City Council unanimously approves H‑E‑B site plan, grants tree‑preservation variance

The City Council on Nov. 5 approved a site plan, landscape plan and building elevations for a proposed 121,000‑square‑foot H‑E‑B at the southwest corner of FM 544 and McCreary Road and granted a variance to the city’s tree preservation ordinance.

Planning staff described the proposal as part of an entitlement that has been in place since 2012 and said the design includes a fuel center, car wash and more than 800 parking spaces. Staff reported a negative tree credit "of approximately 1,500 to 1,465 caliper inches" — what staff said equates to roughly 503 caliper‑inch trees — and outlined mitigation options including a payment‑in‑lieu, dedication of a trail easement on the western portion of the site, and visual softening or artistic treatment of a retaining wall that can reach about 14 feet in height. Staff also noted that the new traffic signal shown in the plan will require TxDOT approval.

Council moved to approve the application “subject to the review summary number 5 dated 10/31/2024.” The motion passed unanimously. After the vote a councilmember said, "I specifically like the wood," thanking H‑E‑B for landscaping and materials choices that the speaker said reflect Murphy.

Next steps: final engineering and any TxDOT approvals for the proposed signal, negotiation or implementation of the tree mitigation plan as conditioned by the council, and the recordation of any easement dedication agreed to by the applicant.