OAK ISLAND — After a three-month delay, crews began work this week on Oak Island’s new Publix shopping center.
Taking up a majority of three blocks of Oak Island, the Oak Island Marketplace will be anchored by a 28,800 square foot Publix.
Oak Island’s Publix will be smaller than the typical grocer’s size, with a “beach feel,” according to the developer’s 2016 pitch to Councilmembers. Developed by Halpern Enterprises, Council granted the company a three-month extension in January to accommodate the store’s non-prototype design and new floodplain designations.
The full marketplace, with 7,000 square feet of additional retail shopping, is expected to open by next May, according to a Halpern Enterprise release. This will be Halpern’s fourth Publix-anchored shopping center in North Carolina, the release states.
Plans show the store will be between East Pelican Drive and East Oak Island Drive, just one block from the oceanfront. Five retail locations are shown east of the store, according to the plans.
