Comal County business owner John Olthuis is working to redevelop a portion of the Braunfels Haus Apartments property for commercial use.

Two-minute impact: Olthuis purchased the 4.5-acre property at 730 Howard St. in 2007 and worked with the city to have a large portion rezoned for commercial use. He said he initially envisioned a commercial concept.

“I never got around to it, but I had the zoning in place. Fast forward to 2026, and some of the units that I had wanted to convert became vacant, and I’m currently in the process of redeveloping,” Olthuis said.

The Hill Marketplatz will have about 15 commercial spaces for lease, ranging from 200-400,000 square feet, Olthuis said. There will also be space for offices.

Eduardo Hernandez said one of his passions is getting behind the stove and cooking street tacos. After decades in the corporate world and service in the U.S. Air Force, Hernandez said it was time for a change.

“I made friends with someone in the food business, and it piqued my interest,” he said. “From there, I jumped right in.”

Some details: After stepping into the local food truck scene in Central Texas and working in several trucks between New Braunfels and Austin, Hernandez said he wanted to open one that he could be in charge of.

“It really gave me the confidence to open my own business,” Hernandez said, citing his past experience running the kitchen at the now-defunct Smokin’ Joe’s Tex Mex Kitchen.

Thus, Birria Haus was born.

Craving tacos? Birria Haus offers a variety of street food options, from tacos to quesadillas. Specific dishes include street quesadillas, street tacos, tacos al pastor, customizable ramen bowls and more.

From funding for proposed data centers in New Braunfels to housing development rezoning issues, check out the five top-read stories across the San Antonio area from March 30-April 2.

1. Guadalupe County commissioners vote down $500M tax cut for proposed data center in New Braunfels

2. Judson ISD trustees approve contract change for Cibolo Creek Middle School

3. Locally-owned senior living facility doubles in size with expansion project

4. Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD approves policy allowing out-of-district transfers

5. New Braunfels housing development faces setback as rezoning motion fails

Three medical cannabis businesses have been conditionally approved to participate in the Texas Compassionate Use Program, state officials announced April 1.

The big picture: The companies received conditional licenses from the Texas Department of Public Safety in an effort to expand access to medical cannabis products. Under the compassionate use program, physicians can prescribe medical-grade, low-THC products to eligible patients in partnership with licensed dispensaries.

Zooming in: Two of the three businesses given conditional licenses April 1 are affiliated with existing medical cannabis dispensaries that work in several other states. The new licensees are:

• GTI Texas, LLC (doing business as RISE Dispensaries) in West Texas

• Cresco Labs Texas, LLC in East Texas

• Texas Medica Collective, LLC in Northeast Texas

Conditional licensees must pass additional state evaluations before they can begin operating, according to the DPS.

More context: As Texas expands its medical cannabis program, the state is also tightening restrictions on the multibillion-dollar consumable hemp industry, Community Impact reported.