Easton Park's William Cannon Corner Has an Early Start and a 2027 Finish Line

By 5 a.m., two spots near the corner of East William Cannon Drive and McKinney Falls Parkway are open. A gallon of milk from a full grocery store is a different story. The state filing for the H-E-B across the road puts its estimated completion in late October 2027.

That gap explains this corner right now. The businesses that have opened over the past year are mostly fast, early and drive-up. The bigger pieces come later. The grocery store and a William Cannon that's finished being torn up are both expected in 2027, and the large gym planned across the corner doesn't have a date yet. If you live in Easton Park, this fall is the in-between season. Here's what's open, what's still on paper, and how to work around both.

The corner already opens before sunrise

Over the past year, the openings at the William Cannon and McKinney Falls corner have mostly been places built around the morning commute. Put their posted hours side by side and the pattern shows:

Dutch Bros's location page lists 5 a.m. hours every day. Chick-fil-A Easton Park began serving on May 28, 2026, and its opening announcement set the drive-through at 6 a.m. with the dining room following at 6:30.

Refuel took the longest. Easton Park's April 2026 food roundup called it "opening soon." The state's construction registration describes a 4,832-square-foot convenience store with a kitchen at 7706 Cota Vista Drive, with work scheduled from August 2025 through June 2026. Refuel's own store page now lists Refuel 354 at that address, open 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day. For quick snacks and hot food, that's the widest window on this list.

In practice, coffee, breakfast and a quick stop for basics are now covered inside the neighborhood, starting earlier than most commutes. A weekly grocery run still means leaving.

Where the slower hours happen

Not every new spot is a drive-through. Two of the most neighborly businesses on the list are run by Easton Park residents. Cenizo Coffee and Sano Market both operate from the Union Park West food-truck courtyard. A July 2026 profile on the community's site says Cenizo is in its third year and Sano is open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. In a neighborhood where most new businesses are national chains, a coffee stand going into its third year is a sign that local spots can last here.

For evenings, Cheba Hut opened at 7101 E. William Cannon Drive on Nov. 21, 2025. Community Impact reported the opening a few days later and noted that the sandwich shop has a bar. That makes it one of the few places at this corner built for staying a while.

Around these newer arrivals, the Grove at Easton Park already holds a set of everyday services. The center's leasing materials list CVS, AutoZone, Clearwater Car Wash, McDonald's, Panda Express, Frost Bank and Heartland Dental alongside Dutch Bros and Cheba Hut. Errands like a prescription, a car wash or a bank stop can mostly happen without crossing the highway.

The big anchors are still on paper

The missing pieces are larger, and they're on a longer timeline.

The H-E-B. The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation's filing for H-E-B Grocery Store #825 describes a 115,285-square-foot store at 7016 E William Cannon Drive. It lists a planned construction start of July 13, 2026 and an estimated completion of Oct. 20, 2027. The Austin American-Statesman reported the same schedule in December 2025. Those are dates from a filing, and a filing is a plan. The October 2027 date is a target, and H-E-B hasn't announced an opening date.

The Grove, Phase II. In June 2026, the Austin Business Journal reported that the second phase of the Grove will bring "a large gym, restaurants and more" to the southeast corner of East William Cannon Drive and McKinney Falls Parkway, and that the project is still looking for tenants. The gym and restaurants haven't been named. The one Phase II tenant identified in the leasing materials is QKN Beauty, a nail salon marked as lease pending.

Put together, the open businesses cover quick needs, and the bigger draws that keep people closer to home for a whole evening or a weekly shop are still ahead. The grocery store is targeted for late 2027, and the gym and restaurants haven't been given a timeline.

The road is on the same timeline

The road between those two retail projects is also under construction, and it's expected to wrap up in 2027, the same year as the H-E-B.

The city's William Cannon Drive corridor project page shows active work between Running Water Drive and McKinney Falls Parkway. Two recent updates affect anyone heading north out of the neighborhood:

1. Late September 2026: Crews closed the outside lane of McKinney Falls Parkway just south of William Cannon for an Austin Water line upgrade. The city said it would improve supply and reliability for customers in the area.
2. Week of Oct. 5, 2026: More lane closures began on northbound McKinney Falls Parkway, cutting traffic to one through lane. The city expects minor delays.

According to the city, this stretch should reach substantial completion in early 2027. The scope covers about 4,105 linear feet of improvements, including added travel lanes and intersection work. Until then, the 5 a.m. coffee run and the morning commute go through the same one-lane squeeze, so a few extra minutes on weekday mornings is a reasonable cushion.

Part of the network is already done. Travis County's capital projects summary lists the McKinney Falls Parkway extension from William Cannon to Thaxton Lane as completed. That's a four-lane divided road with bike lanes and sidewalks. The same summary marks the west-side pedestrian way from William Cannon to McKinney Falls State Park as complete. When the road is jammed with cars, that path is an easy way to get to the park on foot or by bike.

What to do in the meantime

For the next year, the best weekend plans around here use what's already finished: the park down the road and the green spaces inside the neighborhood.

McKinney Falls State Park, Saturday, Oct. 24. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department calendar lists an animal-themed arts-and-crafts event from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at the Smith Visitor Center. It's free with park entry, which is $6 for adults, and children 12 and under get in free. If the kids want to keep going, the completed pedestrian path makes the trip there part of the outing.

Skyline Park, on the calendar for 2027. Easton Park's first EP Music & Co. concert took place at Skyline Park on Sept. 19, 2026. According to the community's recap, more than 400 people came and the event raised about $1,200 toward relaunching the Ojeda Middle School mariachi band. A second volume is planned for 2027. Skyline Park opened in 2024, so it's no longer new. A first-year event that drew 400 people suggests it's turning into the neighborhood's main gathering spot.

Shade that's still filling in. The community's 2025 recap reports that TreeFolks planted about 5,234 trees across 15.78 acres last year, and the development team planted another 1,500. The recap also notes new shade structures at the pools. Like the retail and the road, those trees will look very different in a few years, and they're one more reason a walk through the neighborhood changes from season to season.

If you're keeping your own list of what's open, what's coming to the corner, or how all this might shape a move within Easton Park or nearby, I'd love to compare notes. Reach out to Kristi Scott and Let's Connect.