Montrose residents cast vote for HEB design

HOUSTON The future grocery store has already stirred quite the debate because its set to be built at Dunlavy and West Alabama, and some resident say they don't want it there.

At a meeting Saturday, it was standing room only. Montrose residents showed up to vote, not for a politician, but for either the "Saw Tooth" "The Wave" or "The Pavilion." The three are design options for a high-tech HEB grocery store going up in the neighborhood.

Plans to build a grocery store there have created lots of debate. Some residents say the eight-acre land should be a park or a place to maintain trees; others say any type of grocery store here with a commercial loading zone will create a potential problem for pedestrians.

Some residents used the meeting as a chance to get other questions and concerns off their chest.

"The irrigation system for the trees or is this going to be dry scaping?" one resident asked.

"I'd like to see something that's more of a natural look that blends in with the environment," another resident said.

Houston HEB President Scott McCelland says over the past few months, they have been listening to the community and they are still listening and doing tons of research; he says they hope to solve traffic problems with limiting the size of delivery trucks, and they've figured out ways to preserve trees, too.

"I think we'll be able to find a good middle ground, and something that will work best," McClelland said. "It doesn't make sense for us to build a store that people won't want, because they won't shop at it."

"I think it's smart from HEB doing something like that because they know that we would have preferred a park, so I think it's very smart," Stephanie Gillespie, who voted on the store design.

Many of those residents say they would not have chosen anything to be built here but they are happy HEB has at least involved them in this process.

Residents will find out the results of that vote next Thursday.