New Braunfels City Council approved the second and final reading of an ordinance rezoning a 72.097-acre property east of the Walmart Distribution Center at a regular meeting Dec. 8, in hopes of allowing for the expansion of the regional hub.
What happened
The property is owned by the Frederick Frueholz, Jr. Estate and is located between I-35 and FM 1101. Walmart Stores East, a wholly owned subsidiary of Walmart Inc., requested that the property be rezoned from Agricultural to Light Industrial, according to a presentation to City Council on Nov. 24.
The rezoning supports a multimillion-dollar investment in the company’s New Braunfels distribution and transportation complex, which opened in 1988 and now spans over 1 million square feet, Ivan Jaime, Walmart’s director of government and public affairs, said.
The details
While full design plans will follow in later permitting stages, the rezoning allows the company to finalize the acquisition of the 72-acre tract of land to expand its truck and trailer operations, increase distribution capacity and incorporate additional logistics technology, according to the presentation.
The facility is one of the company’s earliest distribution hubs and currently employs more than 1,100 workers, with an average hourly wage of $27. The center supplies over 100 Walmart stores across Central, South and Southwest Texas, reaching as far as Houston, the Rio Grande Valley and the Midland-Odessa area, Jaime said.
Something to note
The company recently invested $20 million to modernize the existing facility, including robotics and equipment upgrades, to ensure the distribution center remains “globally competitive” as customer expectations for rapid delivery continue to grow, Jaime said. The center also plays a key role during emergencies, serving as a staging point for essential goods when regional disasters occur.
What’s next?
No timeline, cost or scope of work was provided during the presentation, but the rezoning is the first step in a longer process that will include traffic studies, airport-overlay compliance and standard city permitting, according to the Nov. 24 presentation.
