Sixteen acres at Gruene Road and Common Street in New Braunfels may soon be targeted for development. The land has been in the possession of the New Braunfels Economic Development Corporation (NBEDC) since 2016, and New Braunfels Director of Economic and Community Development Jeff Jewell presented an update on the property to City Council during its regular meeting on Monday, Aug. 12 at City Hall.
The 16 acres, which are located next to the offices of HD Supply, were initially acquired by the NBEDC for an adjacent business that had planned an expansion. However, COVID and changes at the corporate level “kind of iced those expansion plans,” according to Jewell. Previously-mentioned uses for the 16 acres included a light industrial zoning for storage or an RV park, but Jewell said that NBEDC’s 2022 strategic plan caused the organization to think more broadly in terms of the property’s potential.
Jewell presented three different development options that the property could be used for during his presentation — visitation, creativity and local focus. Each of the three possibilities included primary and secondary uses that took into account feedback from council members, as well as information provided by outside firm Economic & Planning Systems, Inc. The visitation option includes a convention center or meeting space with a boutique hotel, in addition to secondary features such as food and beverage businesses, luxury multifamily housing and parks/open space.
The creativi.