JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Despite the economic slowdown that the coronavirus pandemic has had on many businesses, there are several forging ahead with building plans in our area.
One of the big ones is the Publix supermarket that people have been talking about for a decade in San Marco. On Thursday, News4Jax learned the developer, Regency, announced the Publix lease has been signed, signaling a major step forward.
The Publix is planned to be built at the corner of Atlantic Boulevard and Hendricks Avenue.
A general contractor will likely be selected by December, with plans to have the building’s shell ready in the summer of 2022 -- taking a little longer because plans involve structured parking.
“I would be concerned if I lived in this area about the traffic and the congestion because it’s already pretty bad right here,” said Jacksonville resident Kathy Almand.
Almand’s friend owns a store in San Marco. But other passersby said small businesses in the area as well as residents should benefit from the new build.
“We need a grocery store close by rather than have to run all the way up to University (Boulevard) or around down Atlantic (Boulevard),” said resident Vicki Mosteller.
Also discussed at Wednesday’s San Marco Merchants Association was the Park Place at San Marco apartments.
The developers said they will submit their architectural plans to the city next month. They plan to break ground in the second quarter of next year on property owned by South Jacksonville Presbyterian Church, though the project hasn’t sat well with some neighborhood residents who are unhappy with the height and size of the building.
And as for the old Square One building in the middle of San Marco Square: Toney Sleiman and Sleiman Properties, which bought the building last year, says it could share the 8,000 square foot property with several other tenants. While it has completed some exterior improvement to the structure, the company has no intention of advancing with major plans until all the space is leased.