A 36,374-square-foot Publix is planned for the entrance to Savannah’s most ambitious riverfront development.
This is the amenity anchor that residents, hotel guests, and office workers in the district have been waiting on for years.
“Publix has filed a building permit for a 36,374-square-foot grocery store at Eastern Wharf, officially closing the grocery gap that has defined downtown Savannah’s east side for a decade.”
Why It Matters
- A confirmed grocery anchor at Eastern Wharf validates the district as a full-service live-work-play neighborhood, not just a residential enclave.
- Grocery-anchored retail is the single strongest driver of foot traffic and co-tenancy demand in mixed-use corridors; expect inline retail and restaurant inquiries to accelerate.
- Residential values and lease rates in the surrounding Eastern Wharf apartments, townhomes, and nearby Eastside neighborhoods are likely to respond upward once construction is confirmed.
- The Hyatt hotel and office tenants at Eastern Wharf gain a walkable grocery option that strengthens the project’s pitch to corporate and hospitality users.
- Branch Properties, the developer listed on the permit, is one of the Southeast’s most active Publix-anchored retail developers, which signals this is a serious, funded project rather than a speculative filing.
What Happened
On February 26, 2026, Publix Supermarkets filed a building permit application with the City of Savannah to construct a new 36,374-square-foot grocery store at the entrance to Eastern Wharf, the 54-acre mixed-use riverfront development just east of downtown along East President Street. The two-story commercial project would include a parking garage level and sit near the Savannah River, just west of the Truman Parkway ramp. The permit application, reported by Savannah Agenda on February 27, is the first official documentation naming Publix as the planned grocery tenant at Eastern Wharf.
Atlanta-based Branch Properties is listed as the project contact on the permit. Branch Properties is a private real estate investment firm focused on high-quality, grocery-anchored neighborhood shopping centers across the Southeast, with a track record of Publix-anchored developments from Georgia to Florida. A general contractor has not yet been named, and no construction timeline was included in the permit filing.
Eastern Wharf has been under development for years and includes the Riverworks mixed-use building with ground-floor retail and dining, the Pilot and Park multifamily phase, luxury townhomes, Class A office space, and a Hyatt-branded hotel. The development offers approximately 2,000 linear feet of Savannah River frontage and sits adjacent to historic downtown. Despite significant residential and hospitality density, the district has lacked a full-service grocery anchor since its inception. This permit filing addresses that gap directly.
The project site is a 2.21-acre tract at the southeastern edge of the Eastern Wharf development. If approved and built, the store would serve residents of Eastern Wharf’s apartment and townhome communities, hotel guests, office workers, and the broader downtown Savannah population, which has historically lacked walkable grocery options east of the historic district.
Who’s Involved
- Publix Supermarkets — Tenant; filed building permit application February 26, 2026
- Branch Properties (Atlanta, GA) — Retail developer and project contact; specializes in Publix-anchored neighborhood shopping centers across the Southeast
- City of Savannah — Permitting authority; application filed with the city’s building department
- Eastern Wharf Development — 54-acre mixed-use riverfront project; master developer context
- Cooper Carry — Architect of record for Eastern Wharf master plan
- Choate Construction — General contractor for Riverworks phase of Eastern Wharf (prior phase)
Timeline
- 2018 — Eastern Wharf development rebranded and relaunched under new joint venture ownership
- 2020 — Riverworks mixed-use building construction underway; Hyatt hotel announced
- 02/26/2026 — Publix files building permit application with City of Savannah for 36,374 SF grocery store at Eastern Wharf
- 02/27/2026 — Permit filing reported by Savannah Agenda; Branch Properties identified as project contact
- 03/10/2026 — WTOC and WJCL report on permit filing; story gains regional media coverage
- Q3/Q4 2026 — [Expected] Permit review and potential approval by City of Savannah
- 2027 — [Expected] Construction start if permit approved and GC selected
What to Watch Next
- City of Savannah permit review timeline: approval would confirm the project is moving from filing to construction phase.
- General contractor selection: a GC announcement signals active project mobilization and a firmer construction start date.
- Inline retail and restaurant leasing activity at Eastern Wharf: a confirmed Publix anchor typically triggers a wave of co-tenancy inquiries from national and regional operators.
- Residential lease-up and sales velocity at Eastern Wharf’s Pilot and Park apartments and townhomes: grocery access is a top-cited amenity driver in urban multifamily markets.
- Any competing grocery filings or announcements in the downtown Savannah corridor, including the area between the historic district and Eastern Wharf.
PIER Commercial has been tracking the Eastern Wharf corridor since the early phases of this development. If you own, lease, or are evaluating retail or mixed-use space on Savannah’s east side, this is a conversation worth having now, before the anchor is confirmed and pricing adjusts.
- Thinking about what a confirmed Publix anchor means for your retail or office asset in the Eastern Wharf or downtown Savannah corridor?
- Looking at investment opportunities in the district before this project moves from permit to construction?
Ryan T. Schneider | PIER Commercial Real Estate | piercommercial.com | 912.353.7707