This week in Building Up Jax, The Strand project at the St. Johns Town Center begins to take shape, Southeastern Grocers makes another big move, plus more notes.

The Strand’s Plans

A few new details about The Strand, the retail-residential project going in adjacent to the St. Johns Town Center, were released this past week.

We already knew that Hobby Lobby would be one of the tenants at the Preferred Growth Properties project. Now, according to Jax Daily Record, two new-to-market restaurant tenants will join it: Firebirds Wood Fired Grill and Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen.

Firebirds Wood Fired Grill describes its menu as “classic American cuisine infused with bold flavors.” The chain is based in Charlotte, NC, and entered the Florida market with a location in Orlando in 2014.

Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen focuses on meals made from scratch each day. Based in Texas, their closest location to Jacksonville is in Daytona Beach currently.

Meanwhile across the street, the other part of PGP’s land next to Bono’s will be comprised of five outparcels of retail and restaurant development.

Southeastern Grocers Makes Another Big Move

Earlier in the year, Southeastern Grocers made a big move toward its future by introducing a new Winn-Dixie flagship store that represented a high-end reboot of the brand.

Now, the company is taking a new approach with another of its struggling brands, Harveys Supermarkets. According to Jax Daily Record, Harveys opened what could be considered a flagship version of its store in a former Winn-Dixie location at 1012 Edgewood Ave. N.

With their new concept, Harveys appears to be refocusing around neighborhood-oriented service. The store will stock items requested by customers, and will provide low prices for commonly-purchased items. Like the new Winn-Dixie, it will feature an emphasis on locally-made products.

There are currently no announced plans for a widespread roll-out of the new concepts for Harveys or Winn-Dixie.

A few notes

• Peachtree Hotel Groups has filed a $7,500,000 permit for a hotel expected to be under the Hilton brand at 13475 Ranch Rd. near the airport, according to city records.
• Jolibee, a Philippines-based fast-food chain, will open its first Jacksonville location at Kernan Village in a former KFC/A&W building, according to Jax Daily Record.
• Bold City Brewery was approved this past week to open a bar and microbrewery at 109 E. Bay St., also via JDR.
• A new Costco is being planned for Collins Rd. on the westside across from the new Walmart, via city records and JDR.