New multi-use Co-Op Marketplace set to open in downtown New Braunfels in 2024
Updated
A 3-D rendering shows the proposed Co-Op Marketplace in downtown New Braunfels, which is set to be located at 210 South Castell Avenue.A group of local entrepreneurs and business owners have announced plans to transform and repurpose a Castell Avenue historical landmark into a public destination that will include restaurants, bars, coffee shops, retail, open park space, a stage for live music and a splash pad.
Co-Op Marketplace, a nearly 2.5-acre proposed multi-use development adapted from the former New Braunfels Producers Co-Op, is anticipated to open in the fall of 2024, with construction slated to start next year.
The proposed development is the brainchild of the late Ron Snider and his partners, including attorney Mike Myers and real estate developer Fred Heimer, now with local business owners Carol and Chris Snider, whose family has long been credited with contributing heavily to the growth and quality of downtown New Braunfels including reopening the historic Krause’s Cafe + Biergarten.
“This is a very exciting project to be involved with,” Krause’s Cafe owner Chris Snider said, “and it has evolved a lot along the way while still holding true to what my dad and his partners originally envisioned by bringing something unique to downtown New Braunfels that the community can enjoy.”
The project’s plan calls for adapting the agricultural buildings on site to fit the requirements of the space, including transforming the 65-foot tall grain silo into the market’s west entrance.
The new pedestrian haven will feature over an acre of outdoor space for visitors to enjoy, which includes a splash pad, 4,000 square feet of artificial turf, seating and shade trees.
The group has tapped San Antonio-based Mogas + Gonzalez Associated Architects to assist in the development of the marketplace.
“Mogas + Gonzalez Associated Architects has worked closely with the owners’ vision to repurpose and recycle the existing and historically designated agrarian co-op structures to craft a campus of indoor and outdoor spaces that invite the city and its visitors to relax, dine, and celebrate right in the heart of Downtown New Braunfels,” Mogas + Gonzalez Architects Principal Richard Mogas said.
The marketplace will contain more than 25,000 square feet of indoor space serving as a home for retail and culinary tenants, which the group says will offer “an alternative to big-box stores and mall shopping experiences and instead will feature a more social retail shopping and dining experience.”
A photo shows the former New Braunfels Producers Co-Op.
The development will include a mix of larger restaurant and retail tenants and a collection of smaller tenants combined to create a unique 13,000-square-foot marketplace that offers unique, high-quality selections of artisanal and regional foods and products.
The project’s shopping concept will provide opportunities for smaller, independent businesses to have a presence in the downtown area, and the marketplace will eventually serve as a venue for expanding the New Braunfels Farmers Market, which takes place at Krause’s Cafe on Saturdays.
