Coming Soon to Publix Coming Soon Funny
Mike Sinkey of Pine Island reached out to me a couple of weeks ago wondering: What's the status of the Publix grocery store out that way?
The answer: It's happening.
For some on the island of at least 9,000 residents, it's happening not soon enough. For others, a delay just delays the inevitable of more traffic problems on the island with no stoplights.
The four-way stop sign at Stringfellow Road and Pine Island Road can be a headache at times. The proposed Publix location at 5100 Pine Island Road is about a quarter mile east of that intersection.
Pine Island never has had a Publix. For now, a Dollar General and a Winn-Dixie at 9864 Stringfellow Road are the places for island grocery shoppers who don't want to venture to the Publix at Coral Shores in northwest Cape Coral, which is 6.5 miles away but also a world away. At this time of year, seasonal traffic and Matlacha gridlock made my recent journey a 45-minute drive.
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Publix has declined to comment on the Pine Island location, as it has yet to sign a lease. But public records show the store to be in the second stage of review with the Lee County government.
The last three Publix stores to be approved in Lee County took between 14 months and three years from application to opening the doors, according to county records.
"No more melted Publix ice cream due to the Matlacha crawl during season," Sinkey said of why he cannot wait.
Power Corp. in Naples is developing the land on which the future Publix will sit. It began acquiring parcels in 2009 in various transactions for a total of $563,000.
"We've had it under contract for more than a year now," said John Agnelli, senior vice president of Power of the status with Publix. "They had it under contract several years ago. The recession hit, and they stopped a lot of the new stores they were going to build. That was one of them. Then they came back. Hopefully we'll close again over the next couple of months depending on the permitting.
"There was land on both sides of Pine Island Road. The county bought the land on the south side for 2020 (conservation purposes). We were going to do residential on the south side until the county came along.
We just bought the property before we even talked to Publix."
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The Publix will be about 29,000 square feet, Agnelli said, smaller than the typical 46,000 square feet.
"To the north of Publix, we have a parcel there we've been talking to some self-storage units," he said.
The land further to the north could be developed into as many as 86 single-family homes down the road, he said. Plus there will be smaller businesses in front of the Publix, fronting Pine Island Road.
Sinkey, in an email, elaborated on his desire for Florida's most popular grocer.
"David, my wife and I have been Pine Islanders for 20 years," he said. "We shop infrequently at Winn-Dixie primarily for the convenience of purchasing products on an immediate need basis. From the number of closed checkout lanes and number of items in other shoppers' carts, it appears there are many other residents who do their heavy shopping elsewhere. We shop at least weekly for the majority of our foodstuffs at the Burnt Store Publix.
"I think having a Publix on Pine Island will have an overall positive effect on the island. It will save us money, time, give us more choices, more convenience and save us from the insanity of Matlacha. It's also good for the environment since we won't be wasting fuel and polluting the air while sitting in mile-long traffic jams. I also think it will have a positive effect on property values on the Island. The list is long, David. I don't mean to demean Winn-Dixie. They provide a great service to Pine Island. But there's nothing wrong with making life easier."
Kristy Anderson moved in April from North Port to Pine Island. A Publix opening would be welcome, she said.
"I love Winn-Dixie," she said. "It's a great store. But Publix has the great bakery and the sub sandwiches. There's plenty of people here to shop at both, because they each have their own things that they do better. A little competition should help with prices."
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Sherry Van Norstrand, who has been renting a home on Pineland on the north side of Pine Island, was an avid shopper at Wegman's in her former state of New York. She enjoys Publix but would prefer the chain stay off the island to try and limit the population surge.
But once it opens, she said she would shop there.
"Somebody let the cat out of the bag about this place," Van Norstrand said of Pine Island's growth. "People here are the friendliest in the world. I truly believe that."
PAGE FIELD COMMONS LANDS NEW TENANT: After Michael's moved from Page Field Commons to Market Square at the southeast corner of U.S. 41 and Daniels Parkway, half the square footage vacancy left was taken by Five Below, and the other half sat empty.
Until last week.
Home Centric has opened.
"The concept is similar to a Home Goods," said Linda Costanza, a leasing agent for the shopping center. "They have decorative items for the home."
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The former 30,000-square-foot store has become two stores of about 15,000 square feet each.
Costanza is working to land two tenants for what used to be Toys R Us, as well.
"We're working on some prospective tenants, just none I can announce right now," she said. "But we are actively working on two leases for that location."
Despite the downward trend of some retail outlets, Costanza said she remained confident in the new trend of mid-size big box stores at the Page Field Commons location.
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Although she didn't have a dollar figure handy, she estimated millions of dollars have been spent in the past year on a new roof for Best Buy, new LED, energy-efficient lighting outside the shops and new signage.
"What we've found is the shopping center is tremendously successful," Costanza said. "It has great access and great visibility. The tenants in that shopping center do well. We're very happy. We've made significant investments there."
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HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS REMODELED: Just in time to serve as a five-week home to the Kia Tigers professional baseball team from South Korea, the Holiday Inn Express & Suites at the Forum in Fort Myers has completed a $3.5 million renovation.
The hotel opened June 13, 2009 and has redone all of the rooms, the lobby and dining areas and fitness room.
"Everything is brighter with blue and white," sales manager Lucie Wirgin said. "It's more modern. More contemporary."
MARKET WATCH 2020: Networking at the annual real estate event begins at 4:30 Tuesday at Hertz Arena, with a 90-minute presentation beginning at 6 p.m. Tickets cost $50 and can be purchased at the box office.
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Source: https://www.news-press.com/story/news/in-the-know/2020/02/25/pine-island-publix-planned-after-years-limbo/4648717002/
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