Olive Garden Plans To Build a New Restaurant in This San Antonio Suburb ⋆ SprawlTag.com

A new Olive Garden restaurant is planned for 17974 IH-35 North in Cibolo, Texas, within the city’s expanding retail corridor. The project will involve the ground-up construction of a 7,828-square-foot building. According to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, construction is expected to begin in September 2025 and finish by April 2026.

Located near major retail and dining developments, the site offers strong access to both local traffic and visitors traveling the busy I-35 corridor.

Site History and Surrounding Growth

The site sits along the northbound frontage road of Interstate 35, just south of FM 3009. It is surrounded by a growing collection of businesses, including Santikos Cibolo, QuikTrip, Bob Mills Furniture, and Schlotzsky’s. The location serves as a key junction between the cities of Cibolo and Schertz and has seen rapid development in recent years.

Historic aerial imagery from 1954 shows the roadway already in place, with IH-35 following its early path through agricultural fields. At the time, the area was still largely rural, with open farmland dominating the landscape. Over the following decades, suburban growth spread outward from San Antonio, bringing new housing developments, schools, and retail centers. The specific Olive Garden parcel remained undeveloped until recently, when grading began to prepare the site for commercial use.

In 1995, the future site of Olive Garden remained undeveloped farmland beside Interstate 35. No commercial structures were present east of the highway.

Cibolo Crossing Development Overview

The new Olive Garden will become part of Cibolo Crossing, a 116-acre mixed-use development along the eastern edge of I-35. The project includes a range of commercial spaces, from restaurant pads and small shops to larger anchor tenants. Key occupants include Santikos Entertainment and Living Spaces, both of which draw steady regional traffic.

Cibolo Crossing offers more than 46,000 square feet of in-line retail space and multiple pads designed for restaurants and services. Many of these parcels are built to accommodate up to 7,000 square feet per tenant. The development reflects the area’s transformation from farmland to commercial center, driven by population growth and freeway access. The Olive Garden will add to the corridor’s mix of national brands and complete another phase of this long-planned expansion.