Groundbreaking for Vilano Publix Wednesday

Historic City News reporters will be on hand Wednesday when officials will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with community and business leaders to ceremoniously “break ground” on the long awaited Publix at the Vilano Beach Town Center.

This day of celebration will have been made possible by the strong community initiative, long-term vision and investment by St. Johns County, community involvement and leadership by the North Shores Improvement Association, an award-winning public-private partnership and an impressive effort by the Industrial Development Authority to offer financing through tax-exempt recovery zone facility bonds.

Background Information – Vilano Beach
Vilano Beach is located north of the St. Augustine Inlet in St. Johns County, Florida. The pedestrian-friendly town center is surrounded by water, with the Intracoastal Waterway on the west and the Atlantic Ocean on the south and east.

Land planners have compared Vilano to Cape Cod because of its unique geographical location and waterfront character. Vilano Beach was originally platted by New York developers as a beachfront downtown and residential area in the 1920s. However, as the Depression hit, the downtown portion was never constructed. Vilano Beach became a beachside stopping place for tourists during the 1950s with old Florida motels and restaurants within walking distance of the beach.

In 1995 a new Vilano Bridge relocated Florida Highway A1A, bypassing the community’s commercial center. Only a few businesses were left, and they struggled with the drop in tourist traffic.

In the late 1990s, the North Shores Improvement Association led an initiative to redevelop Vilano Beach. The vision was to maintain the small beach town feel and to create a vibrant and sustainable commercial town center, anchored by a grocery store. The Vilano Beach Waterfronts Main Street Group was created to establish a partnership with St. Johns County to pursue the redevelopment.

St. Johns County Partnership
The primary focus was the creation of a mixed use Town Center with both residential and neighborhood commercial components. Based on Traditional Neighborhood Design principles, the vision required extensive infrastructure improvements, a new mixed-use land-use designation and an architectural overlay district.

A formal partnership established in 1999 joined St. Johns County and the North Shores Improvement Association, creating a unique citizen-government cooperative. This resulted in Vilano becoming part of the Waterfronts Florida Program and the Florida Main Street Program, which opened opportunities for grants and state funding, as well as provided technical assistance.

In 2002, the St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners showed long-term commitment by establishing Vilano Beach as a Community Redevelopment Area with Tax Increment Financing, allowing the CRA to use growth in real property tax revenues to reinvest within its boundaries.

The largest reinvestment project was an approximately $13 million Town Center Streetscape completed in 2008, including underground utilities and a storm water system, as well as sidewalks, parking and landscaping.

The County also worked with the community to establish a new North Coastal Overlay Zoning District, which incorporates Florida Vernacular and Art Deco architecture into the design of the Vilano Beach Town Center.

The partnership is a coordinated effort among community leaders, residents, County employees, the Board of County Commissioners and the State of Florida.

Economic Development
With the infrastructure improvements completed in 2008, the focus on economic development and restructuring intensified – particularly the need for a grocery store to anchor the Town Center. That need is now becoming reality with a new Publix. The developer of the Publix project is Vilano Town Center Partners, LLC, a partnership of two of the principals of Atlantic Land Realty, Inc. and Land Design South of West Palm Beach. The project will consist of Publix’s 28,800 square foot store, with 8,800 square feet of local retail space adjacent to the anchor and a small outparcel adjacent to Poplar Avenue.

Retailers interested in leasing this space can contact the developer at (561) 478-0115. Economic studies for the area are also available on the County website.

The project is estimated to create approximately 80 permanent jobs, not counting those resulting from the construction. This development also should stimulate further redevelopment of the Vilano Beach Town Center and enhance tourism.

Industrial Development Authority Provides Bond
Thanks to the St. Johns County Industrial Development Authority, the financing for the new $6 million project is partially being underwritten with up to $5.5 million of tax-exempt recovery zone facility bonds made available through the federal stimulus program. (The financing for the project, including the recovery zone facility bonds, is secured privately through Branch Banking and Trust Company.)

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act authorized local governments to issue recovery zone facility bonds, which provide tax incentives for commercial businesses to borrow at lower costs to promote job creation and economic development.

This funding was available only until the end of 2010. The IDA successfully identified the project in Vilano Beach and played a large role in coordinating the expeditious process of issuing the tax exempt recovery zone bonds prior to the expiration date.

The County Commission approved issuance of the bond in December. The cooperation and successful outcome in this situation are a testament to the work of the IDA and the renewed focus on economic development in St. Johns County.

Looking Ahead
The construction of the new Publix grocery store will serve as a catalyst for future development and enhanced tourism within Vilano Beach. Retail spaces from 600 to 5,000 square feet are available for tenants in the building next to Publix and the out-parcel, and officials hope to see additional businesses develop in Vilano.

The award-winning Vilano Beach Town Center offers a walk-able environment with ocean sunrises and intracoastal sunsets. Other features include a beach pavilion with splash park, as well as a public fishing pier and pavilion. A nature boardwalk connects neighborhoods to the Vilano Beach Town Center. Additionally, Vilano Beach is a stop on the federally-designated A1A Scenic and Historic Coastal Byway.

Incentives for businesses include shared storm water management, pedestrian and bicycle friendliness, live and work zones, zero lot lines and underground utilities. Other enhancements include an overlay district to ensure quality development, on-street parking, artistic landscape design, public art and sculpture, public seating, signature sidewalk pavers, wayfinding signage, public fountains and water features.

The Vilano Beach Town Center Project has been the recipient of several regional planning awards, the Sustainable Florida Award and a Merit Award given by the Secretary of State for the Town Center Streetscape. Through several public and private projects, Vilano Beach has seen millions of dollars of reinvestment.

Public Invited to Celebration
The ceremonial groundbreaking of the Publix at the Vilano Beach Town Center is on Wednesday, January 12th at 4:00 pm. The ceremony will be at 120 Vilano Road. The public is invited to attend the event, celebrating a dream come true after more than a decade of visioning and planning.