The town of Carolina Shores has stamped its approval on the Publix site plan. The grocery store is set to be constructed off U.S. Highway 17 between the existing CVS Pharmacy and incoming Walmart SuperCenter.
Anticipating a grand opening in early 2026, the Carolina Shores Board of Commissioners during its Aug. 12 meeting unanimously voted to approve the major site plan for Publix.
Town Administrator Chad Hicks said the site plan meets all requirements and includes more parking than required.
The 47,240 square-foot Publix will be constructed on approximately 20.31 acres in the Carolina Shores extraterritorial jurisdiction off U.S. Highway 17 West and Calabash Road NW, across from Country Club Road. It will be built on the same side of Calabash Road NW as the existing CVS. Publix will neighbor some commercial lots in the recently approved Walmart site.
The approved plan for the project, titled “The Commons at Carolina Shores,” includes 375 car parking spaces, five commercial lots and four public vehicle accesses. Two retail spaces on both sides of the future Publix are also included. Of the 375 parking spaces, 240 spaces will be for Publix shoppers and 135 will be designated for the adjacent commercial lots.
The new Publix will be similar in size to the Ocean Isle Beach location.
The project developer is Halvorsen Development Corporation out of Boca Raton, Florida, and the project engineer is Paramounte Engineering Inc. out of Wilmington.
The Carolina Shores Planning Board during its July 17 meeting voted to recommend the town board of commissioners approve the major site plan for Publix.
Paramounte Engineering engineer Robert “Rob” Balland told the Carolina Shores Planning Board commercial businesses, such as Dunkin’ and McDonalds, have expressed interest in opening locations in the area.
Planning board member Ashley McEntee said a bank and a dental office are also interested in setting up shop on one of the property’s commercial lots.
On Aug. 12, Karla Kassebaum, representing Harris Development Partners LLC of Raleigh, said commercial lot leases on the property are already being signed, noting she cannot announce the lessees. However, she said, “It’s a wonderful mix that will serve the community very, very well.”
Kassebaum assured Carolina Shore commissioners that the commercial businesses will share common designs. “The entire shopping center will have the same look and feel,” she said.
Mayor Pro-Tem Greg Davis said Carolina Shores and the surrounding area needs more commercial business as residential development — increasing need for social and economic infrastructure like medical clinics and restaurants — continues to be approved and constructed.
“If you’re going to have an influx of thousands of people, you better have services for those people or then you will have traffic going to Shallotte or North Myrtle Beach,” Davis said. “By spreading it out up U.S. Highway 17, it solves a lot of problems.”
Traffic concernsIf constructed, the Publix shopping center will contain four public ingress and egress points and one delivery truck entrance. Two accesses will connect to U.S. Highway 17 and two accesses and the truck entrance will be along Calabash Road NW.
Several residents, including planning board members, expressed concerns about traffic the new businesses could bring to the U.S. Highway 17-Country Club Road-Calabash Road NW intersection.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) is responsible for requiring the project developers to make any necessary roadway improvements. Roadway improvements cannot be mandated by the town.
“[NCDOT] took into consideration the Walmart and some more developments that are possibly coming along U.S. Highway 17,” Hicks said during the July planning board meeting.
Kassebaum on Aug. 12 said NCDOT approved the project’s completed traffic impact analysis, noting the developers are attempting to obtain permit approval for roadways.
Hick told The Brunswick Beacon the town cannot issue permits until NCDOT and the state Department of Environment and Natural Resources give approval. Once permits are issued, construction can begin.
Some required improvements include adding dedicated left and right turn lanes on Country Club Road and Calabash Road NW at the U.S. Highway 17-Country Club Road-Calabash Road NW intersection.
No new traffic lights will also be installed to accommodate additional traffic from the new Publix shopping center.
Previous coverage of the Carolina Shores Publix can be found by searching “Carolina Shores Publix” at brunswickbeacon.com.
Savanna Tenenoff is the staff writer at The Brunswick Beacon. Feel free to reach out with comments, questions and tips at stenenoff@brunswickbeacon.
