Baytown throws H-E-B in basket for check out

​​BAYTOWN – H-E-B Grocery Co. broke ground on a long-awaited Houston-area location.

According to the company’s Twitter account, the Baytown store broke ground on November 2 at the corner of Garth and Hunt Rd. That’s right by the San Jacinto Mall.

Fidelis Realty Partners bought the mall in July 2015 and planned to completely redevelop it, creating an open-air center on the property.

At the time, KTRK ABC-13 reported that a new H-E-B could serve as the mall’s fourth anchor store.

The first phase of demolition at the San Jacinto Mall began in late April, but the overall redevelopment plans are expected to take years.

In May, the Baytown City Council approved an ordinance authorizing a Chapter 380 agreement for H-E-B’s new store.

The 380 agreement represents a $2.75 million investment from the city and a $15 million dollar investment from H-E-B by January 2018. The agreement includes work on Santavy and Hunt Rd.

The store will be at least 80,000 sf and is expected to open around the end of 2017, according to city council minutes.

Elsewhere, H-E-B has been scooping up land in growing Houston suburbs as it competes for market share.

Click here to see several projects H-E-B was cooking up as of May.