Wholesale club, 2 national restaurant chains coming to Palm Coast

Clayton Park, Daytona Beach News-Journal
Updated ·4 min read

PALM COAST ― Land is being cleared to make way for a new shopping center called Cornerstone at Seminole Woods, across the street from Tom Gibbs Chevrolet.

A "coming soon" sign recently went up for a BJ's Wholesale Club store that will anchor the retail center at 5857 State Highway 100 E.

The 31.5-acre site is just a short drive west of Interstate 95.

The 103,000-square-foot membership bulk-discount warehouse club store will include a BJ's members-only gas station with 32 gas pumps.

That's not all that's coming.

Developer Matt Williams spoke with The Daytona Beach News-Journal to provide a project update.

A sign advertising available outparcels can be seen on the site a new shopping center called Cornerstone at Seminole Woods under construction along the south side of State Highway 100 East in Palm Coast, across the street from Tom Gibbs Chevrolet, on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023.
A sign advertising available outparcels can be seen on the site a new shopping center called Cornerstone at Seminole Woods under construction along the south side of State Highway 100 East in Palm Coast, across the street from Tom Gibbs Chevrolet, on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023.

So when is it opening?

"We're looking at end of the summer (2024) for opening the wholesale club along with tenants on a couple of outparcels," said Williams, managing partner of Melbourne-based Matthew Development LLC.

BJ's officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Site work is underway on a new shopping center called Cornerstone at Seminole Woods along the south side of State Highway 100 East in Palm Coast, across the street from Tom Gibbs Chevrolet, on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. The retail center will be anchored by a BJ's Wholesale Club store and members-only BJ's gas station.
Site work is underway on a new shopping center called Cornerstone at Seminole Woods along the south side of State Highway 100 East in Palm Coast, across the street from Tom Gibbs Chevrolet, on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. The retail center will be anchored by a BJ's Wholesale Club store and members-only BJ's gas station.

Who are the other confirmed tenants?

Williams said two of the retail center's five outparcels facing the south side of State Highway 100 have already been leased.

One will be a LongHorn Steakhouse on the project site's east end, next to the RaceTrac gas station/convenience store on the southwest corner of State Highway 100 East and Seminole Woods Boulevard.

The other leased outparcel in the middle of the row of available retail pads is slated to become a Miller's Ale House restaurant/brewpub.

Leasing agent Sean McGill of Cantrell & Morgan is using a site plan to market Cornerstone at Seminole Woods to other prospective tenants. It shows one of the other outparcels as possibly being a quick-service restaurant. Another outparcel is earmarked as a potential bank branch.

"Those are just placeholders. No deal has been signed as of yet," said Williams on WednesdayNov.8. He said he has received strong interest in the outparcels and hopes to announce additional tenants soon.

This is a screenshot of a site plan for the future Cornerstone at Seminole Woods shopping center now under construction along the south side of State Highway 100 East in Palm Coast, across from Tom Gibbs Chevrolet, show that its tenants will include BJ's Wholesale Club, Miller's Ale House, a steakhouse, a chicken quick-service restaurant and a bank branch. As of Nov. 7, 2023, one outparcel remained available, according to the site plan which is part of a brochure for the project on the website for commercial real estate firm Cantrell & Morgan.

When did the developers buy the property?

Williams said his company bought the property through a "complicated" series of transactions this past spring under the name "Seminole Woods Investments." The seller was Flagler Pines Properties LLC of Flagler Beach which had been using a portion of the property as a recreational vehicle storage facility.

Flagler County property records show that Seminole Woods Investments bought several land parcels where the Cornerstone at Seminole Woods shopping center is now being built on March 31.

Marlborough, Massachusetts-based BJ's Wholesale Club Inc. bought a portion of the property on March 31 as well. Williams said his company and Flagler Pines Properties were the joint sellers of that land to BJ's.

The overall development site for Cornerstone at Seminole Woods includes wetlands which will continue to be preserved as well as a six-acre storm water retention pond and new roads.

The total cost to develop the shopping center, including the money spent to acquire the land parcels, will likely be in the $35 million to $40 million range, said Williams.

Land is being cleared for the Cornerstone at Seminole Woods shopping center at 5845 State Highway 100 E. in Palm Coast on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023.
Land is being cleared for the Cornerstone at Seminole Woods shopping center at 5845 State Highway 100 E. in Palm Coast on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023.

What other projects has the developer done?

Cornerstone at Seminole Woods will be Matthew Development's first in Flagler County. Williams said he and his partners are constantly looking for opportunities to develop more projects throughout east/central Florida.

Other projects Matthew Development has developed include the BJ's Wholesale Club in Lady Lake, several Wawa gas station/convenience stores and Publix grocery stores, a CubeSmart Self-Storage Center in Viera, and the Constellation Commons retail center in Melbourne.

Isn't the property being annexed into the city?

Yes, eventually, but for the time being the site is still part of unincorporated Flagler County, said Adam Mengel, the county's director of growth management.

"Annexing should coincide closely with the completion of the BJ's," said Mengel, who added that the project is "on a very quick construction schedule."

Mengel said the shopping center will be a welcome addition, bringing at least three national name-brand stores and restaurants that will be new to Flagler County in BJ's, LongHorn and Miller's.

"It's been a few years in the making," he said. "It's going to be great for the people here in Palm Coast."

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Shopping center with wholesale club, restaurants coming to Palm Coast