East San Marco shopping center makes progress, long-awaited Publix on the way

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Publix is inching closer to becoming a reality in San Marco.

This comes as a 60,000-square-foot project by the developer Regency Centers has been coined East San Marco.

The following businesses will also be leasing spaces: Publix Liquors, Orangetheory Fitness, Crumbl Cookies, St. Johns Eye Associates, Gemma Fish + Oyster, and Foxtail Coffee.

One restaurant space is available.

Regency Centers (https://www.regencycenters.com/) is looking to deliver the spaces to tenants this month or in August for them to start their interior buildouts.

Those buildouts typically take three to five months depending on the tenant, when they receive permits and how extensive their buildout is.

The two-story Publix is expected to open in late summer or early fall, according to Regency Centers.

Trevor Andrews lives in San Marco.

“We’re super excited to have that in our community,” Andrews said.

Andrews said he typically used Walmart delivery or Instacart to shop for groceries but looks forward to a new option.

“Publix is awesome,” Andrews said. “I think it’s great.”

Sandy Almeida lives in Riverside. “They have great fresh produce and usually everything I need -- although that’s a smaller Publix compared to the others,” Almeida said.

She said she lives across the street from a Publix, but San Marco is only a short drive away.

“If it’s larger than the one in Riverside and has more options, I’d drive over the bridge to come here,” Almeida said.

Regency Centers expects East San Marco’s location to pull from all around its trade area.

They said in a one-mile radius of East San Marco, there’s a population of 7,159 people.

In a three-mile radius, there’s a population of 59,031.

“We are excited to bring a grocery store to San Marco as well as the additional retail/restaurant operators to add to the unique mix of tenants currently serving the San Marco community. It is long overdue and the final product is something we think the community will really embrace,” Patrick McKinley, Regency Center’s Vice President and Market Officer said.

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