A Lake Mary retail plaza is moving toward redevelopment as its anchor store literally changes shape. An application filed with Seminole County requests to redevelop Heathrow Square retail center at 100 International Parkway to shrink the size of the grocery anchor, currently occupied by Winn-Dixie, and add new outparcels for a bank and quick-service restaurant.
Maitland-based Equinox Development owns the 11.73-acre property, which it bought in 2021 for $18.2 million, according to county records. Equinox President and CEO Ryan Stahl is listed as the applicant on the plans. Company executives did not return a request for comment. The plans seek to shrink the 43,340-square-foot Winn-Dixie building to house a “smaller grocer” in 21,200 square feet. While the application does not specify who the new tenant is, grocer Aldi bought Jacksonville-based Winn-Dixie in 2024 with plans to convert many existing stores into Aldi stores, which have a smaller footprint. Orlando Business Journal learned this Winn-Dixie location is one of only two in Central Florida not to have an Aldi within 5 miles.
An Aldi spokesperson confirmed to OBJ in January that nine local Winn-Dixie locations were to be converted, though Heathrow Square was not on the list. Further details about the process, including a timeline for how long the conversions will take and how much they will cost, were not available. JLL Senior Vice President Justin Greider, who specializes in retail, previously told OBJ that Aldi is “very much a black box – they don’t announce a lot of their plans. They just kind of do their thing.” The redevelopment will leave a roughly 20,000-square-foot vacant space, a tricky space to fill, said experts such as Atrium Commercial Real Estate Principal Jill Roberts. She previously told OBJ one of the most common uses for large retail spaces – gyms – aren’t quite “synergistic,” in part because gym clients regularly take up parking for an hour or more. The new plans also include construction pads for a 4,700-square-foot bank branch and an 8,000-square-foot restaurant but does not specify who the tenants could be.
By Trevor Fraser – Staff Writer, Orlando Business Journal Apr 1, 2025