South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Publix GreenWise Market to open
A Publix GreenWise Market is coming to downtown Fort Lauderdale.
The organic market will open at
225 E. Las Olas Blvd. in the fall of 2020 as part of a sprawling new residential tower, the project’s developers announced Monday.
Publix has inked a lease for
115,000-square feet on the ground floor of the mixed-use residential office building on the 2.7-acre site. The new complex is on the corner of busy Southeast Third Avenue and Las Olas Boulevard, former site of the former Bank of America and Broward College buildings.
The new 341-unit tower, known as The Main Las Olas, will have 600-square-foot to
1,400-square-foot one-, twoand three-bedroom apartments, offices, restaurants and retail shops and offices, according to the release. The building will be connected to a parking garage.
The new Publix store and residential tower is part of a joint venture of Fort Lauderdale-based Stiles and San Francisco-based Shorenstein Properties LLC. Stiles paid
$13.1 million for the site in
2016.
"This is a thoughtfully planned project the whole city can be proud of," Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis said in the release. "The addition of a GreenWise Market will truly help to serve the thousands of current and future residents and employees surrounding Las Olas and further the urban feel of our downtown by increasing walkability and reducing traffic on the streets."
Publix is re-imagining and expanding its organic and natural concept to compete head-to-head with Whole Foods Market and other organic grocers.
The tuned-up GreenWise Market, which will not have Publix in its name, will offer "a thoughtfully curated selection of organic, specialty and traditional grocery items" aimed at health-conscious shoppers. It also will serve beer and wine, similar to Lucky's Market.
A GreenWise is set to open in 2019 in Boca Raton.
"The new GreenWise Market concept features a simplified environment designed to show off our unique and house-made offerings. We believe our customers will appreciate our curated selection," said Kevin Murphy, a Publix senior vice president of retail operations, in an earlier news release.
A refreshed GreenWise opened near Florida State University in Tallahassee in October. Other locations also
are underway in South Carolina and Lakeland, with many other sites being identified.
“We think foodies and health-conscious customers alike will love what the store will offer,” Murphy said. “We’re especially excited to announce a location in our home town.” That store will open next, Publix said.
Residents of the new Fort Lauderdale tower will be able ride a dedicated elevator right into the grocery store, according to the release.