By KIM ESTES, Four Points News

RedFin Seafood Kitchen opened Memorial Day weekend and is already averaging 225 customers a night, said Bill Rasch, co-owner with business partner Mike McCollum, of the new restaurant.

Located on RM 620 in The Trails at 620 shopping center, RedFin offers a menu featuring foods from the sea and land. “Asking which is your favorite dish is like asking who of your children is your favorite,” said Cameron Kalka, general manager.

Rasch and McCollum, both residents of Steiner Ranch, began talking about opening a restaurant four years ago. They eventually teamed up with Chef Mario Rodriguez, previously with the W Hotel in downtown Austin, and Kalka, former GM of Shady Grove and Guero’s, to open RedFin.

Cameron Kalka (left), general manager, and Mario Rodriguez, chef, run day-to-day operations at RedFin Seafood Kitchen in The Trails at 620 shopping center on RM 620 in Four Points. The restaurant offers meals from land and sea for lunch or dinner.

“So far, it has been awesome,” Rodriguez said. “I’ve opened several restaurants. I opened the W with an ‘army’. We have a lot less staff here, but I think we’ve done great. We’ve done a great job of adapting too. We’ve listened to comments from customers and already made adjustments.”

“We’re all excited, passionate, about what we’re doing here. I’ve never felt more sure and better about what we serve than I do here,” said Kalka. Continue reading →

By CASSIE MCKEE, Four Points News

A River Place landowner is requesting a zoning change to develop 110 single-family homes on a 40-acre tract at River Place Boulevard and Milky Way Drive.

Jeffrey Howard, an attorney representing Milestone Community Builders, submitted the zoning application to the City of Austin on June 23, seeking a zoning change to SF2 for the 40 acres.

“We filed SF2 to do some single-family development that’s consistent with the typical single family you’d find in the River Place subdivision,” Howard said.

The land is currently zoned as Development Reserve (DR), which allows for only one lot per 10 acres. According to the city, DR zoning is intended for a temporary use or a use that will not commit land to a particular use pattern or intensity.

This aerial view shows the intersection of River Place Boulevard and Milky Way Drive, near where a zoning change is being requested on a 40-acre tract to develop 110 single-family homes.

Continue reading →

By KIM ESTES, Four Points News

A local father-of-three, businessman and a lecturer at the University of Texas has launched a youth entrepreneurship program and camp to fulfill a pledge to himself after his wife passed after battling cancer.

Alex Gabbi, a Glenlake resident, said, “When my wife passed away of cancer two years ago, I resolved to change careers and focus on activities that could have a high impact on the community.”

Gabbi co-founded Global Innovation Village to, in part, increase entrepreneurship within local communities. He established GIV with Sreenivasa Gorti in April 2014.  Gabbi is focused primarily on the Youth Entrepreneurship Program academy and GIV Launch program, while Gorti is focused mostly on GIV’s consulting business.

Alex Gabbi loves this family photo taken several years ago before his wife, Heather, died from ovarian cancer. Alex co-launched Global Innovation Village last year to shift careers and be more available for the Gabbi children who are now Nico, 14, Maya, 11, and Luca, 5.

Continue reading →

By SARAH DOOLITTLE, Four Points News

Louie, a 25 pound, nearly six-year-old dog, was fatally injured by a coyote in Steiner Ranch on the trails near River Heights Overlook on June 22.

A member of the Friedman family, Louie was running with owner Hampton Friedman that day as they had over 400 times previously in the four years the family has lived in Steiner Ranch.

Friedman explained that he did not worry that Louie was not on a leash, because, “Louie can walk across Quinlan Park,” the large road that runs the length of Steiner Ranch. “Louie knows Walk and Don’t Walk signals. Louie has gone thousands and thousands of miles,” on trails in Texas and throughout the country. He was also snake trained.

“Louie’s never been on a leash. Ever… He was like the neighborhood dog and everybody knew him and would come by and see him,” said Friedman.

9-year-old Jake Friedman with the family dog, Louie. Jake was planning a surprise 6th birthday party for Louie at the time the dog was fatally injured by a coyote in broad daylight on the trails in Steiner Ranch.

Continue reading →

Kelly Simon
Texas Parks & Wildlife

By SARAH DOOLITTLE, Four Points News

One dog was fatally bitten by a coyote last week and a day later, another dog came within two feet of a charging coyote both in the trails in Steiner Ranch.

Kelly Simon, Urban Wildlife Biologist for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, explained that in cases like this, the department may choose to kill a coyote.

“They evaluate risk. If the risk is high enough, they will determine what action needs to be taken. One option may be lethal control,” Simon said.

In her opinion, however, “That’s not the direction I would recommend.” Continue reading →