St. Pete developer breaks ground on Wellen Park shopping center

A St. Petersburg developer has broken ground on a new Publix-anchored shopping center in south Sarasota County. The Sembler Company is building Willowbrook Center at the northwest corner of West Villages Parkway and Manasota Beach Road.

Publix will anchor the shopping center with a 55,701-square-foot store that will include the company’s Pours craft beer and wine concept, expanded grab-and-go offerings and a cafe. Also planned are a Publix Liquors store, 14,000 square feet of small-shop space and five outparcels ranging from 1.3 to 1.7 acres.

The Sembler Company is developing the shopping center in partnership with Wellen Park LLLP and anticipates completion in the fourth quarter of 2027.

“Our first collaboration in the community, West Villages Marketplace, opened in 2019, and we’re excited to build on that success with Willowbrook Center and create another destination that will serve residents for years to come," Josh Beyer, Sembler's senior vice president of development, says in a statement.

Wellen Park is currently home to more than 10,000 residents. At full buildout, it is expected to have 60,000 residents and 22,500 homes. 

“As Wellen Park continues to grow, providing residents with convenient access to shopping, dining and services remains an important part of creating a complete community,” Rick Severance, president of Wellen Park, says in a statement. “Willowbrook Center will be an exciting addition to the heart of Wellen Park, and we look forward to working with Sembler to bring the project to life.”

The Sembler Company is a commercial real estate firm that offers development, leasing, property management and accounting services for properties within its portfolio and for third-party clients. It has completed more than 350 developments totaling 29 million square feet and currently leases and manages 8 million square feet of real estate.