DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Massive New Braunfels development bulks up with more dining and retail

A long-anticipated Texas Roadhouse is finally being built at The Town Center at Creekside.

Texas Roadhouse/Instagram

One of the biggest shopping centers in Central Texas is set to get even bigger. New Braunfels' mammoth The Town Center at Creekside is entering its final phase of development with expanded shopping and retail space that has national chains like Nordstrom and Chick-fil-A interested.

As CultureMap previously reported, Creekside will soon add a Top Golf golfing center. The two-story, 38,000 square feet entertainment center is the 14th in Texas and the first in the booming New Braunfels area. It features 60 climate-controlled driving booths, as well as a full-service bar and restaurant, and an on-site mini-golf course.

Other upcoming tenants listed on developer NewQuest's documents include new outposts of budget-minded gym Eōs Fitness and sneakily named Kentucky steakhouse Texas Roadhouse, finally under construction after a year of delays. Orlando-based chain Jeremiah's Italian Ice is not listed on the brochure, but the cult gelato franchise recently filed paperwork for its first new Braunfels shop with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, aiming for a November opening.

The brochure also teases that some high-profile chains are in negotiations with the center. Nordstrom is listed as a possible new tenant, although it's unclear if it will be the brand's upscale flagship or a lower-priced Rack store. A Chick-fil-A drive-thru and a branch of Chase Bank round off the upcoming offerings.

Jeremiah's Italian Ice just filed paperwork for a New Braunfels location.Jeremiah's Italian Ice/ Facebook

Located off I-35 at Creekside Way, Town Center has dominated shopping in the area despite its humble beginnings as a smaller strip mall a decade ago. The most popular Buc-ee's in Texas is nearby, bringing in 8 million visitors annually as Texans travel between Austin and San Antonio.

Town Center is now the de facto shopping hub for most of the area. Not only does it host clothing and home brands, but it's also a prime location for eating out with a glut of chains like Shogun Japanese Grill and Sushi, BJ's Brewhouse, P.F. Chang's, and Lupe Tortilla. EVO Cinemas, which will soon undergo a complete renovation, brings even more crowds.

Creekside's new phase continues a growth spurt for New Braunfels. A boom of new development has made the city a destination, not just a bedroom community and helped rank it as one of the 100 Best Places to Live in 2025. What was once a sleepy Hill Country suburb known for tubing and Schlitterbahn has attracted more and more residents thanks to its high median income, low housing prices, and safety record.

"We're seeing more and more visitors spend their entire day at Creekside Town Center," said Jay Sears, co-founder and managing partner of NewQuest, via email. "With a growing lineup of retail, dining, and entertainment, guests can shop, grab lunch, catch a movie, and unwind all in one place. The addition of greenspaces and trails connecting to nearby multifamily housing makes it easy for locals to treat Creekside as an extension of their neighborhood, whether they're here for errands or a full day out."

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best in texas

Thriving San Antonio neighbor named among best Texas cities to move to

New Braunfels Parks and Recreation/Facebook

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A booming San Antonio neighbor – New Braunfels – has been deemed the 14th best Texas city to move to.

Advisors at ConsumerAffairs, a customer review and news platform, ranked the 50 most populous Texas cities across five main categories – affordability, safety, economy, health care and education, and quality of life – to determine which were the best places to relocate. Each city was given a score out of 100 possible points.

The top four best places to move to in Texas are all located in Dallas-Fort Worth: Allen (No. 1), Frisco (No. 2), Plano (No. 3), and McKinney (No. 4). Leander, a suburb outside Austin, rounded out the top five.

Of all five categories considered, New Braunfels ranked as the 9th safest city in Texas, and its affordability is the 13th-best statewide. The Hill Country suburb came in No. 20 for its economy, and No. 21 for its health care and education. Its lowest ranking was No. 45, for quality of life.

This suburb has been soaring in popularity in recent years, attracting new retail and restaurants, including a new Sprouts Farmers Market, Top Golf, and much more. Plans are also in the works to bring the celebrated Austin barbecue chain Terry Black's Barbecue to New Braunfels.

New Braunfels' 78130 ZIP code also consistently ranks as one of the hottest ZIP codes in America.

Surprisingly, San Antonio proper ranked at the bottom of the list as the 48th best place to move to in Texas. The South Texas cities of McAllen (No. 16), Edinburg (No. 23), Pharr (No. 30), Mission (No. 34), and Brownsville (No. 47) all ranked above the Alamo City.

"You don't have to be into the rodeo — or even the Dallas Cowboys — to want to move to Texas," the report's author wrote. "With a strong job market and a solid mix of urban, suburban, and rural neighborhoods, Texas has a place for everyone."

The top 10 best Texas cities to move to are:

No. 1 – Allen
No. 2 – Frisco
No. 3 – Plano
No. 4 – McKinney
No. 5 – Leander
No. 6 – Mansfield
No. 7 – Sugar Land
No. 8 – League City
No. 9 – Round Rock
No. 10 – Richardson

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