UF students soon won’t have to travel far from campus to grab their favorite Publix sub.
Publix recently submitted plans for construction in the lot at 201 NW 13th St., two blocks from UF’s campus. The lot is currently home to a McDonald’s, which plans to move around the corner onto West University Avenue, according to City of Gainesville planning manager Ralph Hilliard.
"I think everyone will benefit from having a grocery store in that area that everyone can walk, bike and ride the bus to," Hilliard wrote in an email.
The plans will be brought to the Development Review Board in November for approval, and Publix has not indicated a set completion date, according to Hilliard. In his email, he said this would be the 13th Publix store in Gainesville. Hilliard said the proposed building will be 29,000 square feet, with parking for bicycles and scooters. In addition to a separate entrance for liquor, the store will feature a bakery, deli, pharmacy and seafood department.
UF applied physiology and kinesiology sophomore Kaitlyn Doolittle, 19, lived in Mallory Hall last year and said it’s about time a grocery store opened near campus.
"It’s going to make it so much easier to just walk," Doolittle said. "Finding parking on campus and then having to drag the bags, and especially water bottles, back to the dorms is a challenge for everyone."
