🌱 Rise In Data Center Development + New GMart-Valero And Burger Shop

Morning, North Austin-Pflugerville! Here's everything you need to know to get this Thursday started off right.

First, today's weather:

Partly sunny, warm and humid. High: 87 Low: 69.

Here are the top stories in North Austin-Pflugerville today:

1. Since the beginning of this year, "Austin has seen a rise in data center development." For example, last month "Skybox Datacenters and Prologis announced a $548 million data center development in Pflugerville, Texas." According to a CBRE report, "the greater Austin-San Antonio region has seen a sharp rise in data center construction — from under 10 MW (megawatts) in the first half of 2018 to around 25 MW at the end of 2021 — while vacancy reached 2.5 percent at the end of last year." The recent Skybox and Sabey centers "would see the region’s inventory almost doubled, from around 151 MW in 2021." For more details on this and other developments, please visit: (Commercial Property Executive)
2. On Wednesday, April 20 at approximately 5:53 a.m., a fire occurred at "a two-story duplex apartment" located at 8312 Nighthawk Court near North Lamar Boulevard and U.S. 183 in North Austin. Fortunately, firefighters were able to put the fire out in about 10 minutes, and no injuries occurred, but six residents were displaced. According to the Austin Fire Department, the fire was due to "an electrical issue and caused a total of $175,000 in damages," but "no other information was provided." For more details visit: (KEYE TV CBS Austin)
3. If you're looking for a home in the Pflugerville area, there are several houses on the market but instead of searching for them online, consider going to open houses "to get a true feeling for a house." To help you in your search, Patch has "listed the five most recent houses to hit the local market, with information included on the next scheduled open house." For photos and details on those and other properties and open houses visit: (North Austin-Pflugerville Patch)
4. A new "GMart/Valero convenience store and a Buddha Burger shop" will be opening" at 1300 Pflugerville Parkway in late May." Raaziq Bhimani, owner of Buddha Burger, also owns the new GMart/Valero location, along with his family. According to Bhimani, the burger shop will feature "freshly ground, ultra-premium beef burgers as well as chicken sandwiches, various kinds of French fries and milkshakes. There will also be vegan and vegetarian options, and a breakfast menu will be available by early fall." Bhimani also said that "the GMart/Valero will sell food, beer, wine, gas, soft drinks and other items commonly found in convenience stores." For more information visit: (Community Impact Newspaper)

Today in North Austin-Pflugerville:

• Ribbon Cutting at Heritage Lakes Senior Living located at 19005 Pleasant Bay Drive. (4 p.m.)
• April Happy Hour for ASPIRE2040 Pflugerville Comp Plan at Hanover's located at 108 East Main St. Registration and RSVPs are required. (6 p.m.)
• Silent Book Club In-Person Event for 18 and over at the Pflugerville Public Library. Registration is required at https://bit.ly/3IwmyTb. For COVID-19 masking requirements visit https://www.pflugervilletx.gov/for-residents/covid-19. (6 p.m.)
• Open Mic Night and Live Music on the Patio at Three-Legged Goat located at 300 E. Pecan St. (6:30 p.m.)
• Board of Trustees Regular Meeting for Pflugerville ISD at 1401 W. Pecan St. For agendas and minutes visit https://www.pfisd.net/Page/845. (7 p.m.)
• Movies in Pflugerville and surrounding areas. (All Day)

From my notebook:

• "Participate in the Girl Scouts of Central Texas Virtual Hackathon from June 6-10 without even getting out of your PJs! Girl Scouts in grades 4-12 can get a jumpstart on badge earning by taking cybersecurity or STEM careers and can even discover new ways to use Canva. For more details visit Girl Scouts of Central Texas | Linktree." (Instagram)
• "It's Cleanup Day week in Pflugerville and during this time, Pflugerville residents have a chance to easily and safely dispose of household items that may not be part of regular pickup. Stop by across from Brookhollow Elementary School on Saturday, April 23 from 8:30-11:30 a.m.
  Learn more about what is accepted and what to leave at home at pflugervilletx.gov/cleanup." (Facebook)
• "If you want to help prevent stormwater pollution, please take the following steps: Secure your bagged trash. Pick up after your pet. Watch your yard debris. Don't drain your pool down a city storm drain. For more on stormwater prevention visit pflugervilletx.gov/stormwater." (Facebook)
• Pflugerville Parks and Recreation just raised the pay rates for summer aquatics staff and are hiring lifeguards ($12-13 per hour), pool cashiers ($11 per hour), swim instructors ($14 per hour) and swim instructor aides ($10.50 per hour). They also offer end of season bonuses and if you need to become certified, they have lifeguard training classes through May. Learn more at pflugervilletx.gov/lifeguard." (Facebook)

Loving the North Austin-Pflugerville Daily? Here are all the ways you can get more involved:

• Send a friend or neighbor this link so they can subscribe
• Get your local business listed in front of readers
• Send me a news tip or suggestion at NorthAustin@Patch.com

Now you're in the loop and ready to start this Thursday! See you all tomorrow for your next update.

— Gabriela Couvillion

About me: I'm an active mom of two grown sons and lifelong San Antonio resident. I received a BA in Spanish from the University of Texas at San Antonio, and in my free time I immerse myself in creative writing. Thanks for reading Patch, and feel free to reach out if you have any news and happenings you think may appeal to our readers!