New Braunfels Edition | June 2026

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New Braunfels Edition VOLUME 9, ISSUE 7 JUNE 6JULY 9, 2026

2026 Health Care Edition

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$500M tax break approved for CloudBurst data center near New Braunfels

INSIDE

Guadalupe County commissioners approved a multimillion tax break and development agreement for an articial intelligence data center in April. (Rendering courtesy CloudBurst Texas LLC)

Also in this issue

Impacts: Read about a locally owned coee shop and bookstore relocating in downtown (Page 7)

Transportation: Learn about ve transportation projects impacting the city’s west side (Page 12)

Development: Check out a new retail development coming to Gruene (Page 17)

COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM

NEW BRAUNFELS EDITION

Join the City of New Braunfels as we celebrate our Solid Waste and Recycling Workers and all those who work in the Waste industry!

Show some extra appreciation this week to encourage those who serve our community.

Scan the QR code for more information about Waste & Recycling Workers Week and for some fun ideas on how to get involved!

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Impacts

chiropractor specializing in women’s health, pregnancy and postpartum care. Sauceda oers in-oce and at- home chiropractic care along with birthing support. • Opened Feb. 2 • 2305 Gruene Lake Drive, Ste. D, New Braunfels • www.withheartandhandschiro.com 4 Moon Water Midwifery The business, owned by Ember Miller-Adair, oers newborn care, postpartum care and more. • Opened Feb. 2 • 2305 Gruene Lake Drive, Ste. D, New Braunfels • www.birthwithmoonwatermidwifery.com 1101 5 Riverview Calvary Chapel Riverview Calvary Church had been renting a space at Through A Child’s Eyes Development Center at 2047 E. Common St. for its church services on Wednesdays and Sundays before opening a new, 19,000-square-foot chapel. The church oers services on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. • Opened April 26 • 6804 FM 306, New Braunfels • http://riverviewcalvarychapel.churchcenter.com/home 6 Bosses Card Lounge The card lounge, owned by Vo Nguyen, has comics, retro toys, collectible sports cards and more. • Opened May 30 7 Lonestar Hempworks The Seguin-based CBD shop sells ower, vapes and edibles. • Opened March 5 • 921 S. Seguin Ave., New Braunfels • www.lonestarhempworks.com • 263 Loop 337, New Braunfels • Facebook: Bosses Card Lounge

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2 360 MD The primary care and weight loss clinic is owned by Carol Ann Linebarger. • Opened May 1 • 1067 FM 306, Ste. 106, New Braunfels • www.360mdaustin.com 3 With Heart and Hands Chiropractic With Heart and Hands Chiropractic is owned by Jasmine Sauceda, who is a family, nervous system-based

Now open

1 Quality Urgent Care The urgent care clinic accepts walk-ins and oers preventative care, telemedicine and X-rays. • Opened April 15 • 692 S. Walnut Ave., New Braunfels • www.qualityurgentcareofamerica.com

Coming soon

8 Ancient Moon Apothecary The apothecary shop—owned by Ember Miller-Adair— will oer a curated selection of herbal products, tea blends and bulk herbs.

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BY AMRIA VAN LEEUWEN

14 Steaks to Go The food truck, which serves an Original-Style Steak Sandwich, grilled cheese and chicken ngers, relocated from 221 Elliott Knox Blvd. • Relocated April 27 • 353 S. Seguin Ave., New Braunfels • www.steakstogotx.com 15 Beyond Faith Homecare The business relocated from 19A Gruene Park Drive, Ste. 108. Beyond Faith Homecare oers medication management services, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and more. • Relocated March 31 • 1067 FM 306, Ste. 308, New Braunfels • www.beyondfaithhomecare.com 16 AMAX Auto Insurance The business is relocating from 263 Loop 337 Ramp Ste. 700. A-MAX Auto Insurance oers car insurance, surety bonds, motorcycle insurance and renters insurance. • Relocating June 30 • 651 S. Walnut Ave., New Braunfels • www.amaxinsurance.com/ind-an-ofice/walnut-ave

• Opening August • 2305 Gruene Lake Village, Ste. D, New Braunfels • Facebook: Ancient Moon Apothecary 9 El Arroyo The Austin-based Tex-Mex restaurant will be opening on the Rockin’ R River Rides site. El Arroyo serves quesadillas, enchiladas, burritos, tacos, plates and more. • Opening 2026 • 1405 Gruene Road, New Braunfels • www.elarroyo.com 10 Wine Folks The neighborhood wine bar—owned by Danielle and Jason Grantham—will oer beer, wine and provisions. • Opening June • 967 N. Academy Ave., New Braunfels • Facebook: Wine Folks 11 Hunter Road Country Club The restaurant and bar will have pool tables, a patio with an outdoor bar, a juke box and darts. • Opening June • 1176 FM 306, New Braunfels • Facebook: Hunter Road Country Club 12 Corral Prime Meat Market The market—owned by New Braunfels locals Gladys and Ruben Carrasco—will sell meats, grocery items and gas. • Opening early June • 1836 Spur St., New Braunfels • www.corralprime.com

Relocations

20 The Chapter & Co. The bookstore and coee shop, owned by sisters Lilliana Brabham and Laura Hickman, relocated from 278 W. San Antonio St. to inside Staunch Traditional Outtters. The Chapter & Co. sells specialty coees and teas along with a selection of romance and fantasy books. • Relocated May 2 • 215 W. San Antonio St., New Braunfels • Facebook: The Chapter & Co.

In the news

17 Rise Collective and Med Spa The med spa changed its name from Rise IV & Beauty Bar in early May. Rise Collective and Med Spa oers laser hair removal, microneedling, facials and more. • 472 W. San Antonio St., New Braunfels • https://riseivandbeautybar.glossgenius.com 18 Johnson Furniture Co. The furniture store, owned by Carol Johnson, is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2026. Johnson Furniture Co. oers a selection of unique furniture and interior design consultations. • 283 S. Seguin Ave., New Braunfels • www.johnsonfurnitureco.com

anniversary in June. Embrace Hospice provides end of life care. • 642 Comal Ave., New Braunfels • www.embracehospicellc.com/locations/new- braunfels-tx

Relocations

Closings

13 Mint Physical Therapy The physical therapy clinic relocated within The Oaks shopping center from 1551 N. Walnut Ave., Ste. 47. Mint Physical Therapy oers a range of neurological and orthopedic therapy services. • Relocated April 20 • 1151 N. Walnut Ave., Ste. 1, New Braunfels • www.mintphysicaltherapy.com

21 Roost The restaurant served sandwiches, salads and chicken salads along with all-day breakfast items. • Closed May 3 • 2124 Gabriels Pl Ste.106, New Braunfels, TX 78130 • www.roosttexas.com

19 Embrace Hospice The hospice provider is celebrating its ve-year

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NEW BRAUNFELS EDITION

NEW HOMES, NEIGHBORHOODS, PARKS, SCHOOLS AND CONNECTIONS THERE’S NEW. AND THEN THERE’S NEW NEW. At Mayfair in New Braunfels, not far from historic Gruene, our community is progressing nicely. We’ve added new builders, bringing the total to seven, and more home collections at a new range of prices. New neighborhoods, Sage Corner and Ridgeway are open. For-lease homes are available in the Village at Mayfair. Mayfair Elementary is now open. People are gathering at the new Fairway Park. And there’s still much more to come. We invite you to find your new here, too.

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Government

BY AMIRA VAN LEEUWEN

City looks to support local artists with new master plan

arts center while others suggested building a new 1,500-2,000-seat venue. Other conversations focused on leveraging San Antonio’s Culinary Institute of America—and could include an “ele- vated” food and wine festival, agenda documents state. A lm festival was also suggested. Stakeholders also identied an opportunity to provide more visibility to the community’s Mexican heritage and African American and Black community. Economic and Community Development Director Je Jewell said the plan ensures arts and culture remain a vital part of the community’s identity through future initiatives. “These strategies aim to expand cultural pro- gramming, support artists and arts organizations, enhance cultural destinations throughout the city and strengthen the operational capacity needed to sustain a vibrant arts and heritage ecosystem,” Jewell said in the release.

New Braunfels ocials are working to invest in arts and culture. City Council adopted its 2026 Arts and Culture Master Plan during a regular meeting April 27. The plan outlines ways to support local artists and cultural organizations, and encourage the devel- opment of creative spaces, according to a news release. What you need to know City Council selected consulting rm Designing Local in April 2025 to work with a nine-member steering committee with dierent perspectives from the arts and heritage community. Various stakeholders were engaged throughout the planning process, including gallery owners, city sta, leaders of nonprot cultural and heritage organizations and museum curators, according to the release. Many individuals suggested repurposing the city’s current convention center into a cultural

Musician Alex Meixner sings and plays the accordion during Wurstfest 2025. Wursfest is one of the largest annual cultural events in New Braunfels.

AMIRA VAN LEEUWENCOMMUNITY IMPACT

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NEW BRAUNFELS EDITION

Government

BY AMIRA VAN LEEUWEN

The city of New Braunfels is considering forming a charter review commission, after officials discovered a conflict between the city charter and the Texas Constitution regarding the New Braunfels mayoral race. New Braunfels City Manager Robert Camareno said the most common composition of a charter review composition is a council-appointed citizen model which is composed of seven members. “An open and transparent process is to recommend to you all an application process where anyone that’s interested can actually apply to be considered for appointment to that commission,” Camareno said. Council discusses forming charter review commission

Draft charter review and amendment election timeline

Early 2027: Charter amendment election ordered by City Council

June 15-July 17: Applications open for serving on charter review commission

August 10: Process for selecting outside legal counsel begins

2027

June 2026

Fall/Winter 2026: Charter review commission conducts review of charter and makes recommendations to City Council for changes

July-August: Process for selecting outside legal counsel begins

May: City holds charter amendment election

SOURCE: CITY OF NEW BRAUNFELS/COMMUNITY IMPACT

amendment election. Outside legal support helps educate the charter commission on election law and ensure ballot language compliance. Outside legal support provides a legal review of the existing charter and proposed amendments, according to the meeting presentation.

Each council member would appoint one resident from their district and the mayor would appoint one at-large member. The commission would appoint a chairperson from the seven members, according to a May 26 City Council meeting presentation. City staff is also recommending outside legal counsel support for the charter review and

Some context

Stay tuned

New Braunfels mayoral term is three years, a runoff must be held, according to the Texas Constitution. Mayor Pro Tem Lawrence Spradley said he liked the idea of a seven-member commission and appointing someone. Council member April Ryan said she slightly disagreed with Spradley. She said she would appreciate the application process being open to the public with final approval from City Council.

Following the May 2 election, city officials reviewed the city charter, which states that the mayoral election is decided by the candidate who receives the most votes, or a plurality of votes, regardless of whether a candidate receives a majority. However, the city received information that this was incorrect under state law. When a term of office exceeds two years, members of a municipality’s governing body must be elected by a majority vote. Since the

City Council is anticipated to decide on the composition of the charter commission at the next council meeting. The dais meets monthly on the second and fourth Monday at 6 p.m. The council meets at city hall, which is located at 550 Landa St.

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Government

BY AMIRA VAN LEEUWEN

New Braunfels City Council votes to terminate city attorney New Braunfels City Council voted to terminate the employment of its city attorney, Valeria Acevedo, following a two-hour May 11 executive session. Council voted 4-3 to terminate its city attorney, with council members Toni Carter, Mary Ann Labowski and April Ryan dissenting. Mayor Pro Tem Lawrence Spradley made the motion, and council member Michael Capizzi seconded the motion. The decision to terminate the city attorney’s employment comes after the discovery of a conict between the city charter and the Texas Constitution regarding the New Braunfels mayoral race. The council had the opportunity to recon- sider Acevedo’s termination during a May 26

Council positions head to runo

What happened New Braunfels City Council voted to terminate City Attorney Valeria Acevedo following a May 11 executive session.

The New Braunfels City Council District 6 and New Braunfels mayor seats are going to a runo election. In case you missed it Incumbent Neal Linnartz will be facing candidate Michael French in the mayor runo election. Additionally, Incumbent April Ryan and candidate Nikki Shaw will be vying for the District 6 seat. District 5 City Council member Mary Ann Labowski was sworn into oce for a second term during a regular city council meeting May 26.

AMIRA VAN LEEUWENCOMMUNITY IMPACT

council meeting, but the motion died for lack of a second. The update Following executive session May 26, City Council appointed Davidson Troilo Ream & Garza as the interim rm to serve as city attorney.

Election day will be June 13 from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. For more election coverage, visit www.communityimpact.com/voter-guide

City Council approves resolution supporting historic designation for 2 properties New Braunfels City Council approved a res- olution supporting obtaining National Register of Historic Places designation for two properties within Dittlinger Family Residential Historic District on May 11. In a nutshell The district contains late 19th century and early 20th century resources on two properties— 581 W. Coll St. and 372 Magazine Ave.—in the city’s Sophienburg Historic District, according to agenda documents. The historic-age resources in the area date from around 1895-1925 and are associated with the Dittlinger family. The district was nominated to the National Register of Historic Places for its examples of National Folks, Late Victorian and Early 20th Century Revival architectural design. Dittlinger Family Residential Historic District

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NEW BRAUNFELS EDITION

Transportation

BY AMIRA VAN LEEUWEN

5 transportation projects reshaping the city’s west side

Five transportation projects are working alongside the West End Area Master Plan to improve quality of life by addressing pedestrian safety and mobility on the west side of town, Garry Ford, director of transportation and construction services, said.

plans for dierent neighborhoods in the city, such as the West End Area Master Plan. Je Jewell, director of economic and community development, said small area master plans are an eort to “manage growth.”

A plan geared toward improving the quality of life for residents on the west side of New Braunfels is making headway. The Envision New Braunfels Comprehensive Plan recommends that the city undertake small area

West end projects

1 Water Lane and West San Antonio Street Improvements Project: The project includes lling sidewalk gaps and upgrading the intersection at West San Antonio Street and Loop 337. • Cost: $4.2 million • Funding sources: 2023 city bond, Proposition A 2 San Antonio Street/Spur Intersection Interim Improvements Project: The intersection will receive resurfacing and restriping. • Cost: $900,000 • Funding sources: 2023 city bond, Proposition A 3 Sidewalk Construction & Improvements: Peach, Plum and Grape Avenue Project: There will be sidewalk and pedestrian improvements. • Cost: $2.6 million • Funding source: Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, or AAMPO, New Braunfels Economic Development Corp., or NBEDC 4 Pedestrian bulb-outs on Peach Avenue Project: There will be intersection improvements at Peach Avenue and West San Antonio Street, including painting bulb- outs and adding crosswalks to improve pedestrian visibility. • Cost: TBD • Funding sources: American Rescue Plan Act 5 San Antonio/Spur Final Improvements Project: There will be sidewalk and drainage system improvements, along with the addition of a trac signal at Live Oak Avenue and San Antonio Street. • Cost: $18 million • Funding sources: AAMPO, NBEDC funding potential for design

West End Area Master Plan

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Transportation

BY AMIRA VAN LEEUWEN

City seeks grant funding for transportation projects

Potential roundabout

New Braunfels City Council approved a resolution submitting multiple projects to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All, or SS4A, and Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant, or RCE, Programs on May 11. What you need to know The projects that will be submitted to the SS4A grant program are: • Installation of a roundabout to improve safety at the intersection of Landa Street, North Seguin Avenue and Zink Street • Updating the city’s Street Safety Action Plan, Vision Zero and Elliot Knox Blvd Multimodal Corridor Study Another project the city is seeking grant funding for is a pedestrian bridge. In November, TxDOT awarded the city Trans- portation Alternatives funding for a pedestrian trail within the right of way dedicated for

Waterway Lane—a trail segment that aims to connect pedestrians and bicyclists to Common Street and Gruene Road, toward Landa Park, the Dry Comal Creek and then on to San Antonio. But the trail has to end at Old FM 306 due to railroad track constraints adjacent to Goodwin Lane, agenda documents state. The project submitted to the RCE Program is for a pedestrian bridge crossing the railroad tracks at Old FM 306 and connecting the pedestrian improvements on Goodwin Lane. This project would increase pedestrian safety for individuals traveling to and from the northeast side of New Braunfels, according to agenda documents. The RCE program provides funding for high- way-rail or pathway rail grade crossing improve- ment projects that aim to improve the safety and mobility of people and goods, agenda documents state. The SS4A program provides grants to local, regional and tribal communities for transporta- tion projects that strive to create safer roadways.

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Next steps An application for each program will be sub- mitted. The SS4A application is due at the end of May and the railroad application is due in June; however, city sta does not anticipate to hear back on either application until early 2027, according to an email from city ocials.

A little water goes a long way. More than 50 years in fact. Our community has a strong 50-year water plan in place, but we all still need to do our part to save water today. Conserving water isn’t just smart, it’s what keeps our community strong.

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NEW BRAUNFELS EDITION

Transportation

BY AMIRA VAN LEEUWEN

Read about 3 transportation updates in New Braunfels

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1 Common Street (Loop 337 to FM 306) Project: The project looks to improve regional connectivity by widening Common Street to a four- line road with sidewalks and adding new trac signals at major intersections. Update: The project has been designed. Right-of- way acquisition and utility coordination has begun. • Timeline: Construction is expected to begin in 2028. • Cost: $17.6 million • Funding source: 2023 city bond, Proposition A

2 Divine Way Rehabilitation Project Project: The roadway’s mill and overlay and asphalt was replaced. Ramps were also reconstructed to be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Update: Construction was completed March 27, according to an email from city ocials. • Timeline: Feb. 16-March 27 • Cost: $980,000 • Funding source: 2023 city bond, Proposition A

3 Bicycle and Pedestrian Network Plan Project: The plan looks to increase bikeway, trail and sidewalk miles within New Braunfels. Update: The second and nal round of public outreach was completed the week of May 8. City sta are planning to present the plan to the City Council this summer. The city has completed about 75% of the plan, according to the email from city o cials. • This projectdoes not have a timeline or cost projections.

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News

BY AMIRA VAN LEEUWEN

NBU looks to remove 3 properties from service area

New Braunfels Utilities is looking to modify its service area. The New Braunfels Utilities board of trustees voted April 30 to submit an application to the state’s Public Utility Commission to absolve its legal responsibility to provide water and wastewater services for three undeveloped properties. The action, which will ultimately be reviewed and decided on by the state’s PUC, does not aect current customers, and water service rates remain unchanged, according to a news release. What you need to know Two of the properties are located west of FM 306 and will be located within Comal County’s Munici- pal Utility District, or MUD, No. 5. Those properties would be served by the MUD, which is a 621-acre district north of New Braunfels. MUDs are special-purpose districts created by the state, used by developers to fund the upfront costs of building new communities in unincorporated

areas—land outside city limits that isn’t governed by a municipal government, according to the Texas Municipal League. The third property is a 97.68-acre tract northeast of Cambridge Drive near the River Chase area. The cause NBU Chief Executive Ocer Ryan Kelso said most of the area on the north side of town is over the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone, which is one of the reasons the board is behind the decision. Extending water service to undeveloped areas also requires investment in new pipelines, storage and treatment capacity. “We’re focusing on areas where we can serve customers reliably and eciently, while avoiding unexpected infrastructure expansions that could place additional costs on the people we already serve,” Kelso said in the release.

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NEW BRAUNFELS EDITION

Development

BY AMIRA VAN LEEUWEN

The former Dittlinger and ADM Milling Co. site is getting closer to redevelopment. New Braunfels City Council approved an ordinance rezoning an additional 2.11 acres of the ADM Milling Co. site May 11 from industrial to high intensity mixed-use with a special use permit. The rezoning would allow for the overall redevel- opment of the former Dittlinger and ADM Milling Co. site, Deputy City Manager Jordan Matney said during a April 27 council meeting. The 9-acre riverfront property was rezoned by City Council in December 2024, but the additional 2-acre rezoning is critical to the project and its design, said Ashley Farrimond, a partner at Killen, Grin & Farrimond PLLC. Killen, Grin & Farri- mond PLLC is a San Antonio-based law rm that represents land use and economic development initiatives. “We’re really trying to have a consistent zoning over the entirety of the project,” Farrimond said during the April 27 meeting. The mixed-use project will bring more outdoor, retail, restaurant and commercial space. Developers are also looking to construct a parking garage with 500 or more spaces and a boutique hotel, Farrimond said. Council member Michael Capizzi said he thought this was a “great” opportunity for the city. Council member D. Lee Edwards suggested devel- opers consider designing an Uber or Rio drop-o and enhanced crosswalks. 2.11 additional acres rezoned for ADM Mill project

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Digging deeper As of 4 p.m. April 27, approximately 27 property owners within 200 feet of the property in question were notied, Matney said. The city received eight responses in favor of the rezoning and one in opposition. Adjacent property owner Layton L. Leissner opposed the rezoning, according to agenda documents. Melvin Nolte Jr., an adjacent property owner in favor of the rezoning, said the new rezoning would be “much better” than the industrial zoning. Melvin Nolte Jr. is also one of the property owners being represented by Killen, Grin & Farrimond for the redevelopment project, according to agenda documents from a March 3 planning commission meeting. The rezoning was recommended to City Council following the March 3 recommendation from the planning commission. The commission’s Vice Chair Chase Taylor voted in opposition to the rezoning.

Commissioner Angela Allen also voted in opposition to the rezoning. Allen said she wanted to review the plans. Commissioner Chad Nolte—who recused himself during the March 3 planning meeting—is another individual and owner being represented by Killen, Grin & Farrimond on the project, according to agenda documents. The ADM Mill property is located within the city’s Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone, or TIRZ, No. 3, which encompasses downtown. A TIRZ creates a total taxable value base of all real property in the zone for the year it was designated. Upon devel- opment or redevelopment, the appraised property value should increase, according to the Texas comptroller. “The redevelopment of this property will create a signicant increment that will be used to reinvest in our historic downtown,” Matney said.

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Development

BY AMIRA VAN LEEUWEN

2-story retail project in the works near Gruene’s Historic District Developers with LGD 1 LLC are hoping to break ground on a two-story retail project at 1551 Gruene Road later this year. The overview The 65,000-square-foot retail project, currently named Shops at Lower Gruene, will be home to a mix of retail and restaurant space. The rst oor will likely be food and beverage, while the second oor of the building will most likely house personal services, such as a yoga or Pilates studio, said Justin Holliday, one of the managing members and partners of the group developing the property. Stay tuned Once they receive permitting, construction can

1044

$16M water storage project underway New Braunfels Utilities is on track to complete its FM 1044 Elevated Storage Tank project in December. The update During the week of April 27, the top of the tank was successfully hoisted into place at the top of the structure. Construction on the water infrastructure project, which is located at 1637 FM 1044, began in March 2025. The 2 million gallon storage tank will help maintain water pressure for NBU cus- tomers in the Morningside Pressure Zone.

The Shops at Lower Gruene will be located at 1551 Gruene Road in New Braunfels.

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begin. Holliday said construction on the project is expected to take a year. “Our hope is that we are permitted and ready to turn dirt sometime this summer,” Holliday told Community Impact.

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Government

BY AMIRA VAN LEEUWEN

Comal County commissioners are asking state legislators to review or repeal the State Sales Tax Exemption for Qualied Data Centers. The commissioners are asking the Texas Legislature to designate an independent assess- ment on regional water availability and drought contingency planning for counties with Priority Groundwater Management Areas, or PGMAs, to appropriate legislative committees. This would allow the committees to evaluate water con- sumption and help enact statewide legislation to address the impacts of large-scale data center developments, especially in water constrained areas, such as counties with PGMAs, according to a May 14 resolution approved by the court in a 4-1 vote. Commissioners are also asking state ocials and relevant regulatory agencies to require full, transparent public reporting of expected water usage for all proposed data center developments before nal approval. The court also supports data centers using closed-loop cooling systems in regions with high water availability, according to the resolution text. Explained A qualifying data center is a facility of at least 100,000 square feet consisting of a single building or portion of a building that has been or will be constructed or refurbished to house servers and equipment for processing, storing or distributing Comal County asks state to revisit data center tax breaks

Hill Country PGMA PGMAs are areas in Texas experiencing or expected to experience critical groundwater problems, according to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Parts of Comal County and Hays County are in the Hill Country PGMA, according to Texas Groundwater Conservation District.

Hays

Kendall

Comal Comal

PGMA boundary Existing data centers

Guadalupe

SOURCE: TEXAS GROUNDWATER CONSERVATION DISTRICTCOMMUNITY IMPACT

“What this [resolution] does is it asks the state to take a look at these things and give some direc- tion, especially in areas where folks have PGMAs like we have in the county here,” Webb said. Precinct 4 Commissioner Jen Crownover said the resolution will show state legislators that data centers are an important matter to the community. Haag said he thinks the state is already well aware of what the data centers are doing and what some of the problems are. He said the state can “do what they want” with the tax money coming in from data centers. “Would you rather have a 500-acre development with 10 buildings on it with 10 people or 20 people in each building, or do you want a 500-acre piece of property with however many houses they can cram in there. What’s the dierence,” Haag said.

data, according to the Texas comptroller. Items essential to the operation of a qualied data center are temporarily exempt from the state’s 6.25% sales and use tax, according to the Texas comp- troller. The sales tax exemption for a qualied data center lasts for 10 or 15 years beginning from the date the comptroller’s oce certies the data center. The sales tax exemption is temporary. There are four data centers in San Antonio and two data centers in Austin that are registered Qualifying Data Centers and Qualifying Large Data Center Projects in Texas, according to the Texas comptroller. What Comal County commissioners are saying Precinct 3 Commissioner Kevin Webb said there are things that the state controls that counties don’t. He also said he does not care for the sales tax break the state is giving data center developments.

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$500M tax break approved for CloudBurst data center near New Braunfels From the cover

What you need to know

CloudBurst data center site plan The data center, located at 2955 Francis Harris Lane, will span 706 acres along the Guadalupe County-Hays County boundary.

A new data center is breaking ground near New Braunfels following Guadalupe County commissioners approval of a $500 million Chapter 312 property tax abatement and development agreement with CloudBurst Texas. The data center, located at 2955 Francis Harris Lane, will span 706 acres along the Guadalupe County-Hays County boundary. The data center is positioned to serve the Austin and San Antonio markets, according to the tax abatement agreement. Area residents spoke at the April 21 Commissioners Court meeting about concerns over water and electricity usage and health impacts. CloudBurst would use 24,000 gallons of water a day while utilizing a closed-loop system. It is not expected to increase local utility bills, said Cynthia Thompson, director, executive chairperson and co-founder of CloudBurst. The development agreement and tax abatement passed in a 3-2 vote. Precinct 1 Commissioner Jacqueline Ott and Precinct 4 Commissioner Stephen Germann dissented. The decision comes after the court rejected the tax abatement request for the data center in February.

Purchased land Planned development

BRAUNERD.

C E N T E R P O I N T R D .

The data center will have 1012 AI-ready buildings.

MAP NOT TO SCALE

Digging deeper

Explained

Thompson said they will be using a dormant gas line to create energy for the data center. CloudBurst Data Centers entered into a long-term agreement with Energy Transfer in February 2025 for 1.2 gigawatts of direct “behind-the-meter” electric power. “We will not be driving up local electric bills to the community,” Thompson said. The Articial Intelligence data center will be using a closed-loop water cooling system with commercially sourced water or wastewater and 20% propylene glycol mixture. Propylene glycol is a synthetic liquid substance that absorbs water and is “generally recognized as safe,” according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The substance can also soak into soil and break down within several days to a week, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. A closed-loop system uses mechanical cooling, similar to the way people cool their homes. Pipes with hot water continuously recirculate through cooling rooms within the data center, said Robert Mace, executive director of The Meadows Center

for Water and the Environment. Although the water could be sourced from Crystal Clear Special Utility District, Thompson said there is a signicant amount of wastewater available from three dierent sources, which she did not name.

Navarro ISD is expected to be the main beneciary from the tax abatement. “The benet to Navarro ISD’s students, fac- ulty and sta is [going to] be very benecial in the long term,” Precinct 2 Commissioner Drew Engelke said.

By the numbers

15-year tax revenue projection by jurisdiction

480 permanent jobs

Navarro ISD: $1.6B

York Creek Water Improvement District: $5.89M Guadalupe County: $165.7M Lateral Road: $68.08M

1.2 gigawatts of “behind-the-meter” electric power

24K gallons of water per day, 96 living unit equivalent

85 decibels at 10 feet

706.4 acres total

Total: $1.8B

COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM

BY AMIRA VAN LEEUWEN

The bottom line

What the experts say

Levinski worked in Austin during a time when the city was oering many tax abatement deals and said that very few of those agreements have “stood the test of time.” “The companies use those agreements to pitch as leverage to their investors and ultimately, no matter what we agreed to, the companies even- tually failed to perform knowing that the only penalty is to pay taxes like the rest of us,” Levinski said.

Steven Tays, one of Guadalupe County’s assistant attorneys, said the 10-year tax abatement requires the data center to operate continuously for 10 years after the abatement period ends; the county is entitled to recapture all ad valorem taxes abated under the agreement. Bobby Levinski, an attorney with Save Our Springs Alliance who is representing property owners adjacent to the center, said he does not believe the center will meet the tax abatement requirements based on his previous experience.

Construction for the CloudBurst AI data center’s rst building was scheduled to begin in April and is anticipated to wrap up in March 2027. The data center is estimated to be fully built out by December 2029, according to the tax abatement agreement.

CloudBurst estimated build-out timeline

Building number

2026

Zooming out

2027

heat islands, increasing the risk of heat-related illnesses and intensifying air pollution. There are also noise pollution impacts, Hanes said.

A January report from Bloom Energy projects that Texas will see a 142% increase in its share of the data industry by 2028, as previously reported by Community Impact . The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which operates the state power grid, estimated in an April 15 report that Texas will see over 367,000 megawatts of electric demand by 2032, with much of that load growth expected to come from data centers and industrial projects. ERCOT’s current demand record sits at 85,508 megawatts. The Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance, or GEAA, a nonprot organization that advocates for the pro- tection and preservation of the Edwards Aquifer, released a data center report with policy recom- mendations in April. Rachel Hanes, GEAA policy director and author of the report, said no two data centers are alike, so each one will have a dierent impact. However, data centers can create their own

Texas data centers

2028

There are about 457 data centers registered in Texas, with 70 registered in San Antonio.

181

2029

1 1 1 1 1

2030

*AS OF MAY 22 SOURCE: DATA CENTER MAP COMMUNITY IMPACT

SOURCE: CLOUDBURST TEXAS LLCCOMMUNITY IMPACT

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Health care

BY SIERRA MARTIN

Health Care Edition

2026

Howdy neighbors! Every year, our health care edition is all about connecting you with people, technology and local businesses keeping our community healthy. Putting an issue like this together takes a lot of teamwork, so a huge thank you goes out to the providers who opened their doors to our reporters and the businesses who stepped up to support local news.

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TXST selected to help in statewide eort to support rural hospitals

What else?

Melinda Villagran, executive director of the Translational Health Research Center, or THRC, will lead the academy at Texas State and serve as the TSUS delegate to the academy’s state advisory board. THRC Faculty Fellows with expertise in operations, health care nance, leadership and rural health systems will work on the project once selected. The program aims to reduce nancial instability that can lead to service reductions or hospital closures by strengthening leadership. According to the release, training in the academy will include competencies for operating hospitals in resource-constrained rural environments, such as: • Regulatory compliance • Revenue optimization • Health care management Sul Ross State University, a TSUS sister school, will lead local logistics planning for the on-site program in West Texas in 2027, according to the release.

Texas State University has been selected for a new statewide initiative—the Texas Rural Hospital Ocers Academy—that will strengthen nancial and operational leadership and stability of rural hospitals and protect access to health care across Texas. The academy was established by House Bill 18 during the 2025 Texas legislative session and will deliver more than 100 hours of specialized training each year for leaders of rural hospitals and health systems throughout the state. The academy’s goal is to address the growing risk of hospital closures, according to a news release from Texas State. The university will be representing the Texas State University System. The Texas Health and Human Services Commission will partner with four Texas public university systems, including TSUS, the University of Texas System, the Texas A&M University System and the Texas Tech

"We are ready and enthusiastic to provide rural healthcare leaders across the state with professional development, continuing education, and

technical training." MELINDA VILLAGRAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE TRANSLATIONAL HEALTH RESEARCH CENTER

University System. Each system will assign a site principal investigator and faculty expertise to support consistent, high-quality training across the state, according to the release.

NEW BRAUNFELS EDITION

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