At Last: Why It Took 10 Years To Put a Central Market in Uptown

The grocery store business is highly competitive and complicated. It can also stoke strong emotions. All the while, easy access to fresh food and everything else a store provides is essential in a community.

So then, why has a block with the bones of an old grocery store at the intersection of Lemmon and McKinney Avenues in Uptown sat empty for more than a decade?

In a meeting last week, the Dallas City Council cleared the way for the long-vacant lot to transform into a Central Market. Here’s how we got here.

Timeline of This Property

The original Albertson’s at this location was part of the Cityplace development intended to bring new commercial projects to the area in the early 1990s. After a run of just 20 years, Albertson’s closed in 2015 despite being on busy McKinney Avenue, surrounded by multi-unit residential properties.

H-E-B, the parent company of Central Market, took over the property lease in 2016. (The San Antonio-based company often buys land, but in this case, it only took over the lease.)

In 2018, the Dallas Business Journal reported that KDC, a commercial developer, was planning a $295 million project on the lot, which would include an office tower and 23 floors of multifamily space with a Central Market as an anchor. Then nothing happened (except a pandemic). In 2024, D Magazine reported the firm was no longer “affiliated” with the project and didn’t give any other details. The 25-story multi-use development was kaput. The empty hole in Uptown’s soul persisted.

Making it Right

In 2024, Central Market released new designs for a 60,000 square-foot standalone store. Brian Womack at The Dallas Morning News reported at the time that “With city zoning and permitting approvals, construction is slated to start in 2025.”

The first part of that statement is key: “With … approvals.” Things got complicated with the City Plan and Zoning Commission, which advises the city on land use, zoning and development. The commission wasn’t happy with the details of the plans, nor were some neighbors.

Melissa Kingston, a member of the commission, posted an explanation on Reddit in 2025 that Central Market didn’t have the zoning permits to build its proposed store there:

“What they have proposed is wholly inconsistent with good urban design, the land use principles used in Uptown, and the existing zoning THEY requested a few years ago,” Kingston wrote last year.

She wanted to see more community benefits and improved landscaping. As she saw it, Central Market was pushing forward with a “windowless parking garage with no pedestrian amenities.” Additionally, she added, they aren’t even burying the power lines.

Kingston also pointed out in that post that the site has sat vacant for years because “CM has elected not to develop it.” (H-E-B is known for sitting on vacant property. The grocery store business is, in large part, a real estate business. That’s another story.)

So, while everyone wants a Central Market in this area, the neighborhood associations and planning commission wanted to see it done right. Something nicer than the parking garage-forward layout initially proposed.

Full Community Support

And luckily, everyone got to work.

A representative from a neighborhood association and several residents near the store spoke at an April 1 Planning Commission meeting in support of the revised plans

Anthony Paige with the Uptown Neighborhood Association gave his “strong enthusiastic support for this application.” He pointed out that there are 30,000 residents in and near Uptown and that one existing store isn’t enough, and many have to drive farther to reach a store.

“By putting this store here, what you’re going to actually do is reduce the number of vehicle miles on the road,” Paige told the commission, adding that people can walk to this store, and it is also served by both the trolley and bus service. “So I think it’s going to really foster our goals of increasing urbanism and walkability in uptown.”

Neil Sleeper also spoke. He owns nearby property and told the commission that after staring at a vacant lot for the last 10 years, the new plans have “our full support.”

Suzanna Kedron spoke to the committee for the fourth time. “I think the fourth time’s the charm … but I am looking forward to getting the store opened,” she said.

Benjamin Scott with Central Market told the commission that the project from the first design to what they have today is a “much better project because of all that input.”

What Changed?

Kingston says it took a while, but the effort was worth it.

“Through many meetings with stakeholders and the City, the project changed substantially from what they first proposed to what the City ended up passing,” Kingston wrote in an email to the Observer. “It went from an open-air two-story garage on the corner of Lemmon and McKinney to an enclosed parking structure with full activation on McKinney Avenue.”

A key store design is a sheltered trolley stop. The new design also allows for more pedestrian-friendly spaces, including a restaurant, a patio, and a covered trolley stop.

“The project also includes improved architectural elements, more sustainable (green) building components, and improved landscaping site-wide with a commitment to habitat garden standards. With these improvements, significantly more members of the community became supportive of the project,” Kingston wrote, ending that it was never about not wanting a Central Market, it was about a project that respects the importance of this particular site in Uptown.

What’s In Store?

The project was given the go-ahead by the Dallas City Council on April 21.

The current structure will be completely renovated to include an open-concept cooking school and stage for live music. An enclosed two-story parking building will border McKinney Avenue. There will also be a covered trolley stop.

The design of the parking garage coincides with the long-awaited conversion of McKinney and Cole Avenue to two-way streets between Allen Street and Harvard Avenue. This project should be completed by the time the store opens.

There are no details yet on when construction of Central Market will begin. We will update when that information becomes available.