Early on Monday morning foot traffic in and out of the Summerhill Publix was steady. White signs that read “Publix is open” were strategically placed around the property. Fencing was built up around the space on the parking deck that previously kept the recently opened supermarket closed for over a week.
People from the Mechanicsville and Summerhill neighborhoods and around the city are able to get fresh fruit and vegetables again.
On Saturday, Sept. 4 a crane truck fell through the parking lot of the Publix supermarket at 572 Hank Aaron DrSE in the heart of the Summerhill neighborhood. The only person injured during the collapse was the crane operator. There have not been any updates on his condition as of the publication of this story.
A statement from Branch Properties, the developer and manager of the property said about the repair of the parking deck that was damaged.
“Now that Publix and Piedmont Urgent Care are reopening, we will proceed to repair the damaged section of the parking deck. We understand how important having access to this Publix and Piedmont Urgent Care is for the surrounding community, and look forward to the return of our valued shoppers and guests.”
The supermarket remains the only one in the neighborhood and surrounding neighborhood for miles. Its closure will once again keep Summerhill’s residents, some of whom have been there for generations and attended the opening ceremony in June.
Summerhill, a historically Black neighborhood downtown, was considered a food desert prior to the Publix opening June 21. The recent influx of high-end apartment buildings within the neighborhood is changing the demographic of the neighborhood and brought companies like Publix and Piedmont Urgent Care, which opened a clinic on the grounds of the supermarket in June.
The 48,000-square-foot store is the first major supermarket chain to come to Summerhill in generations. This particular Publix employs 125-150 associates of all levels, according to Publix media relations manager Nicole Krauss.
Publix has 150 stores in metro Atlanta.