A shopping center anchored by a grocery store is proposed in the St. Augustine Silverleaf community.
The project, Silverleaf Market Parcel 23C, is described as a 55,701-square-foot grocery store, a 2,100-square-foot liquor store and two retail stores that total 13,700 square feet.
The plans show 201 parking spaces.
The grocery store is on 11.02 acres. About 3.78 acres are set aside for future development.
Jacksonville-based civil engineer England-Thims & Miller Inc. submitted the application for design review May 14 to St. Johns County.
The proposed site is north of Silverleaf Parkway and west of St. Johns Parkway near age-restricted housing development Reverie 55+.
The size of the grocery store matches that of a new Publix prototype and is similar in size to a Whole Foods Market.
Whole Foods Market has not responded to an email for comment.
Publix spokesperson Hannah Herring said by email May 15 there is no signed lease at the property.
England-Thims & Miller frequently works on Publix supermarkets.
The firm’s projects include 25 Publix locations in the region, including its Argyle Village, Deerwood Commons, Northpoint, Oakleaf Plantation, St. Johns Town Center and Nocatee locations, according to its website.
According to the St. Johns County Property Appraiser, the landowner is listed as St. Augustine-based White’s Ford Timber LLC. According to Sunbiz.org, Gary Hannon of developer Hutson Companies of St. Augustine, is the registered agent of the LLC.
The Hutson Companies website says it “currently owns and is developing projects in Clay, Duval and St. Johns counties, with total development rights to over 12,000 single and multi-family homes, as well as over 7 million square feet of commercial, office and industrial space.”
A similar development is planned for Clay County in Lake Asbury. England-Thims & Miller submitted plans for that project March 26 to the county’s Development Review Committee. It presented its plans to the committee April 11.
The county’s website shows there have been no further developments on the project to date.
In May 2023, Lakeland-based Publix Super Markets Inc. announced plans to end its original organic and natural foods-focused GreenWise Market concept. Herring said those eight locations would be converted to traditional Publix stores over time and that the grocery chain would be increasing the size of its stores from upwards of 49,000 square feet to 55,701 square feet.
County comments on the Silverleaf grocery center application are due May 21.