Read the top business and community news from the past week from the Central Texas area.

Northwest Austin

Inspire Development embarks on massive Pearson Ranch mixed-use project in Northwest Austin

Inspire Development broke ground Jan. 27 on Pearson Ranch, a 156-acre mixed-use project that aims to bring office space, retail, hotels, housing and parks to an area developers called Williamson County’s “burgeoning technology corridor.”

Nearly 2,000 multifamily housing units slated for construction in North Austin from 2022-25

With commercial and business growth continuing close to The Domain, Domain Northside and the Q2 Stadium, several developers are bringing high-density multifamily housing units to the area.

Round Rock

Former Nutty Brown music venue rebranding to be known as Round Rock Amp

Mike Farr has been working for years to move his music venue, Nutty Brown Amphitheater, to Round Rock. However, it will now be known by a new name—Round Rock Amp.

Central Austin

Despite emergence of omicron subvariant BA2, Austin Public Health officials spread ‘good news’

Officials with Austin Public Health said in a Jan. 28 press conference the area has reached the peak of the COVID-19 omicron variant wave and case numbers are beginning to decline—a fact Austin-Travis County Health Authority Dr. Desmar Walkes characterized as “good news.”

Southwest Austin

Slab BBQ & Beer relocating Oak Hill location to Westgate Lanes in South Austin

Slab BBQ & Beer is relocating from its Oak Hill location at 7101 W. Hwy. 71, Austin, to the Westgate Lanes bowling alley in early February.

Claire Shoop, Brooke Sjoberg and Zacharia Washington contributed to this report.