Q: Do you have an update on what’s going on near Orange Blossom Ranch and the new Publix? Also, the proposed opening of all? Thanks! – Kelly Kirkpatrick Martin, Naples
A: Publix is targeted to open a new supermarket in October to anchor The Shoppes at Orange Blossom coming to Oil Well Road in Golden Gate Estates.
Work is rapidly being completed on the new grocery store and the six inline units in the retail strip attached to the eastern end of the grocer. Publix Liquors also is expected to launch this fall in the 2,128-square-foot unit abutting the supermarket, but the other tenants will not open until late 2025 or early 2026.
Those other tenants include Tropical Smoothie Cafe on the strip’s eastern endcap, as well as a Great Clips hair salon and Encore Nail Bar. Leases have been negotiated for the two other units in the adjoining retail shops, but have not been finalized, said Bob Pekol, senior associate for Fort Myers-based LQ Commercial real estate services.
Pekol said to expect another restaurant for one of those two remaining units. “The two units were designed on the endcap for restaurants.” he said.
Fifth Third Bank will have a freestanding bank branch in a 1,900-square-foot building yet to be built fronting Oil Well Road in the Publix lot. The bank will have a drive-thru with two lanes — one equipped with a pneumatic vacuum tube for teller transactions, and one ATM lane. The parking lot will include two charging spaces for electric vehicles, plans show.
Publix pluses
The new Publix will be a 52,249-square-foot store with a 3,060-square-foot mezzanine at 1715 Oil Well Road, just east of the football field at Palmetto Ridge High School. The store will be the Florida-based grocer’s latest prototype, but a company spokesperson could not be reached for comment regarding specific features planned for the new supermarket. The design of the Shoppes at Orange Blossom store looks similar to the Publix that opened four years ago in Fiddler’s Creek Plaza on U.S. 41 East in South Naples.
Plans filed with Collier County Growth Management show that Publix store number 2018 on Oil Well Road will be slightly larger than the Publix that launched in March 2017 less than 3 miles away in the Neighborhood Shoppes at Orangetree at Immokalee Road and Randall Boulevard.
The new prototype — designed to elevate the shopping experience for a brand that already promotes itself as “where shopping is a pleasure” — includes eight self-checkout stations and covered outdoor patio seating, plus interior cafe tables, public lounge seating and a microwave oven on a mezzanine accessible via an elevator or stairs. This partial second-story area along the front of the store also will be home to management offices, an employee lounge and a training room, a move which leaves more room on the main floor for some additional amenities.
Architectural plans show an enhanced deli service island near the front, southeast corner of the store with noodle and rice cookers, a sushi case, a hot food buffet, an olive bar, a cheese section, a six-well soup bar and a popcorn machine. The bakery and meat/seafood service areas will be in the rear of the store in the northwest and northeast corners of the store, respectively. The produce department will be on the eastern end of the store between the deli and meat departments. The Publix pharmacy in the front, southwest corner of the store will include a drive-thru lane.
Some of the new Publix stores feature Pours cafes, where shoppers can purchase beer on tap, wine, smoothies and acai bowls to enjoy on the premises; and expanded delis with add-ons such as burrito bars and pizza ovens — but these features are not found on plans for the new store in the Estates.
East of Publix
The main entrance into WMG Development’s Shoppes at Orange Blossom includes a new traffic signal at Oil Well Road and the new Big Corkscrew Drive, a public road that will lead to Big Corkscrew Island Regional Park. The new drive will cut between the Publix center and the rest of the future outparcel businesses and multifamily residential units proposed for the Orange Blossom Ranch master planned unit development.
Quarterra Multifamily, a subsidiary of national homebuilder Lennar Corp., plans the 384-unit Emblem at Orange Blossom apartments at 1921 Hawthorn Road. Workman Way will separate the apartments from five additional outparcel lots on the north side of Oil Well Road.
“There are leases out on everything,” Pekol said, noting that there are, however, always contingencies that could alter final plans.
Architectural plans filed with the county show that the proposed businesses include Chipotle Mexican Grill, Starbucks, Circle K, Mavis Tires & Brakes and a Heartland Dental office.
Pekol said business interest in the project has been better than anticipated.
“I think it was really underserved out there,” he said. “There’s a lot of growth expected in the area and there’s not a lot of commercial land there.”
The Tim Aten Knows weekly column answers local questions from readers. Email Tim at Tim.Aten@NaplesPress.com.
