The three connected buildings located at 263 Main Plaza have housed NBU operations since 1942 when the company served a community of just over 7,000.
In January 2020, NBU announced plans to construct a new headquarters off Loop 337 adjacent to the NBU Trinity Well Field and Treatment Plant that would consolidate personnel and assets from the Main Plaza location and a service center located at 355 FM 306.
The FM 306 service center was transferred to the city of New Braunfels in July 2020 and offered the city a lower-cost option to relocated street maintenance, solid waste and recycling services from downtown.
“The decision to sell the two facilities and build a new headquarters was the best value recommendation from the Facilities Master Plan that evaluated facilities condition, long-term growth of the service territory and NBU workforce, cost and many other criteria,” said Ian Taylor, NBU’s chief executive officer, in a statement.
Construction of the new facility is expected to be completed in early 2023 and is estimated to cost $34.4 million, with proceeds from the sale of the two properties contributing to the expense. Personnel will continue to work in the downtown location until the new building is completed.
In an effort to preserve historic elements of the downtown property, the city of New Braunfels will limit what potential buyers can use the buildings for and how they can be altered through the use of an overlay zoning district.
On Jan. 11, NBU will begin the request for qualifications, or RFQ, process to identify developers and teams that could qualify to participate in a request for proposal, or RFP. According to NBU, the RFQ and RFP process will allow NBU to identify a developer to work with to transform the complex into something that will benefit the community.
Those interested in obtaining RFQ submittal requirements and criteria can visit the NBU bid website or find the project on www.publicpurchse.com.
