Harris Teeter proposed for Lady's Island in former Publix building
Northern Beaufort County residents may soon have another grocery store option.
A Harris Teeter is proposed at the intersection of Sams Point Road and Sea Island Parkway, in the former Publix location, according to Ryan Lyle of Andrews Engineering.
Lyle said the store is expected to be between 50,000 and 60,000 square feet. The project includes a proposal to demolish the existing building, which is 38,000 square feet.
Additionally, the project calls for 4,400 square feet of attached retail shops facing Sea Island Parkway.
The 7.7-acre site is part of the Lady’s Island Village Center Design District, a mixed-use corridor included in the Beaufort Civic Master Plan. The redevelopment of this district calls for streetscape improvements and pedestrian-friendly design, with a mix of one-story buildings, multi-story buildings and housing infill options.
The parking lot design was a complaint among shoppers when the former Publix was in operation, but the Harris Teeter proposal calls for a design overhaul. Renderings show 248 parking spaces to be placed where the vacant Publix now sits; the proposed Harris Teeter would occupy the space where the lot is now positioned. Twenty parking spaces would be placed in front of the 4,000 square feet of proposed retail space behind the grocery store.
The space has been vacant since November, when Publix moved across the street to 12 Inlet Road into a 54,000-square-foot store.
The city of Beaufort Design Review Board initally reviewed the project at a Sept. 10 meeting. Staff recommended the board give conceptual approval to the site plan with conditions that include accommodating a required tree survey, incorporating tree wells and/or planting strips, and coordinating design as appropriate in further phases.
Attempts to follow up with Lyle and Barnes Development, the listed project developer, were unsuccessful.
The Lady’s Island Harris Teeter would be the first of its kind in northern Beaufort County. Two Harris Teeter stores are in southern Beaufort County, both on Hilton Head Island.
Follow reporter Ashley Fahey at twitter.com/IPBG_Ashley.
This story was originally published September 14, 2015 at 9:23 AM with the headline "Harris Teeter proposed for Lady's Island in former Publix building."