A former Winn-Dixie grocery store in southeast Ocala that sat vacant for over a decade has been demolished to make way for the construction of a new Walmart Neighborhood Market.
Demolition of the former Winn-Dixie location began last month. The new Walmart will be situated at 3535 Maricamp Road, near the roadway’s intersection with SE 36th Avenue.
The demolition of the Winn-Dixie at the site comes more than 10 years after the grocery store closed at shopping center, which was formerly Cedar Shores Shopping Plaza. It has since been renamed the Saddleback Square Shopping Center.
Last September, Walmart Stores East, LP, received approval to rezone the parcel in southeast Ocala.
In addition to the market, the site will also feature a self-service gas station.
In addition to the new grocery store and gas station, the new development will also feature two outparcels that will be open to other businesses. In 2021, a Starbucks opened at the plaza.
There are currently four Walmart Supercenters in the city of Ocala, and one other Walmart Neighborhood Market, which is located at 7855 SW State Road 200, next to On Top of the World.
The demolition of the former grocery store was handled by A&A Demolition and Excavation, a local company that also handled the demolition of the Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church in January.
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