Construction starts on St. Pete's first Whole Foods Market
By Breanne Williams
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Mar 8, 2022

Construction has begun on the long-awaited Whole Foods Market in St. Petersburg.

St. Petersburg-based J Square Developers and Georgia-based SJC Ventures, developing partners on the project, have received the required permits for the site and have started demolition and construction at the future location of the grocery store, 201 38th Ave. N.

“Part of the early construction process will include re-routing an existing storm sewer line that runs right through the middle of the property so passersby will see that happening first, plus the demolition of the existing structures before going vertical,” Jay Miller, CEO of J Square Developers, said in a release.

Last year the Tampa Bay Business Journal reported that Whole Foods would open in the North East Park neighborhood of St. Petersburg. The specialty grocery is owned by Amazon and opened a 48,000-square-foot facility in Midtown Tampa last year. Other locations include Carrollwood, Clearwater and Sarasota. This will be the first store in St. Petersburg.

A site plan filed with the city shows a large parking lot off 38th Avenue N. The property is owned by Sunrise Plaza Holdings and Hawkins Construction is the general contractor for the project.

The site is a few blocks away from two Publix Super Markets and is less than a mile from Fresh Market and Trader Joe’s.