A half-century-old shopping center is slated for redevelopment as Wawa makes plans to build at northeast Beach and Southside boulevards.
Property records show the Southside Estates Shopping Center was developed there in 1962.
Pennsylvania-based Wawa, with six sites previously identified in Duval and Clay counties, wants to build a 6,119-square-foot convenience store and 16 fueling positions at the corner, according to a zoning application.
District City Council member Scott Wilson said Tuesday he understands the front portion of the shopping center will come down and the back portion might be redeveloped in the future.
Wilson said he is excited to see new development coming into an older neighborhood.
“I can remember that shopping center when I was a kid in the ’70’s,” he said.
Wilson said the Wawa, heralded by fans for its food service, will provide the neighborhood another place to shop and eat.
“I have been looking for ways to encourage new retail development in older neighborhoods,” he said.
Wilson said he hopes the Wawa will spur other property owners to redevelop their sites.
Property owner 9731 Beach Blvd LLC is led by Justin Ashourian. The group bought the site in November 2014.
He could not be reached by phone or email Tuesday.
Plans filed with a zoning administrative deviation request indicate part of the shopping center will be removed for the 1.75-acre Wawa project.
A preliminary site plans shows the rest of the center appears to remain on 3.14 acres of the total almost 4.9-acre site.
Southside Estates Shopping Center comprises three buildings that total more than 53,000 square feet of space, property records show.
The site plan shows the structures closest to the corner of Beach and Southside will be removed for Wawa.
Ownership requests a deviation from the city to increase the maximum number of required off-site parking spaces and to reduce the minimum landscape requirements.
The administrative deviation request states the required 37 spaces are not sufficient for Wawa, which generates significant in-store traffic. The property owner wants to provide 52 spaces.
The deviation also says it wants to eliminate the required five-foot landscape buffer along the easterly property line.
Wilson said landscaping and parking codes have changed over the years, which means redevelopment of older properties typically requires zoning approvals.
“It should really make that corner look a lot nicer,” he said, adding he might attend the administrative deviation meeting, scheduled Feb. 24, to speak in favor of the project.
Wawa has applied for permits to build stores in EastPark at Beach Boulevard and Central Parkway; at The Crossing at Town Center; and in Westside. All are 6,119 square feet in size.
The EastPark site is three miles east of the Southside Estates location.
Other identified sites are one in East Arlington and two in Clay County.
Wawa said in June it would open at least five Northeast Florida locations by the end of this year. Over time, it considers the area a 30-40 store market.
The Southside Estates site is near 8837 Beach Blvd., where Circle K intends to build a store. That site is at northwest Beach and Southside boulevards.
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