New Publix, shopping center ready to begin construction

FLEMINGTON — A long-awaited and eagerly anticipated event occurred Wednesday morning alongside Highway 84.

Ground was broken on the Publix shopping center in Flemington, and clearing of the tract is underway. Officials expect the Publix store to be finished in about nine months.

“It’s an honor for the City of Flemington to have a business like this come in here,” Flemington Mayor Paul Hawkins said. “It’s something that is useful for the whole county, and I’m proud it’s in the City of Flemington.”

The slab is anticipated to be poured in a couple of weeks and when finished, the Publix will be 46,791 square feet. There also will be 11,060 square feet of retail space. The site is approximately 9.7 acres.

“We’ve been looking forward to this for a long time,” said Liberty County Commission Chairman Donald Lovette. What a great addition to our community. Liberty County has so much potential. This is just the tip of the iceberg of what we can do.”

“This is a win for the entire community,” added Hinesville Mayor Karl Riles. “It’s going to be pretty amazing out here in Flemington.”

Atlanta-based Branch Properties, a real estate investment and development firm, bought the property in partnership with Sofran Partners for the Flemington Village project.

“Flemington Village will serve Hinesville’s growing population and capture the area’s increasing demand for quality retail,” said Jesse Shannon, president and chief investment officer at Branch. “This upcoming grocery-anchored development will bring a selection of service retailers along with essential shopping and dining. We look forward to building this project with Sofran Partners and will continue to make future milestone announcements now that construction has begun.”

A traffic signal will be installed at the intersection of Highway 84 and Flemington Village Boulevard, and Lovette pointed out the $300,000 cost of the light is being borne by special purpose local option sales tax.

Branch Properties is developing six other Publix- anchored shopping centers across the Southeast, including two in Georgia and another in Fayetteville, North Carolina, near Fort Liberty.