HOUSTON – H-E-B is being discussed as a potential tenant for Meyerland Plaza, the 950,000-square-foot power center located at the southwest corner of Beechnut and Loop 610, according to sources in the real estate community. A new Meyerland location could address a growing gap in H-E-B’s coverage of southwest Houston.
Operated by Fidelis Realty, Meyerland Plaza includes a 200,000-square-foot J.C. Penney and multiple pad sites and big-box retailers. Several stores in the Meyerland area experienced flooding during Hurricane Harvey.
In southwest Houston H-E-B currently operates a store just north of West University Place on Buffalo Speedway. Beyond that, the closest H-E-B to the southwest is near Highway 6 in Missouri City, more than 10 miles away.
The 19,000-square-foot H-E-B at 5417 South Braeswood at Chimney Rock flooded again during Hurricane Harvey after extensive damage in the Memorial Day flood of 2015. On Wednesday, H-E-B announced it will close that store permanently rather than remodel it again.
“This store has enjoyed a loyal clientele that has been shopping with us for more than 25 years. We look forward to bringing this community a bigger, better H-E-B,” said Cyndy Garza Roberts.
Garza Roberts added, “We regret any inconvenience this closure creates for residents. However, we remain committed to serving this community and are in active negotiations for another site in the area which we hope to announce in the very near future.”
H-E-B has been actively pursuing real estate inside Houston’s Inner Loop, where it already operates several stores. The Houston Chronicle reported on Aug. 8 that H-E-B contracted to purchase a site at the northwest corner of West Alabama and Kirby, even though the company already maintains stores nearby and owns an undeveloped parcel near Shepherd and Richmond. That Chronicle report was not independently verified by Realty News Report.
While H-E-B has expanded its urban footprint, it did not secure property in the southern portion of the Inner Loop. With the second significant flooding at the Braeswood location, H-E-B’s presence in a densely populated part of southwest Houston is now limited.
H-E-B is building a two-story store in northwest Bellaire near Bissonnet and South Rice, which the San Antonio-based grocer expects to open in 2018. Even with that addition, however, H-E-B will not have a store south of Bissonnet within Houston city limits.
Whether H-E-B ultimately chooses Meyerland Plaza or another site in southwest Houston, the company is expected to move quickly to fill the service gap for area residents.
The grocer drew praise following Hurricane Harvey when it reopened many locations promptly; NAI Partners noted that H-E-B reopened 60 Houston stores on the Sunday after the storm struck.
H-E-B, with annual sales exceeding $23 billion, operates more than 380 stores across Texas and Mexico.