Furniture retailer IKEA announced today plans to open a 289,000-square-foot store in Live Oak on the northern edge of San Antonio by summer 2019. The store will be the company’s fifth Texas location and will employ about 250 workers.

The company is working with the city of Live Oak on an economic development incentive, which City Manager Scott Wayman said would partially be funded through the city’s economic development corporation.

site-plan-of-the-proposed-san-antonio-area-ikea-live-oak-tx-opening-summer-2019-hi The new San Antonio-area IKEA store will be built at the southwestern corner of I-35 and Loop 1604 in Live Oak.[/caption]

“This is Live Oak, and we’re very proud to say, ‘Live Oak IKEA,’ however, this is not just for us,” Live Oak Mayor Mary Dennis said at a press conference Tuesday. It’s for all of this region. It’s for South Texas. It’s going to really be great for all of us.”

Joseph Roth, expansion and public affairs manager for the retailer, said the new store’s visibility and location off I-35 played a role in the site selection. Roth said the new store will also “be more accommodating to those customers” in San Marcos and at Texas State University.

The company also has locations in Round Rock, Houston and Frisco. A new store is also planned to open in Grand Praire in fall 2017.

“It’s about time we made it to the San Antonio area,” Roth said.

Chuck Coker, real estate manager for the company, said he expects the company to have its governmental approvals by summer 2017, and the company will break ground on the new store by 2018.