H-E-B's new Austin-area store could be built by 2028. Here's why…
By Cristela Jones, Austin Trending Reporter via mysanantonio.com
A growing Central Texas town is now on its way to getting a bigger and better H-E-B, but it won't be anytime soon. Last month, H-E-B requested approval to demolish and expand its only store in Dripping Springs.
During a March 4 meeting, the Dripping Springs City Council unanimously approved two measures to rezone H-E-B's current location off of U.S. Highway 290 East and replace it with a larger store, according to city documents. This came after the Dripping Springs Planning and Zoning Commission also unanimously approved H-E-B's plans for a rezoning amendment request in February.
Although construction on the new 150,000-square-foot store wouldn't begin until the next three to seven years, according to city officials, a new ruling could make it possible for the massive Dripping Springs H-E-B to be on its way sooner rather than later.
"We’re excited to see H-E-B investing in an improved store in Dripping Springs," Dripping Springs Mayor Bill Foulds, Jr. said in an emailed statement. "As our community continues to grow, expanded services and amenities like this help meet the everyday needs of our residents."
The new H-E-B will be constructed 12 acres east of its original, while the former space will be turned into a parking lot. H-E-B Senior Engineer Kathy Strimple said in the meeting that the recent population growth of Dripping Springs led to the company's decision to build a larger store.
Dripping Springs is a city about 23 miles east of Austin. Over the past few years, the city went from around 5,000 residents in 2020 to almost 10,000 in 2024, according to World Population Review.
"In our trade area, since we've built the store, the population has doubled," Strimple said. "We're also seeing in the next few years a housing growth of another 8,000 homes, which equates to about another 25% population growth."
While Strimple presented a draft of the store's site plans, she emphasized there is not a current timeline for when the project could be completed since it depends on if the city could secure wastewater. Dripping Springs Century News reports that the city is facing difficulties with its limited wastewater capacity, and was involved in a court case that paused efforts to alleviate the issue.
At the meeting, Dripping Springs Mayor Pro Tem Taline Manassian expressed concerns over the timing of H-E-B's construction and later asked Strimple if the city had wastewater, would the store be moving forward faster? Strimple replied by saying that if they had wastewater, the store would be eligible for the H-E-B's 2028 budget plans.
Earlier this month, the Texas Supreme Court ruled that Drippings Springs can now move forward with its plans to expand its South Regional Wastewater System. KXAN reports the Supreme Court said there was no science to back up an allegation that the permit for the facility violated Texas water quality standards, which was a claim a part of a lawsuit filed by the Save Our Springs Alliance.
MySA reached out to H-E-B to find out if this decision could impact the company's plans to possibly build the store by 2028. However, it's unclear if this court case could've pushed the company's initial plans back further.
