The 1,300,000-square-foot (120,000 m2) center sits on a 150-acre (0.61 km2) site in La Cantera, a 1,700-acre (6.9 km2) master-planned resort community developed by USAA Real Estate Company.

[2] Local architectural firm Alamo Architects designed The Shops at La Cantera, constructed as a single-level, garden-like "retail village" with varied storefronts, shared arcades, and subtle water features.

The overall architectural style of the center has a Texas Hill Country vernacular vibe designed to ease environmental concerns about land usage and nature conservation.

[3] Austin-native J. Robert Anderson, FASLA conceived the landscape architecture style, that also reflects Hill Country.

The Shops at La Cantera includes the first Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom in San Antonio and new stores from Dillard's[4] and Foley's (now Macy's).