The New Braunfels City Council on Monday, May 11, approved the second and final reading of a rezoning request tied to the former Dittlinger and ADM Milling Co. site, clearing the way for a large-scale, mixed-use redevelopment along the Comal River. The redevelopment effort has been in motion since late 2024, when New Braunfels officials first began considering rezoning and redevelopment plans for the former Dittlinger Mill site following its 2023 closure.
The ordinance expands an earlier rezoning by adding roughly 2.1 acres to the project footprint, creating consistent zoning across the full site, an issue developers said was critical to the design moving forward. City leaders framed the project as a rare alignment of long-standing planning goals.
“The project that we have known for many years is going to be tremendously important to the redevelopment of downtown,” Deputy City Manager Jordan Matney said during a May 11 City Council presentation. “When ADM closed and moved out of downtown, we knew that it was an opportunity to change a heavy industrial use in our downtown into a more mixed-use environment, a more walkable environment, to extend the character of downtown all the way to the Comal River, and then activate those areas that are already city parkland.”
The property sits just blocks from the Comal River and downtown New Braunfels and is part of a broader 9-acre riverfront site that once housed the Dittlinger Mill, a staple of the city’s industrial past dating back to the late 1800s. The mill, later operated by ADM, shut down in March 2023 after more than a century in operation.
What replaces it could reshape the edge of downtown. Plans call for a high-intensity mixed-use development featuring retail, restaurants, office space and a boutique hotel, along with a parking structure expected to exceed 500 spaces. Some buildings would include office space above ground-floor retail, while the historic mill structure itself is expected to be incorporated into the project.
Developers have also pitched pedestrian-focused improvements, including enhanced access to the Comal River and nearby parks, as well as long-discussed infrastructure like a pedestrian bridge. Supporters say the redevelopment delivers on goals laid out in the city’s downtown implementation plan, which has targeted aging industrial properties for revitalization while encouraging more residents and activity in the urban core.
The project also sits within Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone No. 3, meaning rising property values generated by redevelopment would be reinvested back into downtown infrastructure and improvements.
Public response has been limited but largely supportive. Of the property owners notified within 200 feet, most who responded backed the rezoning, though at least one nearby owner raised concerns. The planning commission previously recommended approval, despite split votes from some members seeking more time to review the plans.
Final design and construction timelines have not yet been announced, but with zoning now in place, the long-anticipated redevelopment of the Dittlinger site is poised to move from vision to reality.