The commute to Publixis about to get a lot shorter for residents who live around Riverdale High School in east Fort Myers.
From the high school itself, it will be almost just across the street.
Publix will anchor the Riverdale Shopping Center, which long has had its anchor tenant dormant. For at least five years, the shell has been empty. The previous occupant, Winn-Dixie, moved across the street to the north side of State Road 80.
Sembler, a St. Petersburg-based property management company, purchased the bulk of Riverdale Shopping Center at the southeast corner of State Road 80 and Buckingham Road for $2.75 million in November.
After tearing down the previous structure, Sembler broke ground on the new, 46,000-square-foot grocery store in early January. The projected completion is late August or early September.
There also will be a 1,400-square-foot Publix liquor store and 2,400 square feet of additional, service-related retail that will be adjacent to the Publix. That could be a hair or nail salon or something else along that line, said Josh Beyer, senior vice president of development for Sembler, which also manages Daniels Crossing, another Publix-anchored shopping center off Daniels Parkway and Six Mile Cypress Parkway.
The east side of the Publix remains open. Those tenants will pay their rents to a different owner and will receive a new façade later this year along with upgraded sidewalks and LED lighting.
Hawkins Construction out Tarpons Springs is working as the lead construction contractor.
There’s another Publix off State Road 80, less than three miles west at the southern end of State Road 31. Why would another one be needed so close?
Because the number of rooftops near Riverdale keep rising, said Randy Thibaut, CEO of LSI Companies.
“Now you have Portico, which Lennar is building at a rapid pace,” Thibaut said of the community just south and off Buckingham Road. “Then, on top of that, you go further to the south, and you run into a big piece of land that GL Homes owns. It’s pretty simple. River Hall, Portico, GL Homes and add those together, so you get a need. When you add that up and what’s coming, Publix is clearly seeing the rooftops and the demand right there.”
Thibaut’s team at LSI Companies ran down the data on three nearby housing communities. Two are up and running, and a third is in the works.
Portico: The Lennar Homes community opened for sales in April 2017. Since October 2016, 601 permits have been issued for a community approved by Lee County for up to 1,600 homes across 588.97 acres.
River Hall: Hampton Lakes and Cascades at River Hall, with homes being built by Lennar, Pulte and D.R. Horton, has a projected buildout of 2,695 homes. There have been 815 permits issued since March 2010.
GL Homes: The homebuilder has yet to name the 345 acres, just south of a Lee County School District bus depot. But it received unanimous approval from the county commission Tuesday to build up to 1,330 homes.
“The existing Publix at the Verandah does extremely well,” Beyer said. “Even though they’re in real close proximity, they need more square footage to serve all the customers. If you look at just the traffic increases in the area, you can see the need. The traffic along Buckingham Road has risen 25% in the last decade. The traffic along Palm Beach Boulevard has risen 25% in the past five years.
“It’s a rapidly growing customer base for Publix. At the end of the day, you’re going to have a completely renovated shopping center there.”
Clearing up Lofton Island error
I strive for accuracy each week, but sometimes I fall short. Itwas Tom Cronin’s group, FlordecoInc., that was responsible for installing the rip-rap, docks and utility lines. This happened before and not after Gates’ group purchased it and then sold it to Nils Richter’s group.
“Our initial plans were to develop the island with a national hotel chain that would have increased its viability and marketability,” Tom Cronin Jr. said. “Alas, downtown was still many years away for this concept to be a reality. With the lack of interest from any national hotels, Dad felt it was time to move on, and the island was listed for sale.
“I wish nothing but success for the new downtown hotel (the Luminary) and to the new group that purchased the island. As a resident in the core of downtown for more than 20 years now, and in one of the only houses still being used as a residence, I can finally see the major increase in consumers that the improvements made by the city and the investments made by major players have created.”
In the Know:Lofton Island lands new owner, plans for small-scale development
Donatos Pizza eyes Lee County
People movinginto Lee County tend to look for brands from back home.
Donatos Pizza, which originated in Ohio, could become one of those brands.
Established in 1963 by Jim Grote and his family, Donatos began franchising its pizza chain in 1991. It now has 168 locations in 14 states. When COVID-19 hit Florida, Donatos already had started scouting the state for expansion. Three locations opened in Sarasota. Fort Myers and the rest of Lee County are on the radar, said Jeff Baldwin, vice president of development and franchising for Donatos.
“Covid was an interesting time in terms of getting restaurants open,” Baldwin said. “Getting city inspections, contract work, etc., etc. All of those things had extra layers to them in 2020.
“We’re still scouting. We’re franchising our market across Florida. Estero-Bonita-Naples are working on their first location.”
That Donatos has a large presence in Indiana and Ohio means it makes sense to move into Lee County, to where many residents from those states have moved, Baldwin said.
“Our niche is premium pizza delivered,” he said. “We’re trying to find the right group. Someone who really understands the business and has the ability to grow it. We’ll be in Fort Myers for sure. I know there’s a great audience. We’re pretty bullish on that whole area.”
Hope Preserve announces tenants
Stevens Construction will buildits own, 20,000-square-foot headquarters, the first new structure to be built on what’s known as Hope Preserve, at the northeast corner of Metro Parkway and Six Mile Cypress Parkway.
This will be a two-story professional office.
In the Know: Hope Preserve potential landing spot for Trader Joe's, much more
Stevens Construction also will built an adjacent, 27,000-square-foot, two-story medical office.
“The location relative to Gulf Coast Medical Center, major arterial Lee County roadways and I-75, along with the high-quality development created by the owners, has positioned Hope Preserve to be the perfect fit for new, Class A medical and general office users,” said Justin Thibaut, president of LSI Companies.
A new Hope Hospice location, a 124-room hotel and more retail/office/commercial parcels are also slated for Hope Preserve.
Florida Heart Associates expands
Stevens Construction is renovating the two-story, 25,374-square-foot Florida Heart headquarters at 1550 Barkley Circle, off the northern end of Summerlin Road.
The expansion includes the addition of new, on-site surgery rooms.
The project is scheduled to be finished this summer, and the building will remain open during construction.
Connect with this reporter: David Dorsey (Facebook), @DavidADorsey (Twitter).
