By Tamas Mondovics
The long held debate and guessing game about what store(s) if any, might occupy the more than 55,000 sq. ft. former Alberstons grocery store building that has been sitting vacant for the past few years in Valrico is officially over.
Developer, Woerner Equity Group, a West Palm Beach Florida-based full service real estate firm that focuses on the acquisition and development of commercial properties with an emphasis on shopping centers, is now redeveloping the site to house Sprouts Farmers Market, PetSmart and Orange Theory Fitness.
Renamed, Valrico Landing, the site is located just east of Brandon, at the intersection on the northeast corner of Lithia Pinecrest Rd. and Bloomingdale Ave. in Valrico.
Coupled with signalized access, the entire plaza will feature 155 parking spots and will also include one additional 4,000 sq. ft. outparcel for rent near the front of the site.
Woerner officials confirmed that the building will be divided into three sections with Sprouts occupying nearly 30,000 sq. ft., leaving a little more than 20,000 sq. ft. for a new PetSmart store.
Orange Theory Fitness will make use of the former 3,500 sq. ft., liquor store space at the north end of the building closer to Miller Rd.
Happy with the news of the long awaited redevelopment of the site in the heart of their community, many expressed relief and spoke highly of the choice of new stores.
“So very excited about the construction starting on the new Sprouts store (old Albertsons on Lithia),” posted Buckhorn Preserve resident Shawn Bernier on his Facebook page shortly after he heard the news. “I was at the Sprouts in Carrollwood, last week and it is a fabulous store. Kind of like Trader Joes.”
Hillsborough County Commissioner Stacy White, whose district includes the Valrico community, also spoke highly of the renovation, and the need for a redevelopment of the plaza, which by sitting vacant was slowly becoming an eyesore.
“I am excited about the upcoming revitalization,” White said, adding, “I have received much correspondence from constituents about that plaza, as well as other vacant plazas in the area, since being elected to the commission. As these plazas sit vacant for a long period of time, blight begins to set in. You could see that taking hold at this plaza with things like skid marks from kids goofing off at the site and rusted out sign posts at the site.”
White was on point when he added, “This revitalization will not only offer some exciting retail opportunities for citizens, but also put the site back in use, which will eliminate blight.”
The three new stores in Valrico Landing are slated to open early 2018 and will now add to the growing list of recent upgrades, improvements, renovations and additions to the neighborhood, including a previously opened-new Wawa store on the corner of Lithia Pinecrest and Bloomingdale Ave., the grand opening of the new 150,000 sq. ft. Walmart Supercenter along with Chick-fil-A South Brandon owned by Paul & Tammy Holmberg, Starbuck’s and Wendy’s on Bloomingdale Ave., as well as the improvement of the Culbreath and Bloomingdale Ave. intersection.
BayCare Health System is also planning to build a brand new $25 million 160,000 sq. ft. Wellness campus behind the former Albertsons Plaza.
For more information about the project, please visit, www.woernerequity.com.
For leasing information, contact, Cantrell & Morgan Pete Fraser at 904-302-6931 or email pete@cantrellmorgan.com.
