A few weeks after Osceola County’s Development Review Committee rejected a proposal for a suburban-style, Target-anchored shopping center near the Poinciana SunRail station, the staff dropped their objections to the project.
Jerry Hart, VP of Development for Barclay Group, told GrowthSpotter the staff had decided to allow them to develop the shopping center under the existing zoning entitlements for the Poinciana Planned Development. The shopping center, dubbed Poinciana Parke, is set to rise on the former Florida Bible College property at the southeast corner of U.S. 17-92 (Orange Blossom Trail) and Poinciana Boulevard.
Barclay had been seeking a zoning amendment that would have added specific uses, such as big-box stores and fast-food restaurants with drive-thru service, because the Poinciana PD, which was adopted in 2007, lacked the specificity. Barlcay Group was also seeking approval for the Preliminary Subdivision Plan for the center. Both were slated to go to the county’s Planning Commission and Board of Commissioners this month.
The staff had been pushing a more urban concept, with a minimum building height of two stories and a minimum of 535,000 square feet of non-residential, mixed-use on the site.
Hart had told the DRC that the anchor tenant had a viable alternative to the Poinciana site and would walk away if the matter wasn’t resolved by the end of April.
“I was driving to Kissimmee for the Planning Commission meeting, and I got a call saying I could turn around, because the staff had rethought their position and decided we no longer needed to do the PD modification,” Hart told GrowthSpotter.
He said he withdrew the zoning amendment after the county issued a written zoning interpretation saying the project could move forward as proposed. The planning commission and county commissioners both approved the related preliminary subdivision plan.
“This put everything on hold for a while, but now we’re ramping back up,” Hart said. “We’re working on our Site Development Plans, and we should be ready to submit them in 30-45 days and hopefully break ground before the end of the year.”
Barclay is a JV partner with the landowner, Thomas Chalifoux, Jr., who also developed Sunray Junction West across the street and owns 34 acres immediately north of the SunRail station with entitlements for mixed-use development with over 700 multifamily units.
Osceola County currently has two Target stores on U.S. 192 in Kissimmee and the Four Corners area. The retailer has new stores in development in Lake Nona, Haines City, Wildwood and Winter Haven. In March, the Minneapolis-based retailer announced plans to invest $5 billion this year to support new stores and ongoing remodels, technology and supply chain investments. The retailer expects to open more than 30 new stores this year as part of its path to 300 new stores by 2035, while investing in over 130 planned full-store remodels.
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