Publix Goes for Expansion Allowed by New Code Changes

By Mike Lednovich

Just days after the city commission voted to change the City Comprehensive Plan and Land Development Code to allow for unlimited sized shopping centers, Publix announced it will demolish its current building and construct a larger grocery store.

According to the City Planning Department, both the city and the St. Johns River Water Management District are reviewing an application for Publix to replace the store at 1421 Sadler Road with a 58,834-square-foot version.

According to the city planning department, under the previous provisions of the Comprehensive Plan and Land Development Code, Publix was prohibited from expanding because of the total square foot area of the shopping center on Sadler Road. City records list the existing shopping center as 213,656 square feet.

"Publix was linked to the overall size of the shopping center, which is more than 80,000 square feet. Under the old code, buildings in those shopping centers were not allowed to expand in size," said City Planner Daphne Forehand.

Last Tuesday, the City Commission approved, by a 4-1 vote, changes to large-scale projects like shopping centers. One of the changes is to allow existing buildings to expand by 15% of their current size. The other change for new projects limits the size of individual buildings within shopping centers to 55,000 square feet. But the changes do not limit the overall size of shopping centers.

The new code reads:

“If a single business in a nonconforming commercial property exceeds the 55,000 square feet allowance, they can expand their existing structure once, up to 15% of the current gross floor area.

“This expansion applies to properties undergoing redevelopment, including demolition and rebuilding. Any future redevelopment of the same structure is restricted to the previous one-time expansion, regardless of whether the expansion used the full 15% limit. These limitations ensure controlled development and prevent multiple expansions without constraint.”

According to the city, the existing Publix is 57,086 square feet. Under the new rules of 15%, Publix could add another 8,562 square feet of floor space. However, Publix has applied for only a 1,748-square-foot increase to the new building.

Publix is located in the 36-year-old Island Walk Shopping Center. Plans also call for the resurfacing of the existing parking lot.

The proposed expansion was presented to the city's Technical review Committee (TRC) on July 27, four days prior to the city commission approving the new building 15% expansion revisions.

City Planner Forehand said the next steps for the Publix project is another review of the plans by the TRC. Once approved by the TRC, the city would then issue a local development order that would allow contractors to begin the permitting process for the new Publix.