If things move according to plan, New Braunfels could soon host the second most famous silos in the state. Oxbow Development Group has released a new round of plans for New Braunfels’ former Dittlinger Mill that include a rooftop bar perched on the iconic structure.

The San Antonio developer shared the latest plans during an October 13 listening session. The renderings reveal a mix of public spaces, retail, and restaurants using much of the industrial site’s original footprint along the banks of the Comal River.

Oxbow, the development arm of Pearl owner Silver Ventures, is known for its adaptive reuse of historic buildings. Plans call for the mill building to be converted into a boutique hotel, an echo of what Silver did with Hotel Emma.

The rooftop bar would offer panoramic views of the city while below, a plot dubbed Silo Square would make space for community gatherings, including movie nights projected on the silos themselves.

Planners envision movies projected on the silos.Rendering courtesy of Oxbow

Rendering courtesy of Oxbow

Plans for Dittlinger Mill call for a mix of dining and retail.

Not all of the property is buildable. About a quarter of it sits in the floodplain, so Oxbow plans to devote that land to riverfront trails and open space, possibly including a pedestrian loop along the river corridor. Some details are still pending, like how the development will handle parking.

For more than a century, the Dittlinger Mill was one of New Braunfels’ most recognizable landmarks. Flour milling began on the site in 1886, and Hippolyt Dittlinger later expanded the business into poultry and stock feed and opened a lime plant. The mill operated under Archer Daniels Midland until closing in 2023.

Plans to transform the riverfront property took shape quickly after the shutter. In November 2024, the New Braunfels City Council approved rezoning the site for high-intensity mixed use, clearing the way for new commercial space. Oxbow hopes to present a public-private partnership framework to city leaders by year’s end, with construction expected in 2028 and an opening targeted for 2030.