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Report: Publix Expected To Open First College Campus Store Next Year At USF

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The first Publix supermarket ever to open on a college campus will come to the University of South Florida in Tampa by fall 2017, The Tampa Tribune reports. The Florida Board of Governors, which oversees the state’s public universities, approved the project Thursday, according to the newspaper.

As the Tribune says, the unit will be the first of its kind for the Lakeland, Florida-based grocery chain. The 29,000-s.f. store, part of an expansive new student housing project called Andros Village, will be at the southeast corner of Fletcher Avenue and North Palm Drive.

The three-acre site will include a neighborhood market-style store, 150 parking spaces with lighting and security, and inside and outside meeting areas for students. Publix also agreed to hold at least two job fairs each calendar year on the USF campus and consider hiring qualified students for employment or internships, the Tribune says.

“The entire campus community is thrilled and excited to welcome Publix—one of Florida’s most respected companies—to our campus,” USF System President Judy Genshaft said in a news release. “Our students’ top request was to bring a grocery store to campus so that we could create a healthy living and learning environment that fully supports them in their goals and ambitions. This Publix location will bring a great dimension to our new student village and create a vibrant and welcoming environment on the Tampa campus.”

Under the 21-year ground lease Publix would pay USF $130,000 a year to rent the land for the store, leaving no financial obligations for the university. The grocer also has six opportunities to renew the contract another five years. The university can increase rent by 10 percent every five years.

Construction on the new student housing, which will boost the number of students living on campus from 5,600 to about 7,000, will begin later this year and should finish by fall 2017. The grocery store is expected to be completed by late 2017. Construction could begin as soon as next month, the Tribune reports.

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