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Tampa Palms' Publix to be demolished, rebuilt

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By KENNETH KNIGHT | The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 23, 2009

NEW TAMPA - Plans to shut down and demolish the Publix supermarket in Tampa Palms to build a new one at the same spot are causing some shopping displeasure for loyal customers.

Residents who frequent the store said they are not looking forward to early next year when they lose the neighborhood grocery giant for nearly a year.

"We are going to miss it terribly," said Maggie Wilson, who lives in the Sanctuary village. "The second they open the doors, we will be right back."

Publix plans to tear down its existing 48,000-square-foot store at Tampa Palms and Bruce B. Downs boulevards in January to make way for a new, 54,000-square-foot supermarket. Construction is scheduled to take about nine months.

The store's some 180 sales associates will be reassigned to other stores in the area, Publix spokeswoman Shannon Patten said. No jobs will be lost.

"We try to place our associates where it is most convenient for them," she said.
Patten said she hopes customers will be thrilled and excited about the new store.

When it reopens, the supermarket will be ultra-modern and one of the Lakeland-based chain's largest stores. Patten also anticipates the company will need to hire more workers to adequately staff it.

But Patten's explanation offered little consolation to some Tampa Palms residents who fear economic troubles ahead for businesses planning to keep their doors open at the City Plaza at Tampa Palms shopping center.

Construction and less traffic due to the store closing are likely to have an impact.

"Nobody is very pleased," said Bill Edwards, president of the Tampa Palms Owners Association, of the planned temporary store closing.

"Publix said it's the most economic way for them to do it. It's unfortunate for Tampa Palms residents. They are going to have to drive farther away."

Wilson said she will likely visit some of Publix's local competitors to avoid long trips to the supermarket.

Edwards said Publix is betting on customers returning to shop at the new Tampa Palms supermarket after sampling the competition for nearly a year.

Other residents are willing to make do and gambling on Publix coming back strong.

"Publix wants to expand," said Bill Shimer, a Tampa Palms Community Development District supervisor. "It's an inconvenience for those of us who can practically walk there, but we will get by and look forward to a bigger, better Publix."

Judy Alkow of Freemont village said it'll be an inconvenience but it' will be good to get a new Publix.

The Publix is considered an institution when it comes to shopping destinations in Tampa Palms. Opened in August 1988, the supermarket is the oldest existing grocery store in the area.

Talk of plans to replace it has circulated for months.

An incremental site development plan for a bigger Publix store was filed May 14 at the city's land development department.

Land development officials said city departments were given 45 days to review the development plan designed by LDDI, a Tampa architectural firm, for Pera City Plaza Tampa, which is based in Orlando.

John Crossman, president of Crossman & Co., the leasing company that manages the shopping center, has declined to speak publicly about building the Publix project until now.

The improvements are part of a plan to redevelop the entire Publix-anchored shopping center, he said. Façade improvements at the 14-acre shopping plaza are a possibility.

"As part of the redevelopment of the center, Crossman & Co. has negotiated a new 20-year lease with Publix Super Markets," he said in a statement.

Some stores adjacent to the Publix could be torn down to make way for a larger supermarket. Plans include repaving a portion of the parking lot fronting the store.

Reporter Kenneth Knight can be reached at (813) 259-7413.

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