H-E-B’s newest San Marcos store is still months away from opening, but the Texas grocery chain is already continuing to quietly build out its footprint along one of the fastest-growing stretches of I-35 and the Hill Country.
The company recently acquired 44 acres at I-35 and Yarrington Road in San Marcos, directly across from the Buc-ee’s travel center now wrapping up construction, according to Hays County property records first reported by the San Antonio Express-News. The land was purchased in March from entities tied to Austin real estate investor Robert W. McDonald, though the price was not disclosed.
Conceptual plans filed with the City of San Marcos show a potential 118,000-square-foot H-E-B occupying roughly half the site, with more than 1,000 parking spaces. The remaining acreage is labeled for future commercial or retail development. City records also show the proposal was tied to a parking variance request, which was approved by the San Marcos City Council in February.
While the filing outlines a possible future store, H-E-B says there are no immediate plans to break ground.
“We create site plans for all property we buy to make sure that a future location could be feasible,” H-E-B spokeswoman Dya Campos told the Express-News. “We have no immediate plans to move forward with construction.”
But the San Marcos purchase fits a broader pattern playing out across Central Texas, where H-E-B has been steadily acquiring land and advancing long-term expansion plans years ahead of construction.
In Dripping Springs, city documents show the company plans to demolish its existing U.S. 290 store and rebuild a significantly larger 125,000-square-foot location on an expanded footprint east of the current site. The project would nearly double the size of the store that opened in 2010, with the existing building eventually converted into parking.
Further south in Buda, H-E-B is also tied to plans for a new, larger store anchored by a broader retail development along Interstate 35 on a former landfill site. The project is still moving through planning and incentive stages, but city officials have described it as part of a response to rapid population growth and congestion at the existing location.
In an email to MySA, H-E-B noted it has announced plans for a third San Marcos store, while in Buda and Dripping Springs the company owns property and continues site preparation and planning efforts. H-E-B added that it has no additional store details to share at this time.
Taken together, the projects reflect a development strategy that often begins long before construction begins: securing land in high-growth corridors and holding it as surrounding areas continue to expand.
That approach is already visible in San Marcos, where H-E-B is actively building its third store at I-35 and McCarty Lane. The 114,000-square-foot location is expected to open this fall and will include the city’s first True Texas BBQ restaurant, along with a fuel station, car wash and H-E-B Fresh Bites convenience store.
The company also operates two existing stores on West Hopkins Street and East Hopkins Street. The newly acquired Yarrington Road property does not signal an imminent fourth store, but it does add another long-term position along a corridor.