New Fuel and Convenience Stop Rises in San Marcos

Fuel and convenience operators near I-35 and McCarty Lane should plan for added competition when the site opens in spring 2027.

Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Openings & Closings

Photograph of an unbranded fuel canopy and empty concrete pump islands beside a low store under construction, with live oaks and an interstate at the edge of a Texas commercial site. — H-E-B is building a $4 million convenience store, fuel station, and car wash near Interstate 35 and McCarty Lane in San Marcos, opening spring 2027. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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H-E-B is building a $4 million convenience store, fuel station, and car wash near Interstate 35 and McCarty Lane in San Marcos, in front of the grocer's newest supermarket there. The project is on schedule and is expected to open in spring 2027.

Why it matters

The project adds another fuel and convenience stop on one of San Marcos' busiest retail corridors, giving drivers a closer option alongside the new full-size grocery store. It extends a broader H-E-B effort to rebrand and expand its convenience offerings, which affects competing fuel and convenience operators in the area.

The project carries an estimated $4 million cost for a roughly 5,998-square-foot building, sited beside a 114,000-square-foot H-E-B supermarket at Interstate 35 and McCarty Lane. State filings and H-E-B's confirmation place the timeline at spring 2027, though the source gives no comparison to other fuel-and-convenience builds in the area.

The players

H-E-B

H-E-B is a Texas-based regional grocery chain that operates supermarkets and convenience stores across the state.

The details

The convenience store, fuel station, and car wash form part of a larger H-E-B development near the San Marcos Premium Outlets, separate from the grocery store that opened in October. The grocery store also introduced the city's first True Texas BBQ restaurant. H-E-B has pursued plans since 2023 to rebrand its convenience stores as Fresh Bites, and the new site sits within that broader convenience strategy.

October: H-E-B's San Marcos supermarket and True Texas BBQ restaurant opened.
2023: H-E-B launched plans to rebrand convenience stores as Fresh Bites.
Spring 2027: Expected opening of the convenience store, fuel station, and car wash.

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Market Landscape

H-E-B's 2023 plan to rebrand its convenience stores as Fresh Bites set the direction for this San Marcos project, which pairs a convenience store and fuel station with a car wash. The development sits near the San Marcos Premium Outlets, where it adds fuel and convenience capacity to a corridor that already draws regional traffic.

Fuel and convenience operators near Interstate 35 and McCarty Lane should expect added competition once the site opens. Businesses that depend on drive-through or fuel-stop traffic in San Marcos may want to track the spring 2027 opening and reassess local pricing and site positioning.

The takeaway

Expansion of H-E-B's convenience format into fuel and car-wash offerings signals a continued push into integrated retail stops. Operators in fuel and convenience should monitor the spring 2027 opening and how it shifts traffic along the corridor.