Jack Moraglia
Audio By Carbonatix
The opening of H-E-B’s first brick-and-mortar store within Dallas city limits may still be years away, but a city council vote Wednesday evening brought it one step closer to a reality.
In a vote of 14-1, the city council approved a zoning change that will allow H-E-B to build at the southeast corner of LBJ Freeway and Hillcrest Road. A 127,000-square-foot store and the needed parking are planned for the 10-acre site.
The vote came after more than an hour of community comment, in which many area residents lamented that the popular grocery store would lead to congested traffic in the area. Despite that concern, though, virtually no one at the horseshoe or in the audience was trying to argue that H-E-B finally coming to town could be seen as a bad thing.
“While I appreciate the company’s interest in expanding its footprint in Dallas, this plan does not conform to the ForwardDallas plan,” said Jack Kocks, a District 11 resident and City Plan Commissioner. “Dallas deserves development that strengthens neighborhoods. … Not projects that pull us backward and favor a few.”
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H-E-B’s rezoning request included deed restrictions on the land, and the grocer has agreed to build a right-turn lane on Hillcrest Road on the city’s behalf to help aid the flow of traffic. Several speakers who voiced support for the rezoning request spoke to H-E-B’s reputation for community involvement and support for small businesses.
“It’s very interesting, because this zoning may be something that may inconvenience some people, but the products that we make and that we produce are produced by single mothers who have a job now. Produced by seniors who don’t have another opportunity,” said Brent Reaves, one of the brothers behind Dallas’ Smokey John’s. H-E-B’s neighborhood store, Joe V’s Smart Shop, began carrying the restaurant’s banana pudding last July, D Magazine reports. “H-E-B has created so many opportunities that have not only changed our lives, but our team members’ lives as well.”
H-E-B currently has several other locations in North Texas, including in Plano, Frisco and Waxahachie. The store’s North Texas expansion gained momentum in 2022, with a new store also planned for Carrollton.
When the Dallas store’s rezoning request was approved by the City Plan Commission, H-E-B’s Managing Director of Public Affairs, Mabrie Jackson, told us that the store would likely open sometime in 2028. Here’s to hoping that timeline has been fast-tracked.
