The long-stalled East San Marco project, which includes a new Publix, is scheduled to get going this summer.

Eric Davidson, spokesman for Regency Centers, said groundbreaking should take place by the end of summer with opening planned for late 2018.

The project will include 239 apartments and about 46,000 square feet of retail space. The only tenant so far is Publix, which has been committed to opening there since the project was first announced almost a decade ago.

The Publix will be 32,500 square feet, at least 10,000 square feet smaller than a typical store in the chain.

That leaves another 13,000 square feet of retail, which Davidson said would likely be five to seven small spaces, including one or two restaurants.

"We're hoping for chef-inspired restaurants, stuff you are not going to see anywhere else," he said.

The project takes the full block at the southeastern corner of Atlantic Boulevard and Hendricks Avenue, with the buildings circling the block and the parking lot in the center. The entrance is on Alford Place.

The estimated price tag is $60 million.

When the project first surfaced in 2006, the plan was for condominiums on top of the retail. The full block of buildings was torn down and opening planned for 2009.

But the housing crash put all that on hold, and the block sat empty and fenced. A sign remained noting the project, but nothing was built.

In 2013, the project got moving again and the block was rezoned for apartments, instead of condos.

Whitehall Partners of Jacksonville was going to buy the property from Regency Centers and develop it. Regency Centers would buy the retail space back and manage that. But Whitehall never secured financing, and East San Marco went back on the shelf.

Now new residential developers has entered the deal. ArchCo Residential of Atlanta and Bluerock Residential Growth REIT Inc. of New York will buy the property and build it, Davidson said.

When it's finished, Regency Centers will buy back the retail and manage that while ArchCo will manage the residential. Whitehall will continue to be part of the team, advising ArchCo on local issues.

Anita Vining, president of the San Marco Merchants Association. and a Realtor with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services, said Tuesday that she'll be excited to see work finally begin.

"It's an empty parking lot that's absolutely valuable dirt," she said. "The grocery store will be convenient for residents of San Marco, the Southbank and even further south."

She also said she thought there was room for the new apartments.

"Speaking from a real estate viewpoint," she said, "we definitely need them. I own a condo in San Marco Place, the tower, and it's never been empty. Anytime someone moves out, there's someone to move it.

"Right now, there's nothing available in the building. Look at all those small multi-familiy buildings on San Marco Boulevard. You rarely see a 'for rent' sign out there."

Roger Bull: (904) 359-4296