FYI
This Publix is closing tonight. They are demolishing the old Publx side of the strip to make way for a bigger & better Publix. It should reopen in about 8 months, according to the employees I spoke to.
Wonder if the people who protested the grocery store (where those ugly apartments sit now) will protest this Bigger Publix? After all, if it is Bigger, it will draw more traffic.
No, wait, its got the "Publix" brand, so that is OK - but if Publix had sold the land to the same company that proposed the other grocery store, and the other company planned to knock down the Publix and build a new grocery store the same size as the proposed new Publix on the same site, the neighbors would be howling in rage. In my opinion.
The company behind the other grocery store? Wal-Mart.
One of the big issues with the Wal-Mart store was they wanted it open 24/7 and it was clearly against zoning. They arm wrestled a lot city ($$) leaders to change the definitions of things like connecting nodes so they could comply. The neighborhood said 'hell no' and took it to Tallahassee and won unanimously.
Anyway, that Publix is due for a rebuild, its been there since the mid-to-late 1970s. They are doing nice things with their stores.
And, mySpringfield, you are right about the methods used to get the rezoning (which is what you do when the zoning is wrong). But, a little bit of reverse snobbery in me wonders if the neighborhood would have been so hot and bothered if it was a Whole Foods or some 'upscale' grocer coming in with the same plan. In other words, I think the fire of the protest was stoked by the "WalMart" name.
Didn't want to start a new topic for this - looks like this Publix is finally reopening.
http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2010-10-16/story/publix-returns-southside-shopping-center (http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2010-10-16/story/publix-returns-southside-shopping-center)
Thank goodness. It's two minutes from my house versus the 20 minute trek to the closest Winn-Dixie. Glad Publix was able to re-use the same site instead of closing the store and taking up another plot of land.