H-E-B Reveals Two-Story Meyerland Plaza Store Plans to Neighbors
Scott McClelland, H-E-B. Photo: M.L. Smith
HOUSTON – (By Michelle Leigh Smith for Realty News Report) – When Hurricane Harvey flooded Houston, the Meyerland neighborhood lost more than houses; it also lost its H-E-B grocery store.
That gap will be filled in late 2019 when a new, elevated H-E-B opens at Meyerland Plaza, located at Loop 610 and Beechnut in southwest Houston.
“We can’t build it fast enough,” said Scott McClelland, President of H-E-B Houston, to a large gathering of Meyerland residents on Thursday.
His enthusiasm drew applause from homeowners, many of whom suffered severe flood damage during Harvey — in Meyerland, roughly 1,900 of 2,300 houses were heavily impacted, and some residents required boat rescues from second-story rooftops.
UPDATE: H-E-B Opens Jan. 29, 2020 in Meyerland Plaza
H-E-B is investing $35 million in a 96,000-square-foot Meyerland Plaza store featuring ground-level parking beneath a grocery floor, connected by a skybridge to the second floor of the adjacent JCPenney.
“The store will be as well-built as we know how to make it,” McClelland told a standing-room-only crowd at Lovett Elementary. “It will feel modern — the escalators, which take 26 seconds to reach the upper level, will be synchronized so your cart travels beside you.”
The 950,000-square-foot Meyerland Plaza shopping center is owned by a partnership between Bellaire-based Fidelis Realty Partners, led by Alan Hassenflu, and BlackRock Realty Advisors of New York.
McClelland and Alan Hassenflu presented details of the new store and plaza improvements to attendees.
Alan Hassenflu
“I arrived in Houston in 1988 and have wanted to own Meyerland Plaza since 1989,” Hassenflu said. “Ed Wulfe transformed the old mall into a great shopping center, and when we purchased it in 2013 we knew a grocery store was the missing element to elevate the property further.”
McClelland emphasized that H-E-B avoids cookie-cutter designs. He showed renderings of a store planned to maximize natural light from the roof. “Sunlight will warm the store’s overall atmosphere,” he said.
He noted that H-E-B performs best in urban settings and that while the company is not building another Central Market in Houston, it is incorporating many Central Market design elements into its H-E-B stores.
“In Houston we tailor our H-E-B stores carefully to the local clientele,” McClelland said.
Rendering of new H-E-B
The two-level store will house a pharmacy and curbside pickup at street level and a full-service grocery on the second level. Planned offerings include a kosher bakery, a coffee shop, New York-style bagels, a dedicated cheese and meat department, a full-service seafood counter with sushi, an expansive produce section with organic options, and more than 1,600 wine labels. H-E-B representatives met with the Chabad House and local kosher authority Levi Donin to review requirements for kosher products in the bakery and storewide.
“Meyerland has supported us since 1993,” McClelland said, referencing the original H-E-B Pantry location on S. Braeswood at Chimney Rock, which experienced repeated flooding. “If anything, we have underserved Meyerland. Recently, you practically had to swim to reach it.”
Rendering of elevated parking deck
The new location will include a second-story parking deck in addition to street-level spaces. Meyerland Plaza already hosts restaurants, banks and big-box retailers such as Best Buy and Office Depot.
Several residents raised questions and suggestions during the presentation.
“I wanted to ask if sustainability is being considered in packaging choices — compostable, biodegradable or recyclable materials,” said Meyerlander Janice Rubin. “A composting program for produce waste would also be beneficial.”
Janus Lazaris delivered a petition with more than 250 signatures calling for sidewalks along the edge of the center. “What are your plans to add sidewalks on Endicott? It would be great to invest in basic pedestrian infrastructure,” she said.
Cheryl Hoyal, a Realtor with Keller Williams Memorial, asked that the site design prioritize pedestrian access from nearby neighborhoods, noting that walkability is an important attribute in contemporary urban and suburban development. She also suggested adding bike parking.
Residents asked about the fate of the old H-E-B Pantry on S. Braeswood, which has not reopened since Hurricane Harvey.
“We do not own that store; we are a tenant of Brixmor, so we cannot comment on its future,” said Lisa Helfman, Director of Real Estate for H-E-B.
McClelland shared a lighter moment, noting he received a resident letter requesting he lobby for Trader Joe’s to come to the area. “I wrote back that I wouldn’t lobby to bring in a competitor,” he said with a smile.
Other H-E-B updates:
Bellaire: McClelland said the new 70,000-square-foot Bellaire store at 5130 Cedar and Bissonnet is scheduled to open June 28. The two-story project, located just west of South Rice, aims to be ready before Fourth of July shopping. At a recent Bellaire City Council meeting, some merchants raised concerns about the store’s potential impact on parking in the commercial district.
Tanglewood: Fidelis Realty has hired HFF to market Tanglewood Court, a 125,000-square-foot, H-E-B-anchored retail center on a 12-acre site at San Felipe and Fountainview. Fidelis developed the fully leased center, which opened in 2014. HFF’s Rusty Tamlyn, who represented Ed Wulfe in the 1997 sale of Meyerland Plaza, is handling the marketing for Fidelis.
