One of the first Publix stores built in the area — 50 years ago — is now approved for demolition.
Lakeland-based Publix Super Markets Inc. said in September it intended to close its Deerwood Village shopping center store Oct. 5 so it can tear it down and build a new one.
The site is west of Southside Boulevard between Old Baymeadows Road and Baymeadows Road, in South Jacksonville.
Publix spokesperson Hannah Herring said Sept. 9 she did not have a timeline for the Deerwood Village reopening.
If it follows the 15-month construction timeline of the Harbour Place project, it could be January 2026. Publix reopened the rebuilt Harbour Place Shopping Center store Oct. 3 at 13170 Atlantic Blvd.
At Deerwood Village, the city issued a permit Oct. 17 for M.E. Construction Inc. to demolish the 58,785-square-foot building, comprising Publix and the adjacent store leased to CVS Pharmacy, at 9962 and 9964 Old Baymeadows Road at a project cost of $350,000.
Other plans showed 58,943 square feet of existing structures will be demolished, including an almost 45,500-square-foot supermarket and the adjacent 12,350-square-foot CVS Pharmacy.
Both structures were built in 1974.
The permit comes two months after the city issued a permit Aug. 21 for Comet Construction of Boca Raton to build a new 48,640-square-foot Publix Food & Pharmacy and a separate liquor store at 9964 Old Baymeadows Road at a project cost of $9.3 million.
The new store comprises the 47,240-square-foot grocery store and a 1,400-square-foot liquor store.
Plans show it will include a cafe seating area near the bakery and deli and also a self-checkout area and seven full-service lanes.
Fisher and Associates LLC of Clearwater is the architect. England-Thims & Miller Inc. of Jacksonville is the civil engineer.
Publix has been seeking regulatory approvals to demolish and replace the Baymeadows area store.
The city issued a permit March 27 for site clearing on the 5.64-acre site.
The St. Johns River Water Management District received an application Oct. 26, 2023, for the redevelopment of the Publix site.
The city issued Mobility Fee Calculation and Concurrency Reservation certificates in August 2022 for the project.
The city calculated no mobility fee for the traffic impact. The property use remains the same.
Publix Super Markets Inc. owns the buildings and the parking lot, which is shown as accommodating 230 cars.
The Publix was one of the first three that opened in Jacksonville in the early 1970s.
One of the first two was in Arlington at the Expressway Mall, which was demolished.
That site has been developed with town homes.