Does H-E-B's South Congress shop have a grand opening date set?

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin residents still have a bit of time before H-E-B's new storefront on South Congress Avenue opens shop.

Rumors swirled on in an Austin subreddit post this week about a supposed grand opening date set for Dec. 17. In an email, one H-E-B spokesperson confirmed that alleged grand opening date wasn't true.

A second spokesperson confirmed the Texas grocer hasn't yet finalized the opening date for the South Congress location, adding the site remains under construction. The spokesperson added officials expect to have "a more concrete timeline" in the coming months for when that store will be open to the public.

H-E-B first shared plans back in December 2021 to demolish its long-standing location at 2400 S. Congress Ave. and rebuild a new storefront. That original South Congress location first opened in 1957.

Demolition work began in February 2022, and H-E-B opened a temporary store nearby at the Twin Oaks Shopping Center.

The new multi-leveled South Congress store is slated to be more than 145,000 square feet in size, featuring indoor and outdoor dining spaces and Texas barbecue on site.