Seguin’s City Council has approved an economic development agreement with Houston-based developer NewQuest for a major retail project on the city’s north side. The project, known as Seguin Town Center, will cover 543 acres at the intersection of I-10 and Highway 46 in the Austin-San Antonio corridor.
The agreement is linked to a Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ) created last year for the site. This arrangement allows a portion of new tax revenue from the development to be reinvested into the project area. Guadalupe County is participating in the TIRZ, and Seguin will also capture part of the increment, channeling extra revenue into its general fund.
According to city officials, Seguin Town Center is planned as a regional destination rather than just a neighborhood shopping center. The master-planned development could eventually deliver over 600,000 square feet of retail space.
Economic Development Director Alora Wachholz said, “The agreement signals alignment between the city and the developer and moves the project closer to construction.”
Incentives provided under this agreement are performance-based. No upfront payments will be made by Seguin; if NewQuest does not meet building commitments, no payments are issued by the city. To qualify for incentives, NewQuest must invest at least $75 million in capital, build at least 200,000 square feet of retail space, and secure a lease from a nationally branded anchor tenant occupying at least 60,000 square feet. If these requirements are met, NewQuest may receive up to $23.5 million in incentives over twenty years—capped at about ten percent of anticipated project value and limited to retail components.
NewQuest plans to begin infrastructure and drainage work before starting vertical construction. The first phase of retail is expected to break ground before mid-2026 with further tenant announcements throughout that year.
Seguin’s population has grown from around 27,550 in 2015 to nearly 39,000 today and is projected by U.S. Census Bureau estimates to exceed 50,000 by 2030.
“City leaders emphasized that the incentives are fully performance-based. No upfront payments are required, and if NewQuest fails to build, the city pays nothing,” according to meeting documents.
