A shipping-container food truck park planned by the team behind Tortas Ahogadas El Chivito has been stuck in city limbo for nearly a year, even after clearing a key zoning hurdle on San Antonio's West Side. The project, slated for 9235 Marbach Road, has a Coming Soon sign standing on an empty lot while the business waits for the city to sign off on its building plans.
According to MySA, El Chivito submitted its project plans to the City of San Antonio in late December 2025, but the city sent them back that same month with comments requiring adjustments. As of the outlet's reporting, the city says it has not received a revised submission, leaving the project in a holding pattern even as other approvals have moved forward.
One of those approvals came in April 2026. OpenTexas lists the variance outcome as pending further board action and identifies April 6, 2026, as the last discussion date. MySA later reported that San Antonio's Development Services department issued a notice of decision granting permission to build within the 200-foot buffer on April 9, 2026.
Plans Returned, No Resubmission Yet
Despite the zoning win, the core building plan issue has not been resolved. The city's comments from December 2025 called for adjustments, and MySA reports no revised plans have come back in since. In a message to the outlet sent through Instagram, El Chivito said the project has not yet received full approval from the city and that it is waiting on that approval before making further announcements.
Adding to the uncertainty, MySA reported finding a stop work order attached to a sign at the project address, though a city representative told the outlet they could not confirm whether a code enforcement case was currently open on the property. That gap between what's posted at the site and what the city could verify leaves the project's exact status murky for now.
A Long Wait On An Empty Lot
The Coming Soon sign bearing El Chivito's logo stands on the undeveloped Marbach Road lot. A state construction filing revealed plans for a shipping-container food park at the site.
The project still needs permitting resolution before work can move forward on site. Also complicating the picture is a recent shift in state law: Texas House Bill 2844, which took effect July 1, 2026, moved mobile food unit health licensing to the Texas Department of State Health Services and barred cities from requiring separate local health permits, according to the City of San Antonio. That law left zoning, fire safety and site development squarely under local control, which is exactly where El Chivito's project appears to be stuck.
An Established Local Brand Behind the Project
Tortas Ahogadas El Chivito operates at two San Antonio-area spots: a sit-down restaurant at 204 Crossroads Blvd in Balcones Heights and a storefront at 9055 Marbach Road, Unit 103, according to business intelligence site Lumitra. The brand serves tortas ahogadas with pork carnitas and spicy tomato salsa.
For now, MySA says it will continue tracking the El Chivito project's progress as the city and the business work through the outstanding plan adjustments.
