JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville City Council member Reggie Gaffney announced Wednesday that he expects Winn-Dixie will replace Publix in the Gateway Shopping Center in Brentwood after Publix closes Dec. 28.
“While Publix may be leaving, it creates an opportunity for other grocery stores to build a new relationship with the good people in Brentwood,” Gaffney said in a news release. “Winn-Dixie is going to be that business. I am excited to have a grocery store who wants to be in District 7.”
Gaffney said Winn-Dixie could open in early 2020.
Winn-Dixie Stores Inc. has requested $850,000 in city financial incentives to open the store, the Jacksonville Daily Record reported. Following the request, an ordinance was filed Tuesday, co-sponsored by Gaffney and Council Member Sam Newby, that would appropriate $850,000 from the Northwest Jacksonville Economic Development Fund to provide assistance with renovation for the new store at 5210 Norwood Avenue. That money would cover 40 percent of the overall investment and the city would be reimbursed by Winn-Dixie on a sliding scale at the rate of 20% of the grant amount per year — $170,000 — over the course of five years, the Daily Record reported.
After nearly two decades on the Northside, Publix officials announced the closure of the Gateway Town Center supermarket last month after deciding not to renew the lease.
Residents and city leaders worried that the closure of Publix would create a food desert because the next closest supermarket is about a mile away.