Two fresh reports from the first week of April confirm net lease cap rates compressed further in Q1 2026. Chain Store Age (April 2) reported cap rates declined quarter-over-quarter, continuing a trend from late 2025. GlobeSt (April 10) framed the move as a "flight to quality" — investors aggressively competing for credit-tenant assets (QSR drive-thrus, dollar stores, auto parts) while pulling back from weaker credits. Demand for best-in-class QSR NNN assets — particularly Chick-fil-A, Dutch Bros, Raising Cane's, and Whataburger — remains intense as new-construction supply of these pads stays constrained. The market is pricing quality, not just yield.

SRS Real Estate Partners announced April 10 it closed $84 million in Chick-fil-A NNN property sales across the Sun Belt — one of the largest single-broker QSR NNN transaction clusters reported this cycle. The deals span multiple states but are concentrated in high-growth Sun Belt markets aligned with Chick-fil-A's aggressive expansion footprint. The pricing and volume confirm that institutional investors are actively bidding on QSR NNN assets in Texas and surrounding markets, with buyer demand far outpacing available inventory. Chick-fil-A's corporate real estate team is one of the most active in the country in 2026, with hundreds of new openings planned nationally.

Community Impact reported April 2 that The Hill Marketplatz development is moving forward with new commercial space in New Braunfels, adding to the city's expanding retail footprint. New Braunfels continues to be one of the fastest-growing cities in the U.S. by percentage, and retail developers are tracking residential rooftop growth to fuel commercial absorption. The Hill area (near the I-35 corridor) is an established retail node; new commercial additions signal continued developer confidence in NB's trade area depth and spending power. The project represents organic retail expansion driven by population absorption — not speculative overbuilding.

The San Antonio Business Journals reported March 29 that KB Home's 38-acre residential development proposal in New Braunfels ran into significant resistance at the city council level. While details of the specific objections weren't disclosed in the headline, the story signals that NB's council is not a rubber stamp — density, design standards, infrastructure impact, and compatibility with the city's growth plan all matter. This follows a broader pattern of NB applying tighter scrutiny to residential development proposals as the city manages infrastructure capacity concerns alongside rapid population growth. KB Home is a major national builder, not a small unknown — the pushback carries weight.

Community Impact reported March 16 that the Veramendi master-planned community in New Braunfels received approval to add more homes and a second amenity center — expanding what is already one of the city's flagship development projects. Veramendi spans thousands of acres west of I-35 and has been a bellwether for NB's residential growth market. The addition of a second amenity center signals that the community has grown to a scale requiring expanded infrastructure and that developers are confident in continued absorption. Veramendi competes with other large NB master-planned communities and its ongoing expansion keeps pressure on the broader NB submarket for land, utilities, and school capacity.

Foley & Lardner LLP published a formal client briefing (November 7, 2025) on Texas SB 840 and companion bill SB 2477 from the 89th Legislature, providing the most detailed legal analysis available on how these laws reshape multifamily development rights in Texas ETJs. SB 840 requires cities to allow multifamily in residential-designated ETJ areas by right; SB 2477 addresses related procedural and notice requirements. The briefing notes that city compliance has been uneven — some are implementing in good faith, others are using administrative delay tactics — but that courts have generally sided with the legislation's intent where challenged. The legal framework is maturing and developers with ETJ land positions are gaining clearer runway.

The most recent public reporting on TxDOT's FM 812 improvement project remains the January and June 2024 KXAN coverage: TxDOT proposed a $145M upgrade to FM 812 (widening, safety improvements, intersection upgrades) with construction targeted to begin as early as 2027 pending final environmental clearance and funding allocation. As of this digest (April 15, 2026), no new public updates have emerged in news searches — no construction start announcements, no revised timelines, and no project cancellations. The project appears to be in the environmental review / right-of-way acquisition phase, which typically runs 18–36 months before construction. The 2027 construction window cited in 2024 coverage is still the operative expectation.