Three decades since first opening, the Publix Super Market at Tower Square is slated for demolition and reconstruction.
The proposal, currently under review by Alachua County, would replace the 30-year-old building at 5801 SW 75th St. with a modernized version to meet current safety and infrastructure standards, said Jacob Stout, a planner from the Alachua County Department of Growth Management.
“Typically, buildings like this are at the end of their life cycle,” Stout said. “They’re specifically designed to last this amount of time.”
The project was originally initiated with a pre-application conference in April 2025, and a formal application was submitted in January, Stout said.
Alachua County is currently evaluating the developer’s plan due to an insufficiency report issued by the county on Thursday.
Several safety measures were not met in the plan, including a description of how the redevelopment would be enclosed from the rest of the shopping center during the construction, according to the insufficiency report.
Publix declined to comment when contacted.
Stout estimates that if a new application is submitted after revision by the next submission deadline of March 2, the plan could be considered on the county’s Department of Growth Management agenda on April 16.
Stout said the timeline for when the demolition will start and when the project will be completed is hard to estimate, due to the insufficiency report and the time it will take to solidify a plan.
“It is difficult for the county to know for certain. We can tell you it takes two to four months to review a revised final development plan,” Stout said. “They have a year to initiate pulling the proper permit."
Taking time to ensure the safety of the plaza before beginning the project is essential for the well-being of stores that share close proximity with Publix. Piesanos Stone Fired Pizza, located directly to the west of the grocery store, will be facing change.
Adam Herrera, a 30-year-old assistant kitchen manager of the pizza restaurant, contemplated how the start of the demolition will impact his job.
“The business could slow down a little bit just because people won't be coming here to shop anymore,” Herrera said. “But I feel like more often than not people do not get groceries and come to eat. That is like two separate trips anyway.”
Herrera, who has worked in the plaza for 10 years, expressed concern regarding the physical impact of tearing down a structure that shares such close proximity to his place of work.
He noticed that during hurricane season, the pizza restaurant will often keep power because it is right next to the Publix. He said he wonders whether the buildings share connections with water lines or power sources.
“I don’t know if that is going to have any ramifications,” Herrera said.
The situation hits close to home for Herrera, who grew up down the road from the plaza. He said his parents, among many other shoppers, make the Publix a part of their weekly routine.
“I do think it will be weird for a couple of the employees who go there every morning or mid-shift,” Herrera said. “It is going to be weird for people who live around here.”
A quick walk is all it takes for resident Lori Finzel, 67, to get to the shopping center from her house. She is one of many who relies on the Publix for her weekly groceries.
“I could go somewhere else, but I am right there,” Finzel said. “Convenience matters.”
Finzel, among others, will have to find another store to frequent when the demolition on the grocery store commences. Although she enjoys occasionally walking to the store, she will have to start driving her car to the next nearest Publix.
“I see somebody a couple days a week, and she lives right by a Publix, so I can always go to another one,” Finzel said. “It will not really affect me that much, I don't think. I am not homebound.”
Her own shopping trips are not the ones about which she is concerned.
“I think the people that I see walking their carts to and from other places are going to have a hard time because there's nothing else close,” Finzel said.
Another Publix, located at 3930 SW Archer Road, is 3.1 miles down the road from the Publix Super Market at Tower Square. Some frequent shoppers will be able to drive the extra 10 minutes to visit the next nearby Publix, but Finzel worries about those who cannot.
“Believe it or not, not everybody drives a car,” Finzel said.
A considerable number of people in the surrounding area travel by other means than a car, as Finzel has noticed. She worries about what these individuals will have to do when the Publix closes its doors and demolition begins.
“It is heartbreaking, really,” Finzel said.
Stout said he recognizes the concerns shoppers like Finzel have for the period of construction on the plaza.
“What I would hope for is that the construction is quick, so that the new store can open and the inconvenience of not having your local grocery store doesn't last too long,” Stout said.