In October, Panera Bread opened as the first tenant at Schertz Station, a 257,000-square-foot retail and dining hub that will feature a bevy of national chain restaurants and other shopping opportunities.
The big picture
The property off I-35 North and Cibolo Valley Drive was developed by San Antonio-based Merit CRE, which is investing over $65 million in the hub.
Schertz’s Economic Development Corp., or EDC, worked with Merit on Schertz Station’s surrounding infrastructure, such as adjacent road construction, EDC Executive Director Scott Wayman said.
Wayman said the development was a response to Schertz’s population growth.
“We have a large, growing population that expects services, they expect restaurants, and they expect those things to be within a driving distance of their house and make it convenient for them,” Wayman said.
Maggie Titterington, president of The Chamber (Schertz-Cibolo-Selma Area) said a retail hub walking distance to adjacent homes is a trend she saw begin with The Forum complex in Selma.
“This is a trend that I’ve normally seen in larger, more metropolitan areas, but I myself feel that this is a trend that is becoming more accepted [in Northeast San Antonio],” Titterington said.
The approach
Wayman said the project marks a shift in priorities for Schertz’s economic profile from manufacturing and warehouse distribution to retail development. Deputy City Manager Brian James added that attracting big-name tenants helps both the property’s value and current and future sales tax revenue.
“As those businesses coming are successful, it kind of catches the attention of other developers and other retail and restaurants, and they start saying, ‘Hey, we really ought to be looking up I-35 at Schertz,’” James said.
Titterington said the EDC and the city will both be able to use the new sales tax base to do more for residents.
“Monies [can] be considered to be used for more street repairs, park upgrades, first responder vehicles and personnel. These are quality of life areas that are in constant need of keeping up with, that this new tax base will support,” Titterington said.
Construction on the development began in 2024 and will continue through 2026.
Dollars at work
The EDC put $8 million in funding toward infrastructure surrounding Schertz Station, as part of the collaboration between Merit.
The funding went toward the extension of Ripps Kreusler Road from Cibolo into Schertz, running between the retail hub and the Collection Schertz Station housing development.
Wayman said roadway work included curbs, sewer lines, water lines, gutters, drainage and traffic lights.
“We [put] some money into it to make that project more successful for Merit, so they could come in there and actually be able to construct that project,” Wayman said.
Merit received half of the $8 million in incentives after roadway and signage improvements were completed, Wayman said. The remaining $4 million will come to Merit from sales taxes that will be produced from the development after the completion of The Home Depot.
Another detail
While work on dining and retail continues, Collection Schertz Station, a town home community sits behind the development.
Community amenities at Collection Schertz Station include an on-site pickleball court, a gaming room, an outdoor kitchen and a fitness studio.
What's next
Assistant Manager Ashley Lowenberg said 138 of the planned 318 units are now complete, with the final units scheduled to be finished in March.
“Schertz is growing a lot. We really didn’t have a lot of apartment communities until the last two years ... just [a lot of] movement here,” Lowenberg said.
