Cedar Park residents could see a new H-E-B store open by 2020 after City Council approved an infrastructure reimbursement agreement on April 10 for drainage improvements to a 46-acre site.
The agreement between H-E-B and the Cedar Park Economic Development Corp., or 4A Board, requires H-E-B to construct a 65,000-square-foot building within five years and open the store within six years. The new store at the southwest corner of Lakeline Boulevard and East Whitestone Boulevard would be the anchor tenant in a new retail center, said Phil Brewer, Cedar Park economic development director.
"This is all part of the larger Acme Brick tract," he said. "H-E-B will be building their project on the southwest corner of the property."
The reimbursement agreement covers up to $500,000 for drainage improvements, Brewer said.
"The reimbursable costs would include the engineering and construction, permitting inspection fees, wetland-mitigation costs, and then fees or any expenses related to changes of the flood insurance maps," he said.
H-E-B intends to relocate utilities and sidewalks and move an existing overhead utility line, Brewer said. The 4A Board can reimburse H-E-B after the company opens the new store, Brewer said.
City Council also approved an ordinance rezoning the H-E-B property from light industrial to general retail. The zoning includes a conditional overlay that prohibits uses such as vehicle sales, vehicle repair shops, private schools, car washes and day care centers.
H-E-B Real Estate Manager Mary Rohrer said preliminary work on the site could take up to two years. Many details are still left to be determined, including whether H-E-B will independently develop the rest of the tract or recruit a partner.
Discussions about improving the surrounding roads are ongoing, Brewer said.
"We think this is one of our last premier sites to be developed. It has a lot of potential in terms of retail," he said. "To be able to partner with H-E-B on this, we think we are going to be able to end up with a very quality project."
The size of the store could call for about 100 new employees, Rohrer said, though that is a preliminary estimate. The new store would not replace either existing H-E-B in the city, she said.
"We definitely just made a huge investment on our store at [FM] 1431 and Parmer [Lane] two years ago," she said. "We've made another improvement and are working on our store at US 183, so this will get us to the next place within Cedar Park."
The Acme development demonstrates Cedar Park's continuing growth in the northwest, said Mayor Pro Tem and Place 6 Councilman Don Tracy.
Brewer said the property is one of the city's few remaining undeveloped retail corners.
"We're excited to be partnering with H-E-B to develop this site and see this site fully utilized to its highest and best use," Brewer said.
