This story has been updated to correct an error.
The wildly popular specialty grocery store Trader Joe’s has plans to open a store in West Palm Beach, something the city has pursued for more than a decade.
Nakia Rohde, a public relations manager at the California-based grocer known for its unique branded products, confirmed that a store is in the works, but didn’t have a timeline or an exact location she could share. She also couldn’t say for certain if the store would be within city limits or in an unincorporated area of West Palm Beach.
As far back as 2012, former West Palm Beach City Commissioner Kimberly Mitchell said she’d consider renaming the city for a day after the national chain of grocer’s if it would open a store in the city, and the Downtown Development Authority launched a marketing campaign called “What would I trade for Trader Joe’s?”
But Trader Joe’s chose Wellington to open its first Palm Beach County store in 2014. It has since opened stores in Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Palm Beach Gardens and Wellington.
“We’re excited for the interest,” Rohde said about the plans to open in West Palm Beach. “We can’t wait to share more details.”
In 2012, the idea was that downtown West Palm Beach could support a Trader Joe’s. CityPlace had opened in 2000 and officials said an estimated 100,000 people populated downtown during workdays.
Could Trader Joe’s be headed to southern West Palm development?
Now, there is speculation that the location could be at the new mixed-use development going in at 8111 S. Dixie Highway, where an “urban specialty grocer” has been promised.
The venture at what is considered the gateway to West Palm Beach from the south will add 358 apartments in an eight-story building, retail space and 15,000-square-feet for a grocery store, which was a lynchpin in getting the project approved.
It’s anticipated that construction on the retail part of the development, including the grocer, will be ready in February 2026 for commercial businesses to move in. That doesn’t mean that’s when the businesses will open, however. The first tenants will be able to move into the apartments toward the end of 2026.
Developer Patrick Koenig, co-founder of Flagler Realty & Development, said he couldn’t disclose the name of the mystery grocer but the confirmation from Trader Joe’s that it has plans for a store in West Palm Beach has the neighborhood buzzing with anticipation.
“The only thing Patrick says is that we are going to be happy,” said Richard Pinsky, president of the South End Neighborhood Association, whose members ranked Trader Joe’s as their top choice for a new grocery store in the neighborhood. “Trader Joe’s wants high-end volume locations, and while the south end may not be as high traffic as in a mall, I think the demograhics would certainly make sense.”
The neighborhood south of Southern Boulevard, nicknamed SoSo, has boomed since the pandemic when an influx of new residents fleeing strict Covid-19 restrictions in other states began moving to Palm Beach County.
There are waterfront properties with the Intracoastal Waterway to the east, and because it is not a historic district, homes can be more easily torn down for new construction. It’s also less than 4 miles south of downtown West Palm Beach where heavy-hitter financial companies such as Goldman Sachs, Millennium Management, and Point 72 Assett Management have opened offices.
Vanderbilt University is also planning a to build a graduate business school in downtown West Palm.
In April, Henley & Partners World’s Wealthiest Cities Report ranked West Palm Beach and Palm Beach as the fourth-fastest growing “wealth hubs” in the world, coming in ahead of Dubai and San Francisco’s Silicon Valley.
West Palm Beach City Commissioner Christina Lambert, who represents the south end of the city, said she doesn’t know if Trader Joe’s is eyeing the 8111 S. Dixie Highway location but is optimistic.
“After working closely with neighbors on this for years, I believe this proejct will be a true win for our community,” Lambert said. “Anything I can do to support this project and a Trader Joe’s coming to West Palm Beach, I’m all in.”
The site for the mixed-use development of apartments and the grocery store is along the west side Dixie Highway south of Palm Coast Plaza.
In addition to one or two retail spaces, the development will also have a landscaped promenade along the waterfront of the C-51 canal with a dock and kayak launch. Ninety of the apartments will be reserved for affordable housing that will get discounted rents based on the county’s area median income.
The land at 8111 S. Dixie Highway used to house an IHOP but has been nothing but sand and scrub since at least 2012, when the city bought the property for $2.85 million. It is just south of the 65-year-old Shoppes at Palm Coast Plaza and east of The Park golf course.
The land and project will be sold to the developer for $10.5 million once it is completed.
“I’ve walked the property and I’ve been to Trader Joe’s, and it looks like a Trader Joe’s to me, but that’s all I can tell you,” Pinsky said.
The shell for the apartment complex is mostly complete and construction is ongoing for the grocery store and retail. Pinsky said that what has been constructed so far for the grocer resembles a Trader Joe’s.
Kimberly Miller is a journalist for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA Today Network of Florida. She covers real estate, weather, and the environment. Subscribe to The Dirt for a weekly real estate roundup. If you have news tips, please send them to kmiller@pbpost.com. Help support our local journalism: Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Trader Joe’s has plans to open store in West Palm Beach, something the city has long sought
Reporting by Kimberly Miller, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
