Publix pays $9M for Westlake site in Palm Beach County

Publix plans to build a 140K sf outdoor shopping plaza with a 50K sf grocery store

Publix at Westlake Plaza will be on the west side of Seminole-Pratt Whitney Road between Town Center Parkway and Persimmon Boulevard (Google Maps)
Publix at Westlake Plaza will be on the west side of Seminole-Pratt Whitney Road between Town Center Parkway and Persimmon Boulevard (Google Maps)

Publix paid $9.1 million for the 20-acre site of a planned retail center and grocery store in Westlake, the massive master-planned community in western Palm Beach County.

Records show Westlake master developer Minto Communities, through its Minto PBLH LLC, sold the property at 5075 Seminole Pratt Whitney Road to Publix Super Markets.

The Lakeland-based grocer this month received city approval to develop a 140,000-square-foot outdoor shopping plaza on the site. The first phase will include eight retail stores anchored by a 50,000-square-foot Publix grocery and liquor store. Publix was also approved to develop an additional 70,000 square feet of retail space, which is expected to be built later in the second phase, according to a Minto release.

A Publix spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Publix at Westlake Plaza will be on the west side of Seminole-Pratt Whitney Road between Town Center Parkway and Persimmon Boulevard. The site is just north of Westlake Landings, Minto’s planned 50-acre business park with retail, restaurants, offices and industrial space.

Incorporated in 2016, Westlake spans 3,800 acres along Seminole Pratt Whitney Road from Southern Boulevard north to Northlake Boulevard. It is approved for 4,500 homes, with some already completed and occupied. A fourth single-family home community is under development.

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Among the homebuilders is Kolter Homes, which paid $52 million in 2019 for a 270-acre residential development site in 2019.

The city also will have 2 million square feet of commercial development, which includes the Wellington Regional Medical Center emergency room that opened two years ago. In 2019, the hospital bought another 35 acres for $12.3 million, with plans to open a medical campus.

Other commercial uses on tap are the Palm Beach County Constitutional Tax Collector’s Office regional service center to open later this year, and Christ Fellowship Church’s 800-seat worship center.

Developers will also build out portions of the Westlake Landings business park. Retail real estate firm Konover South, based in Deerfield Beach, plans to develop The Shoppes of Westlake Landings with two open-air shopping centers and quick-service restaurants on 7 acres. Konover South is under contract to buy the site from Minto, according to a Minto release from June.

Another local developer is under contract to buy 5.8 acres to build a 107,290-square-foot self-storage facility; and an investment firm wants to buy 14.5 acres for an entertainment-sports complex, according to the release. The buyers’ identities were not disclosed.

In addition, flex office-warehouse space is planned for 17.5 acres, with discussions underway with developers, according to the June release. The final portion of the business park will include a 7-Eleven convenience store and gas station that are already under construction.