The Atlantic Beach City Commission heard support and skepticism Monday, Sept. 28, over a proposal to sell city-owned land on Mayport Road for $875,000 to bring a DG Market grocery store to an area that has lacked a full-service supermarket for years.

The 1.25-acre parcel at 2880 Mayport Road would be sold to Teramore Development, which develops DG Market stores. DG Market is Dollar General's expanded grocery format, offering products including fresh produce, meat, dairy and other grocery staples.

The commission is expected to take up the proposal again Monday, Oct. 12, according to the Beach Gazette.

The parcel sits near Mayport Road and Wonderwood Drive. Although Atlantic Beach owns the property, it is within Jacksonville city limits. In August, the commission unanimously agreed to move forward with exploring and negotiating the proposed sale rather than approving a final transaction.

$875,000 proposal targets long-standing grocery gap

Mayor Curtis Ford said in August that the parcel is surplus land bringing no value to the city. He said a DG Market could open about 14 months after approval, according to First Coast News.

At the Sept. 28 meeting, Ford struck a more cautious tone, saying the commission needs to understand "what we're going to accomplish, what the pitfalls are and any risks."

The Mayport corridor has long had limited access to a full-service grocery store. Food Lion closed in 2012, leaving the area without that grocery option for about 14 years.

Susan King, president and CEO of Feeding Northeast Florida and a former executive director of Beaches Emergency Assistance Ministry, spoke in favor of the proposal during the Sept. 28 discussion. King said the area has a real gap in grocery access and that a small retailer would not undercut local businesses because no competing grocery store exists in the corridor.

King acknowledged that DG Market prices are often higher than those at larger chains. She said attracting a full-size grocer has not been economically viable in the years since Food Lion closed. She urged the commission to seek a commitment from the developer about the store's long-term use, warning that selling the land without protections could leave the city with no guarantee the site remains a grocery store.

Residents question location, prices and public process

Resident Sarah Boren, who serves on the city's Environmental Stewardship Committee, questioned the site choice during the Sept. 28 discussion.

Boren pointed to vacant retail spaces in Pan Am Plaza and Reef Shopping Plaza as possible alternatives and said the proposed location is farther from Atlantic Beach residents than the existing Aldi. She also raised concerns about community involvement and the parcel's proximity to the city's water plant.

Boren said she visited the DG Market on Normandy Boulevard and found many of its 15 aisles had limited stock, including fresh produce. Prices were not consistently cheaper, she said.

"I understand the attraction to sell the land to reduce debt but if there's no recurring cost to keeping the land, why give it up?" Boren said.

She described herself as neither for nor against the project and suggested the city explore a partnership with Jacksonville to attract larger grocery chains.

Former Mayor Ellen Glasser and other residents also raised concerns about the process and the stock at existing DG Market locations after the commission's August action. At the Aug. 24 commission meeting, Glasser told commissioners she had visited the Normandy Boulevard location and brought photographs that she said showed sparsely stocked shelves.

Ford defended the concept at that meeting while acknowledging concerns about stores that do not meet expectations. He emphasized that DG Market is a grocery format owned by Dollar General rather than a traditional Dollar General store.

A separate boutique grocery concept, The Creative Cook, has also been planned for the former Terry's Country Store site on Mayport Road.

Commission expected to revisit proposed sale Oct. 12

No final sale has been approved.

The commission is expected to discuss the DG Market proposal again Monday, Oct. 12, according to the Beach Gazette. The next discussion would give commissioners another opportunity to consider the proposed land sale, grocery access and concerns raised by residents before deciding whether to move the transaction forward.