New Braunfels Code Rewrite Could Reshape Parking, Sidewalk and Drainage Rules

Current city rules require sidewalks on the development side of streets when a new structure is permitted; the staff report says single-family and duplex projects are currently excepted from the complete drainage-plan requirement.

The sidewalk proposal would let certain properties pay an escrow fee instead of installing the sidewalk immediately, when the city engineer finds that option appropriate. The money would have to fund sidewalks and curb ramps within a specified area of the development, with fee and refund procedures tied to the city’s existing escrow rules.

A separate draft Bicycle and Pedestrian Network Plan identifies sidewalk gaps and disconnected routes as barriers to walking in New Braunfels. That context makes the escrow design consequential: the later ordinance language will determine when money replaces on-site construction and where the resulting sidewalk work may occur.

For drainage, staff proposes requiring single-family and duplex builders either to submit grading and drainage plans with a building-permit application or show that the project follows an approved master drainage plan and the city’s Drainage and Erosion Control Design Manual. The city’s development guide already lists erosion-control materials for residential permits and drainage plans and reports for commercial permits.

What happens next

The City Council is scheduled to discuss the proposal at 6 p.m. Sept. 30 at City Hall; staff says council direction could lead to later code amendments for approval.

Council’s direction will shape the approved parking materials, sidewalk-escrow eligibility, fee calculation and timetable for any later ordinance vote.

Readers can inspect file 26-1060 for the staff’s three-part proposal and use Comal.News’ Sept. 30 meeting guide for the workshop’s other major items, including police cameras, an entrepreneurship program and residential trash rates.