Stone Oak getting a distinctive H-E-B

Elizabeth Pearson (CQ) walks out of the new H-E-B in Montrose on Tuesday, May 29, 2012 in Houston, Texas. Elizabeth Pearson (CQ) walks out of the new H-E-B in Montrose on Tuesday, May 29, 2012 in Houston, Texas. Photo: J. Patric Schneider, For The Chronicle Photo: J. Patric Schneider, For The Chronicle Image 1 of / 8 Caption Close Stone Oak getting a distinctive H-E-B 1 / 8 Back to Gallery

H-E-B put an end to rumors spreading across the Stone Oak area this week, confirming its plans to open a one-of-a-kind store at Hardy Oak and Wilderness Oak next year.

Area residents have speculated that the locally based grocery chain will open a smaller version of its upscale Central Market on Broadway, frequently called the “Gucci-B,” in their neighborhood. Officially, however, H-E-B has said only that it will open a unique store there, and that it will resemble two of its more expensive locations in Austin and Houston.

The Stone Oak neighborhood of North San Antonio has become a popular one for upscale grocers. Whole Foods has a new location at Blanco Road and Loop 1604, and Green Fields Market has a store at 19239 Stone Oak Parkway. There are two H-E-B Plus stores about five miles away from the Hardy Oak and Wilderness Oak intersection, at 20935 U.S. 281 North and 1150 N. Loop 1604 West.

“This format will be different from any H-E-B currently in the San Antonio area,” H-E-B spokeswoman Dya Campos said in an email.

A Tulsa, Okla.-based architecture firm this year filed documents with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation that revealed site preparation for H-E-B Stone Oak would begin this month. The construction plans cited a November 2013 completion date, but Campos said the store will open in 2014.

H-E-B's decision follows a continuing population and housing boom in the northern part of the city.

Between 2000 and 2010, the number of owner-occupied housing units in five Stone Oak area ZIP codes soared by 179 percent — far ahead of Bexar County's 23 percent growth rate during that same decade, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The number of households grew by only 15 percent within San Antonio city limits.

Aside from housing growth, Stone Oak is known for its high property values, which is perhaps why early estimates of the new H-E-B store's construction costs exceed $8 million.

Still, that's about $4 million less than the cost that the Oklahoma firm cited for an upcoming H-E-B store in Austin and one-third of the price tag for the existing H-E-B Montrose Market in Houston, according to state records.

Both locations are about 75,000 square feet, and Campos said they will inspire some of the elements that H-E-B will incorporate into the Stone Oak store.

She did not provide specifics.

When the Montrose Market opened in November 2011, the company said it was the most expensive H-E-B location to build and the first to have an outdoor market area and patio for movies and live music.

Already known for tailoring its supermarkets to the surrounding neighborhoods, H-E-B asked residents to vote on its final design for the Montrose store.

An H-E-B set to open this year at the former Mueller Airport in Austin will feature an aviation-themed storefront to match the site's history.

Community leaders in Stone Oak hope H-E-B adopts the same process for developing its newest grocery store.

“As far as the aesthetics go, I'm sure as things progress we can have discussions with (H-E-B) and make sure it does fit the ambiance of the neighborhood,” said John Kent, president of the Wilderness Oak Alliance, a group of nine communities in the Stone Oak area.

An H-E-B representative called him Friday to let him know the company had closed on a deal to purchase the land.

Kent said he welcomed the news, considering residents have been waiting for retail development at the Hardy Oak and Wilderness Oak intersection since early 2010 when the property owners cleared the land of trees to make way for future construction.

“Probably anybody could have gone in there,” he said. “But we're glad to have H-E-B as a neighbor versus just having a strip mall there. H-E-B takes care of their properties and seems pretty responsible.”

Kent and other Stone Oak homeowner association representatives said they had heard H-E-B planned to use the site for a new grocery concept. At least three also noted the land acquired in the deal was not large enough to accommodate a typical H-E-B store.

The average size of an H-E-B location is 70,000 square feet, according to the company.

Campos did not respond to specific questions about the deal. But about 13.8 acres, or nearly 602,000 square feet, zoned for a commercial store there currently sits undeveloped, according to Bexar Appraisal District records. A recent appraisal put its value at $2.4 million.

Some Stone Oak residents expressed concern about the new H-E-B's impact on traffic in the area.

Already, the city estimates more than 13,000 vehicles travel the intersection each day, a count that could increase once the city and county complete projects to expand the reaches of both Hardy Oak and Wilderness Oak.

However, the city's plan to install a traffic light at that intersection calmed some residents who worried about students who attend neighboring Hardy Oak Elementary School and Lopez Middle School.

“You've got schoolkids from those neighborhoods that walk home every day; so a crosswalk and traffic light would be a lot safer,” said Dave Walsworth, a past president of the WOA.

As for shopping convenience, Stone Oak homeowners didn't expect the new store to make much of an impact.

“This is more than 'we're desperate for groceries,'” Kent said. “We're just very excited by all the rumors circulating our neighborhoods today and (that) H-E-B chose us to select a new concept store.”

nmorton@express-news.net

Twitter: @nealtmorton

Houston Chronicle archives and Express-News Researcher Julie Domel contributed to this report.