The redevelopment of Pablo Plaza is well underway, and according to a map of the reconfigured shopping center from Regency Centers, a new Whole Foods Market will be the centerpiece.
Pablo Plaza is in Jacksonville Beach at 1822 S. Third St. The site plan shows the Whole Foods Market will be the largest tenant, with 34,400 square feet of space. Marshalls, which is next door to the planned Whole Foods Market, has 28,194 square feet.
Back in 2015, Whole Foods Market announced its intention to open a store in Jacksonville Beach.
At the time, Whole Foods Market told WJCT News partner The Florida Times-Union it had signed a lease and intended to open the store in early 2021.
Since then, Whole Foods Market has declined to go into specifics about the project, and some have questioned whether the store would still open.
"We don’t have any additional information to share at the moment, but we’ll be in touch as soon as opening details are available,” a Whole Foods spokeswoman told WJCT News.
After the original plan for the Jacksonville Beach store was announced, Austin-based Whole Foods Market was acquired by Amazon for $13.7 billion.
Amazon has a large presence in Jacksonville with two fulfillment centers, a delivery station and a warehouse that employs thousands. Whole Foods Market curently has one Jacksonville location, in the 10600 block of San Jose Boulevard.
Cruisers Grill, which is also located in Pablo Plaza, recently reopened after completing its $1.4 million renovation.
WJCT News has also reached out to Regency Centers, requesting additional information about the shopping center's redevelopment. If a response is received this story will be updated.
Bill Bortzfield can be reached at bbortzfield@wjct.org, 904-358-6349 or on Twitter at @BortzInJax.
