Sprouts may open in redeveloped Largo plaza

The Keene Plaza shopping strip in Largo that once housed a Winn-Dixie will now have a new grocer as an anchor tenant. 

The plaza, at the northwest corner of East Bay Drive and Keene Road, will be redeveloped to house new businesses, including a proposed Sprouts Farmers Market. 

“We propose to demo portions of the existing strip center and replace them with two new tenants. In addition, portions of the parking lot and service road will be removed and redeveloped to suit the new tenants and provide a better pedestrian and vehicular flow all around,” according to a report Lutz-based Native Engineering submitted to the Southwest Florida Water Management District. 

The engineering company filed the report and application on behalf of St. Petersburg-based developer Paradise Ventures, which is the same group behind the redevelopment of the Sundial shopping center. 

A site plan shows 81,055 square feet of existing retail space will be redeveloped at 2200 East Bay Drive. The businesses between the Dollar General store and BioLife Plasma Services center, including Bealls Outlet, the China Garden restaurant and Ocean Bingo, will be demolished. 

A site plan of the new structures at Keene Plaza. Image: Native Engineering. 

Sprouts, the niche grocer known for its produce and organic products, would occupy 23,266 square feet. There would be an adjacent 15,323-square-foot “future development area” site that could serve another tenant. 

A Winn-Dixie operated at the site for 20 years before closing in 1995. 

According to Sprouts’ corporate website, the company’s stores range from 20,000 to 30,000 square feet in existing or build-to-suit sites. Sprouts has over 40 stores in Florida. The team typically hires at least 80 employees for each location. 

This week, Sprouts will open a new store at 4571 66th St. N. in Kenneth City. Additionally, Sprouts is reportedly going to have another location in the future redeveloped Ceridian campus in the Skyway Marina District.