preserving its distinct charm," Pearl River Companies founding partner Mason Mote said in a statement. "As someone who grew up here, I'm deeply invested in ensuring that Sendero reflects the community's values while providing the amenities and opportunities that will support Bastrop's growth for generations to come."

Sendero is also expected to be home to medical offices, a public park, walking trails and an entertainment pavilion. Pearl River said it expects to be finished with the project in 2030.

Bastrop is arguably Elon Musk's favorite small city in the U.S. The highly controversial SpaceX and Tesla CEO set up shop in Bastrop for both the Boring Co. and SpaceX. Musk announced in September he was also moving his social media company X to Bastrop, and he's even launching a Montessori school in Bastrop County.

"He's acquired a lot of property in Bastrop County. I think it's a natural addition for X to be co-located," Bastrop City Manager Sylvia Carrillo-Trevino told KXAN in Austin in September.

The city's population has exploded over the last decade; according to the U.S. Census Bureau, its population in 2014 was 7,776. As of 2023, Bastrop's population had risen to nearly 12,000. Carrillo-Trevino told KXAN that she expected the poulation to grow another 42 percent over the next five years.

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March 30, 2025

Weekend Editor

Timothy Malcolm is the Weekend Editor at Chron, where he writes and edits stories from across a broad spectrum, including breaking Houston and Texas news, food, travel, culture, transportation, energy, sports and features. His 20-year writing career includes a stint at Houstonia as dining editor and food critic, overseeing digital development for GateHouse Media newsrooms, launching magazines in the Hudson Valley of New York and serving as grantwriter for nationwide food-and-beverage nonprofit Southern Smoke Foundation. Timothy is also an accomplished travel author with two books published by Hachette Book Group—Baseball Road Trips and Drive & Hike Appalachian Trail. He is happy to talk baseball, early 1980s R&B and pro wrestling when he’s not cooking for his wife and daughters.

Here are some trending stories you may have missed from Community Impact’s Austin and San Antonio coverage areas from March 24-28.

75-acre mixed-use development to bring new businesses, multifamily housing and more to Bastrop

In April, Pearl River Companies will be breaking ground on the next phase of a 75-acre mixed-use development, Sendero. Once completed, the development will feature new hotel, retail, dining, housing and health and wellness options.

The first phase of Alta Trails multifamily apartments has been completed on the property, kicking off a project that is slated to be completed by 2030.

Read the full story by Sierra Martin.

Georgetown's Carl’s Jr. closing in April

Pending permit approval, the Carl's Jr. off University Avenue is slated to close mid-April, a manager said.

Read the full story by Anna Maness.

Georgetown gains a new Italian restaurant and more: 16 business and dining updates

Georgetown community members can try out a new nail salon, have dinner at a recently opened Italian eatery and enjoy a range of wines at a newly relocated wine bar.

Read the full story by Anna Maness, Dacia Garcia, and Charlie Shoop.

Round Rock Avenue location of Short Stop Deluxe Burgers closes in Round Rock

The Short Stop Deluxe Burgers located in the Lake Creek Crossing retail center closed at the end of February.

A note posted to windows of the drive-thru and walk-up burger stand stated that the closure is due to the expiration of a lease on the space.

Read the full story by Brooke Sjoberg.

5 spots headed to the Burleson Crossing area

Here are five businesses and eateries headed to Burleson Crossing and the upcoming Burleson Crossing East, which is expected to open summer 2026.

Read the full story by Amanda Cutshall.

6 restaurants to try in New Braunfels

Looking to try a new restaurant or two in New Braunfels?

Check out the following restaurants across the New Braunfels area, as previously reported by Community Impact.

Read the full story by Maddy Morales.

The Cake Bar & Coffee Co. coming soon to downtown New Braunfels

A new dessert and coffee shop called The Cake Bar & Coffee Co. will be making its debut in downtown New Braunfels this April.

Read the full story by Maddy Morales.

Jacquelyn joined Community Impact in January 2025 as an editorial intern for the spring. She will graduate from Texas State University in May with dual degrees in journalism and history. Jacquelyn is also a reporter for The University Star at Texas State University, where she covers business and local government. When she is not writing, she enjoys reading and trying new coffee shops.

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Here are five businesses and eateries headed to Burleson Crossing and the upcoming Burleson Crossing East, which is expected to open summer 2026.Chipotle Mexican Grill

Originally set to open last fall, Chipotle spokesperson Annie Gradinger said Chipotle Mexican Grill will debut its first Bastrop spot later this year in Burleson Crossing. Chipotle offers create-your-own, Mexican-inspired food including burritos, tacos, salads, bowls, quesadillas and more.

Sprouts Farmers Market

The specialty grocery retailer began construction on a 23,349-square-foot, $6 million store within the soon-to-come Burleson Crossing East—near the highly anticipated Kohl’s Bastrop. Sprouts Farmers Market offers a variety of fresh produce, meat and seafood. According to a previous news release, Sprouts encourages healthy eating by stocking its stores with farm-to-table foods from local producers with organic, plant-based and gluten-free options.

LongHorn Steakhouse

Construction on the 5,780-square-foot, $2 million project is scheduled to begin in June and finish in late January 2026, according to a filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. Part of the Darden Restaurants group, which also owns brands like Olive Garden and Cheddar's, LongHorn Steakhouse serves a variety of fresh-cut steaks, seafood, chicken, lamb and more.

Jeremiah’s Italian Ice

Local couple Jack and Aly Plimpton will offer dozens of flavors for their housemade Italian ice, ice cream and the brand’s “jelati”—a combination of the two. Jack Plimpton said the shop will feature a fun atmosphere with indoor and outdoor seating, as well as walk-up windows.

Palm Beach Tan

Construction on the 2,400-square-foot tanning salon is expected to begin this summer and end in November, according to a Feb. 8 filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. Palm Beach Tan will be located in Burleson Crossing near the upcoming Jeremiah’s Italian Ice and Chipotle.

Reporter

With a focus on hyper-local, in-depth coverage in Bastrop County, Amanda tackles a broad scope of reporting including hard news like development, education, elections, government, and transportation; enterprise stories concerning community curiosities; and features highlighting local businesses, events, nonprofits, restaurants, and more. Have a tip? Send her an email to acutshall@communityimpact.com.

Thanks for reading!

Daily news about your community is free, and your support is invaluable.

Give $10 now towards CI's journalistic mission across Texas.

Become a CI Patron

Bastrop County’s upcoming Waterloo Solar Project recently secured a deal to source 100% of its 200-megawatt output months before construction begins.

In a nutshell

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and other social media platforms, signed a power purchase agreement on March 18 with RWE Clean Energy, a German company focused on renewable energy.

Two-minute impact

According to a news release, the Waterloo Solar Project is set to begin construction later this year. Once operational, it is expected to generate a $2 million annual boost to the local economy and $49 million in cumulative tax revenue over its 40-year lifetime.

Notable quote

“These collaborations enable us to continue investing in communities across America like Bastrop County, helping to stimulate job creation and economic prosperity, while simultaneously helping companies like Meta match the electricity use of their operations with clean and renewable energy,” Christoph Hunfeld, RWE’s chief commercial officer, said in the release.

Reporter

With a focus on hyper-local, in-depth coverage in Bastrop County, Amanda tackles a broad scope of reporting including hard news like development, education, elections, government, and transportation; enterprise stories concerning community curiosities; and features highlighting local businesses, events, nonprofits, restaurants, and more. Have a tip? Send her an email to acutshall@communityimpact.com.

Thanks for reading!

Daily news about your community is free, and your support is invaluable.

Give $10 now towards CI's journalistic mission across Texas.

Become a CI Patron

Elon Musk's social media company X, now based in Bastrop, has reportedly raised a huge investment. If confirmed, the billion-dollar round would likely eclipse any prior venture funding rounds for a Texas-based company. In this story, we explore what's in those recent reports. The story also details X's activities in the Austin area, as well as other details about Musk's growing empire just east of Austin.

Bastrop-headquarted social media company X has reportedly raised nearly $1 billion in equity funding, according to a Bloomberg report that cited people familiar with the fundraise.

Those sources said the new investors valued the company at about $32 billion. Elon Musk purchased the company, then called Twitter, for about $44 billion in 2022. The buyout included more than $10 billion in debt, so X's new valuation appears to be roughly in line with what Musk paid. That would mark a strong rebound from the $9.4 billion valuation that was calculated based on disclosures from X investor Fidelity last fall.

Bloomberg reported that Musk himself, as well as Darsana Capital Partners and 1789 Capital, invested in the new funding round, although it was unclear what other investors may have been involved.

The company doesn't appear to have commented on the report, and Musk, who has posted dozens of political and aerospace messages on X in the past day or two, also doesn't appear to have addressed the reported fundraise either.

It's unclear how the new funding might be used, but it comes at a time when X, along with other Musk companies, have been expanding their operations in the Austin area and as X has been posting job openings for the Austin area.

If confirmed, the billion-dollar round would likely eclipse any prior venture funding rounds for a Texas-based company. Among the only comparably large funding rounds would be the $675 million series C raised by Musk's The Boring Company in 2022 and the $600 million round raised by Austin-based drone boat startup Saronic earlier this year.

Musk decided to relocate X's headquarters from San Francisco to the Austin area in July 2024. That was the same announcement in which Musk declared he would move Space Exploration Technologies Corp., known as SpaceX, from Hawthorne to its Starbase in South Texas. Months later, in a court filing the company cited Hyperloop Plaza at 865 Farm to Market Road 1209, which already houses manufacturing and office spaces for a number of Musk's companies as its official address.

Grok, an AI chat system developed by X, stated that the official headquarters for the company is at Building 2 at that address on FM 1209, and it says that the size of that office is not publicly available. It does, however, note that when X moved its HQ to Bastrop it relocated 188 full-time employees (as of late 2024). That, according to Grok, implies that Building 2 would be in the range of 18,800 square feet to 37,600 square feet.

The company's real estate director, Nicole Hollander, also said in 2024 that the company plans to grow its Texas footprint with new offices and new hires. The company also had planned to move employees from its other Austin office on Levander Loop to the Bastrop location.

X currently has dozens of job openings posted on its website.

That includes 23 roles that list Austin or Bastrop as a potential location, although some jobs appear to have flexibility to be based in other cities. Among those roles are safety agents, who investigate issues that might harm users, such as spam and fraud. That role has a base salary of $50,000 and involves potential exposure to graphic content such as violent threats, pornography and vulgar language.

The new funding round also comes as X recently filed a lawsuit against India's IT Ministry, accusing it of unlawfully expanding censorship powers to remove online content, according to a March 20 report by Reuters.