Government
BY AMIRA VAN LEEUWEN
New Braunfels Utilities broke ground on its new $184 million headquarters at 5467 FM 482 on April 23, which will accommodate future growth and better serve NBU customers, according to a news release. Previously, NBU residential and commercial customers had to visit the utility’s Main Plaza o ce downtown, the Customer Solutions Center at 1488 S. Seguin Ave., or the Service Center at 355 FM 306. “By bringing NBU services together under one roof, we’re making it easier to get support, solve problems and deliver the level of service our customers deserve,” NBU CEO Ryan Kelso said in the news release. The expansion is being funded by revenue bonds, which will be paid o over the next 30 years, Kelso said. Revenue bonds are not funded by taxpayers. These funds come from revenue generated by a speci c project, such as a public utility. How we got here Kelso said the utility’s 2017 Facility Master Plan prescribed the sale of its existing facilities and relocating into a central facility for e ciency. The utility sold its facilities back to the city, which will be redeveloped by the city following NBU’s relocation. NBU also conducted a workforce study to deter- mine the number of employees the company is projected to have in the future. The utility currently NBU breaks ground on $184M headquarters
A rendering of NBU’s visitor entrance at its future headquarters, which is located at 5467 FM 482, New Braunfels.
RENDERING COURTESY NEW BRAUNFELS UTILITIES
New Braunfels Utility headquarters
The new headquarters will be 250,000 square feet.
250K square feet 142K square feet: O ce space 60K square feet: warehouse 48K square feet: maintenance and equipment buildings
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MARIGOLD WAY
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SOURCE: NEW BRAUNFELS UTILITIES COMMUNITY IMPACT
with this expanded site we’ll be able to have those materials here on site ready for our employees,” Kelso said. It will be equipped with upgraded technology infrastructure to support the utility’s electric, water and wastewater services. Direct access to the I-35 frontage road will improve response times to restoring water and electrical outages, Kelso said. Looking ahead The project is slated to be completed in summer 2027.
has 455 sta members, and is projected to grow to 765 employees over the next 30 years, Kelso said. Project details NBU purchased the 77-acre site in 2023. The property was selected based on accessibility and scale, Kelso said. The expansion includes customer service areas, expanded customer meeting spaces and a 17-acre operations yard. Currently, the utility’s operations yard is 9 acres. “From a material storage perspective we had to spread out our storage on other sites as well ... and
Downtown 266 Landa Street, Ste. 110 North River Chase 6442 FM 306, Ste. 1103
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NEW BRAUNFELS EDITION
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