SATX-NBF: Impact 10/15/2025

Developers with Seals Family Properties and Gillum Development are looking for financial support to fund on- and off-site infrastructure costs for their four-story mixed-use condominium development, The Neue at 699 W. San Antonio St., New Braunfels. 

The New Braunfels Economic Development Corporation, or NBEDC, received a presentation on the proposed improvements Sept. 30.

The details: As projects begin to come online downtown, the city’s economic development corporation is looking at “striking at opportunities” to fulfill other policy objectives, such as walkability, connectivity and the expansion of underground facilities, Jeff Jewell, New Braunfels’ director of economic and community development, said during the NBEDC meeting.

“With the Neue project, we saw the particular opportunity to do that,” Jewell said.

The proposed improvements would be along Guenther Avenue and San Antonio Street and include sidewalk, drainage and utility improvements, as well as Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant improvements. The developers would incur approximately $700,000 worth of public infrastructure fees and $1.3 million in site-related improvements, according to the presentation.

A local bar and axe-throwing venue is planning to close later this year.

What we know: Loki’s Axe Haus, located inside the Texas Ski Ranch at 6700 N. I-35, announced its plans to close at the end of 2025, but reopen as a “new concept” sometime after.

“After December, Loki’s Axe Haus will officially close down for good to make way for our brand-new bar concept we can’t wait to share with you,” the business announced in a Facebook post.

Loki's Axe Haus opened in July 2023, and had eight indoor lanes and two mobile ax-throwing lanes. The indoor ax-throwing venue also had a full-service craft bar, serving wings and chicken tenders, according to previous reporting by Community Impact.

• 6700 N. I-35, New Braunfels

Texas Ramp Project, which builds free wheelchair ramps for those in need across the state, is celebrating its 40th anniversary, according to a Sept. 15 news release. Over its 40 years, the nonprofit has built ramps for over 30,000 recipients with the help of over 3,500 volunteers.

Some context: The organization began in 1985 as the Dallas Ramp Project before being incorporated as the Texas Ramp Project in 2006, according to the news release. Texas Ramp Project provides the ramps to recipients at no cost, according to the news release. Most ramps cost between $800-$900 to build.

What else: In 2024, Texas Ramp Project built 2,727 ramps in 145 counties, according to its Sept. 1 fact sheet. To get a ramp, recipients must be referred by a health care provider or qualified organization via the nonprofit’s website.

Texas’ power grid is unlikely to have issues this December, according to an Oct. 3 report by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas.

The details: During the winter, demand for electricity spikes when people get up in the morning and return home in the evening. This December, the tightest period is expected to be from 7-8 a.m. each day, when little to no solar power is being produced. ERCOT found that there will be a 1.81% chance of a grid emergency during that time.

“Under typical grid conditions, the deterministic scenario indicates that there should be sufficient generating capacity available," the report reads.

The background: Texas' grid withstood three cold snaps early this year. ERCOT last asked residents to voluntarily reduce their energy use in January 2024.

Legislative approach: State lawmakers approved legislation this spring that is designed to make the grid more reliable by tightening regulations on large electric consumers, such as data centers. In extreme grid conditions, those customers will be required to switch to backup power to reduce strain on the grid.