University Station shopping center, anchored by Whole Foods, now fully leased

University Station, a 53,746-square-foot commercial project under construction on the southwest corner of University Parkway and Honore Avenue, is already fully leased, even though the first businesses won’t open there until late 2017.

The shopping center will be anchored by a 41,668-square-foot Whole Foods Market, a larger version of the store at 1451 1st St., in downtown Sarasota.

S.J. Collins Enterprises, a Georgia-based commercial real estate development firm, announced the completion of leasing Tuesday in a press release.

Also announced for the shopping center’s lineup are Great Expressions Dental Centers, Lee Nails, Banfield Pet Hospital, Greenwise Dry Cleaner, Wawa and Zoë’s Kitchen.

Wawa and Zoë’s Kitchen are both expected to open in the fourth quarter of 2017, followed by the other tenants in late 2017 and early 2018.

The developer is waiting on an opening date for Whole Foods Market and will post it on the center’s Facebook page when the grocery store makes an official announcement.

Whole Foods announced that it was opening a store in University Park in February 2015. Construction of the shopping center started in October 2016.

The company decided to locate the store west of The Mall at University Town Center to avoid traffic in that area.

Another organic grocery store, Fresh Market, is located just across the street on the northwest corner of University Parkway and Honore Avenue.

Whole Foods Market has more than 465 stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. With $15.7 billion in sales in fiscal 2016, it is ranked as the 10th largest food retailer in the U.S., according to the company’s web page. The company opened its first store in Austin, Texas, in 1980 and has its corporate headquarters above the flagship store there.

This story was originally published July 25, 2017 at 4:20 PM with the headline "University Station shopping center, anchored by Whole Foods, now fully leased."