A 47.5-acre grocery-anchored commercial development is proposed in the Clay County portion of Oakleaf Plantation, according to filed plans.
It is at the intersection of Oakleaf Parkway and District Drive just east of the First Coast Expressway, according to a preliminary application filed July 13 with the county.
The site plan, dated July 7 and prepared by Orlando-based Dwell Design Studio, outlines a shopping center anchored by a 60,000-square-foot grocery store, with two additional large-format retail parcels — one at 20,000 square feet and another at 38,000 square feet — along with 15 smaller outparcels intended for restaurants, retail or other commercial uses.
Building height, according to the application, is capped at 45 feet.
The proposed grocery tenant has not been disclosed. The closest current grocery option is the recently opened 175,000-square-foot Walmart Supercenter at 10000 Omni Drive, about 1.5 miles away near First Coast Expressway and Oakleaf Plantation Parkway. Other nearby grocery options include Publix Super Market at OakLeaf Commons at 1075 Oakleaf Plantation Parkway, about 2.5 miles away; and Publix at OakLeaf Plantation Center at 9518 Argyle Forest Blvd., about 3.5 miles away.
Blair Knighting of Kimley-Horn and Associates, the project’s applicant and civil engineer, said the application is intended to gather county feedback on proposed access points along Oakleaf Parkway Extension and District Drive, as well as the conceptual layout of the commercial parcels.
The development site includes two parcels — one owned by VCP Oak Leaf LLC and the other by Frank Spencer Ltd., according to Clay County Property Appraiser records.
VCP Oak Leaf LLC is registered to the same address as Atlanta-based real estate developer and property management firm Varden Capital Properties, according to state corporate records. Varden’s published portfolio focuses on multifamily residential communities across Florida, Georgia and Alabama, including Lofts at Wildlight in Yulee. The company does not list commercial or grocery-anchored retail projects on its website.
The site is vacant, with Clay County Utility Authority listed as the provider for sewer, water and electric service.
The project is scheduled for Development Review Committee discussion July 30, an early step in the county’s development process that allows staff to review access, layout and design elements before formal permitting.
The commercial site is within the broader footprint of Oakleaf Plantation, developed by The Hutson Cos., and includes more than 1,400 acres of preservation land and roughly 5.8 million square feet of planned commercial, office and industrial space.
Oakleaf Plantation was established in 2002 by The Hutson Cos. as a master-planned community on former U.S. Navy property, planned for about 11,000 homes. It includes residential neighborhoods, schools and recreational amenities.