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Publix and More Commercial Coming to Watersound Town Center - Updated

October 8, 2021 by SoWal Staff

The St. Joe Company has announced plans to build a Watersound Town Center to include a Publix and additional commercial space in SoWal's east end to open summer 2021.

The location is at the entrance to the Watersound Origins community at the intersection of US Highway 98 and North Watersound Parkway. The Publix will be 48,000 square feet and include a pharmacy, deli, bakery and a liquor store. St. Joe will construct the building and lease it to Publix. The Watersound Origins Town Center is being master-planned to potentially include 200,000 additional square feet of leasable commercial space. This is only a portion of the retail, entertainment and office entitlements St. Joe has for the Watersound Origins Town Center.

“The Watersound Origins Town Center provides a highly-visible location with US Highway 98 frontage in a high-growth area just minutes from the Gulf of Mexico and the highly sought-after Scenic Highway 30A corridor,” said Bob Balcerak, Vice President of Real Estate for Publix. “We are very excited to see construction begin and we look forward to being a part of the Watersound Origins Town Center.”

In addition to Publix, plans call for the town center to feature several buildings with shopping and dining options, second floor office space, a covered event pavilion and open green spaces. The town center is being planned as a family-friendly, walkable destination for both residents and visitors. St. Joe is currently in discussions with several businesses interested in being among the first commercial tenants at Watersound Origins Town Center.

This development comes at a time when Walton County is seeing tremendous growth in both visitors and full-time residents. The area welcomes more than 4.1 million visitors annually who account for more than $3.2 billion in direct spending each year, up from approximately 3.2 million visitors and $2.2 billion in direct spending as recently as 2015. The county experienced the nation’s fifth highest population growth in the country with a 4.5% year-over-year growth from 2017 to 2018. Recent activity in the Watersound Origins community and its surrounding area is indicative of that growth.

Already home to more than 7,800 residences, the area within approximately five miles of the planned Publix and Watersound Origins Town Center saw 871 residential sales in 2019 with an average sale price of approximately $966,000. More than 100 of those sales were homes in the Watersound Origins community. Other St. Joe projects currently under construction adjacent to the proposed Watersound Origins Town Center location are a 217-unit apartment community and a medical office building. In addition, St. Joe also recently broke ground on a new 75-room inn and club amenity complex near the Camp Creek Golf Course located approximately one mile away from the proposed lifestyle town center.

“With so much growth and positive activity in very close proximity, now is the time to begin development and construction, engage with potential tenants and bring the Watersound Origins Town Center to life,” said Dan Velazquez, Senior Vice President of Commercial Real Estate for St. Joe. “Leasing interest in this lifestyle center is very strong. We look forward to announcing additional tenants in the near future.”

For more information about leasing opportunities, please call 888-836-8353 or email lease@joe.com.

Update 9/29/21
The Watersound Farmers Market has begun and is every Saturday from 11:00 a.m. til 3:00 p.m. Held in a beautiful covered pavilion, stroll the Town Center packed full of food vendors, crafts and gifts, local farm stands, and featured food trucks. Shop fresh produce, prepared foods, homemade jellies and jams, baked goods, preserves, local honey, crafts and homemade soaps, treats for pups, and more. The market will be held Saturdays year-round from 11am-3pm with additional events throughout the year. For more information follow Watersound Town Center Farmers Market on Facebook or visit http://30afarmersmarkets.com/ for updates on 30A Farmers Markets held in the South Walton area.