New Publix Coming to Wiregrass Ranch Area

Crews have begun clearing the site for a new Publix at Wiregrass Commons, a shopping center planned along Wiregrass Ranch Boulevard near State Road 54 in Wesley Chapel — the earliest physical work on a project that has spent years moving through county planning.

The site sits on the east side of Wiregrass Ranch Boulevard, just south of its intersection with State Road 54 and directly across from the Walmart Supercenter, roughly one mile east of Interstate 75. According to plans and permits filed with Pasco County, the project is officially designated Publix #1504 and will anchor a center known as Publix at Wiregrass Commons.

Building permits for the store were issued on December 24, 2025, clearing the way for construction. The recent site clearing marks the first stage of that work, according to publicly available information.

What Is Planned at Wiregrass Commons

Plans on file describe a roughly 48,848-square-foot Publix supermarket paired with a 2,100-square-foot Publix Liquors and about 9,600 square feet of additional retail space. Altogether, the center is expected to total around 60,548 square feet on a site of about 9.5 acres.

Project documents describe the store as one of Publix’s newer prototype-style locations, a format the chain has built at other recent Florida stores. Features reported for that prototype include an expanded prepared-foods section, a deli island, a drive-thru pharmacy, patio seating, and a beverage bar serving items such as coffee, wine, and beer. Final features can change before a store opens.

A Second Store, Not a Replacement

For years, the project was widely described as a relocation of the existing Publix at nearby Hollybrook Plaza, at State Road 54 and Bruce B. Downs Boulevard. That understanding has since been corrected. Publix has said the Hollybrook store is not closing, and the location instead underwent renovations in recent years.

That statement, attributed to a Publix spokesperson in earlier local reporting, addressed long-standing assumptions that the older plaza would be cleared once the new store opened. As it stands, Wesley Chapel is set to have two Publix supermarkets less than a half-mile apart along State Road 54 — among the closest pairs of Publix stores anywhere.

How the Project Got Here

The store has moved through Pasco County’s planning process over several years:

1. 2022 — Publix submits an early conceptual plan during a pre-application meeting with county planners.

2. 2024 — The company files formal plans for a store on about 9.5 acres along Wiregrass Ranch Boulevard.

3. December 24, 2025 — Building permits are issued for Publix #1504 at Wiregrass Commons.

4. 2026 — Crews begin clearing the site, the first physical work at the location.

5. Third quarter of 2027 — Estimated delivery, according to the development’s leasing materials.

The Bigger Picture in Wiregrass

The Publix site falls within Wiregrass Ranch, a large master-planned community that is also home to the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus and a growing cluster of medical facilities, with additional hospital and office projects planned nearby. Wiregrass Ranch Boulevard, which now connects State Road 54 and State Road 56, has opened the corridor to further commercial and residential growth.

For residents on the east side of Wesley Chapel, the center promises a closer grocery option and more retail along a route many already travel daily.

For more local news and updates, visit www.wesleychapelcommunity.com and follow Wesley Chapel Community on Facebook, X, and Instagram.