An Atlanta-based developer known for building shopping centers anchored by Publix is proposing a new 30,990-square-foot grocery store in downtown Pensacola.
Branch Properties is seeking conceptual review of a shopping center on the site of the now-defunct Waverly and Westmore condo and apartment development at the corner of Garden and Spring streets.
The design doesn’t disclose the grocery store’s name. However, the placeholder grocery logo on the building specifies that shade of green that will be used — Pantone 363 Green — is the exact shade of green Publix uses in its logo.
Branch Properties is asking the Pensacola Architectural Review Board for conceptual approval of the design.
According to property records, an LLC controlled by Louisiana-based Bearing Point Properties still owns the land, but it’s not unusual for a potential developer to seek conceptual approval from the ARB before going through with a sale.
Developer John Buzzell with Louisiana-based Bearing Point Properties confirmed to the News Journal on March 11 that new developers are taking over the property.
“Unfortunately, due to economic conditions outside of our control, we had to go a different direction,” Buzzell said. ”We are excited about what is to come.”
The Waverly and Westmore project was in development for years, and its design included a 37,000-square-foot grocery store.
Branch Properties’ new design submitted to the ARB includes the new grocery store as the main tenant, 31,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, a parking lot with 100 spaces, and a “pocket park” at the corner of Romana and Spring streets.
The design also incorporates the historic USO building arches and the Escambia County vocational school wall, which were protected when those buildings were demolished in 2019.
Branch Properties describes itself as a real estate firm focused on buying and building “high-quality grocery-anchored shopping centers.” Publix is a major tenant of the company’s developments, and all of the firm’s Florida properties are anchored by a Publix grocery store, including shopping centers in Milton and Navarre.
The ARB will review the concept at its March 19 meeting.
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