St. Johns County Grocery Plan Grows to 74,000 Square Feet at Veterans Parkway and CR 210 West as JEA Issues Service Letter

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A proposed grocery store at Veterans Parkway and County Road 210 West in St. Johns County has grown to 74,000 square feet, according to plans reported by the Jacksonville Daily Record on Nov. 2. The store is the anchor of the proposed Helow Commercial Center, where JEA issued a service availability letter Oct. 29. The grocery retailer has not been confirmed, although the Daily Record reported that the anchor resembles a Harris Teeter in size.

The project is proposed on land owned by Helow Properties Ltd., which also developed the master-planned Greenbriar community. Current plans show a 94,850-square-foot retail plaza, more retail space, four outparcels and a fueling-station site. St. Johns County began reviewing the project in November 2025, and it has not moved past the county's development review.

The grocery anchor grows by 13,000 square feet

The grocery anchor is larger than the one first submitted. The original plans, prepared by Jacksonville-based Kimley-Horn, called for a 61,000-square-foot anchor. The current plans call for 74,000 square feet, an increase of 13,000 square feet.

Other parts of the layout changed too. The original plans had 11,000 square feet of attached retail and one 5,000-square-foot space in the parking lot. The current plans show 10,840 square feet of attached retail and two 5,000-square-foot parking-lot spaces.

The Daily Record said the anchor resembles a Harris Teeter in size, and it noted that Harris Teeter builds fueling stations near its grocery stores. The report does not confirm the retailer or its role in the project. The identity of the grocer remains unknown.

JEA issues a service availability letter

JEA, the city-owned utility, issued a service availability letter on Oct. 29, according to the Daily Record. The letter is the latest reported step for the project. The Daily Record reported it Nov. 2, along with the larger anchor.

The report does not say that construction has been approved or that a retailer has committed to the site. The text of the JEA letter was not seen, so its terms are not confirmed. The project's status still depends on the county review.

County review began in November 2025, and no final approval has been reported. The Daily Record's Nov. 2 account gives no hearing date or construction timeline. The utility letter came after the review began.

What else is in the plans

The Helow Commercial Center is more than a single store. Current plans show a 94,850-square-foot retail plaza anchored by the 74,000-square-foot grocery space. They also show an attached 10,840-square-foot retail component and two 5,000-square-foot spaces in the parking lot.

The plans also include four outparcels and a 1.12-acre fueling-station site. The report does not name businesses for the smaller retail spaces, the outparcels or the fueling-station site. Those pieces are part of the proposed layout only.

Developer and engineers

Helow Properties Ltd. is the developer. It also developed the master-planned Greenbriar community, according to the Daily Record. The site is at Veterans Parkway and County Road 210 West, and the report gives no street address.

Dominion Engineering Group Inc., of Jacksonville, is the civil engineer. Kimley-Horn, also of Jacksonville, prepared the original plans with the smaller anchor. The report names both firms in the project's planning history.

Publix and Winn-Dixie say they are not involved

Publix and Winn-Dixie have previously confirmed they are not part of the project, according to the Daily Record. That narrows the field of grocers but does not name the tenant. Harris Teeter has been the subject of speculation about St. Johns County sites.

The Daily Record described the 74,000-square-foot anchor as resembling a Harris Teeter in size. That resemblance does not confirm a lease, a development agreement or a store opening. The plans describe the space and its use, not a named retailer.

Two other possible grocery sites

The Daily Record also pointed to two other possible Harris Teeter sites in St. Johns County, neither confirmed. One is northeast of Florida 16 and Inman Road, east of I-95, in St. Augustine, where a May 2026 report described a 50,208-square-foot grocery with an attached liquor store and an eight-pump fuel station. The report does not confirm the retailer.

The other is at County Road 16A and SilverLeaf Parkway, where the plan includes an unnamed 61,000-square-foot anchor. In November 2025, the county Planning and Zoning Agency voted 5-1 to recommend a minor modification allowing alcohol sales within 275 feet of the Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Florida instead of 1,000 feet. That vote concerns the alcohol-sales distance and does not identify the grocer.

The three locations have different reported anchor sizes, and no Harris Teeter tenant has been confirmed at any of them. They are separate proposals, not three confirmed sites for one chain. Readers should treat all three as speculation until a retailer announces plans.

How to read a development-review story

When a plan is in county development review, the numbers in the filings can still change, as this one already has. The anchor grew from 61,000 to 74,000 square feet between the original plans and the current ones. If the plans change again, the square footage, the layout and the list of outparcels could all be different.

A utility letter such as JEA's is one step in a larger process and is not an approval of the project. The report does not say what the letter requires or what the next county step is. Readers who want to follow the project can watch for a hearing date, though the Daily Record reported none.

What to know

• Site: Veterans Parkway and County Road 210 West, Helow Commercial Center
• Grocery anchor: 74,000 square feet, up from 61,000 square feet in the original plans
• Retail plaza: 94,850 square feet, plus four outparcels and a 1.12-acre fueling-station site
• JEA: Service availability letter issued Oct. 29
• Retailer: Not confirmed; Publix and Winn-Dixie have said they are not part of the project
• Status: In county development review since November 2025; no approval, hearing date or construction timeline reported
• Other possible sites (unconfirmed): Florida 16 and Inman Road; County Road 16A and SilverLeaf Parkway

A confirmed retailer announcement and further county decisions are still outstanding. The Daily Record's Nov. 2 report is the only source for these details. This story did not independently verify them.