MESQUITE, Texas — This article was originally published by our content partners at the Dallas Business Journal. You can read the original article here.
As H-E-B LP continues to expand in the Metroplex, it's bought a site on the east side of the region for a potential future grocery store.
The San Antonio-headquartered grocery chain this week purchased 25.6 acres in far east Mesquite in "anticipation of future growth in North Texas," a spokesperson told Dallas Business Journal.
The site is at the eastern edge of Mesquite, along I-20 near FM 741 in Kaufman County and close to other cities such as Forney and Crandall.
H-E-B did not disclose when or even if it would build a store. The company is known for shrewd real estate investments and long-term planning. But new public documents and zoning decisions underscore momentum behind a grocery store development at this site.
And even the purchase of the land is a big development — H-E-B has been turning heads with its rapid DFW expansion. The company is known for its meticulous site selection, which often convinces other retailers to invest in an area.
H-E-B bought at least 10 acres from Candr LLC in a deal that closed on Oct. 22, according to county deed records. That LLC shares an address with Dallas-based brokerage firm Davidson Bogel Real Estate.
Davidson Bogel Real Estate declined to disclose more details about the project but confirmed it represented the seller while Tim Hensen of Venture Commercial represented the buyer.
And on Oct. 21, Mesquite City Council approved a zoning application allowing for a grocery store, fuel station, car wash and other general retail uses at the site in question.
Jonathan Kerby, a senior project manager at Kimley-Horn & Associates representing the rezoning applicants, including Candr LLC, told the council that plans for the large retail building facing I-20 call for "a large grocery store with a fuel station."
It’s still unclear what else might be developed on the nearly 26-acre site, but according to city documents, the proposed planning development could house stores and restaurants.
The land purchase fits into H-E-B's expansion across North Texas. The company is supposed to start work soon on a store in Irving's Las Colinas area. It's also building a nearly 140,000-square-foot store in Forney, also in Kaufman County. H-E-B opened its latest local store, and second in Frisco, in August.
The company has seven locations open in the four core Metroplex counties.
The project isn't even the only development rising at this corner of FM 741 and I-20. Huffines Communities is partnering with Hodges Architects to develop a town square for Heartland, a 1,550-acre master-planned community. The 25-acre retail hub at the southeast corner of I-20 and FM 741 will house tenants including McDonald’s, 7-Eleven and Taco Bell and aims to attract restaurants, telecommunications and health care services to the site.
Construction is underway on the first three retail buildings and the first tenants are scheduled to move in by spring 2025. A spokesperson for Huffines said the company is also in discussions with a large grocery store to anchor the development.
Kaufman County is the fastest-growing county in the country with an estimated 7.6% population growth from 2022 to 2023. The county housed 185,690 residents last year, according to data from the Census Bureau.
