The Summerhill Publix will reopen Saturday, Sept. 9, after it was closed a week ago when a crane fell through the parking deck.
Branch Properties, developer of the Summerhill Station shopping center at 572 Hank Aaron Drive SE, announced the store’s reopening Friday evening. The Piedmont Urgent Care Center in the shopping center was also closed and will reopen on Saturday.
Publix will reopen at 7 a.m. A collapsed portion of the parking deck remains closed.
“We understand and appreciate that the reopening of these two essential businesses was a primary concern for the community, and we have worked diligently with the City of Atlanta to have both tenants operating again as soon as it was deemed safe,” Branch Properties said in a written statement.
The Atlanta Police Department reported officers found a giant hole in the top of the two-story parking deck at Summerhill Station on Sept. 2.
“It appears the weight of the truck exceeded the parking deck weight limit,” the APD report said.
The truck dropped to the bottom level of the deck landing on its side. The driver was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Mayor Andre Dickens issued a statement after the accident saying he was “concerned about the impact this incident will have on the safety and access to food and pharmacy services” in the Summerhill neighborhood.
Atlanta City Councilmember Jason Winston also issued a statement that said the Publix has “quickly become an important resource for the surrounding neighborhoods, especially since it was without a nearby grocery store for so long.”
Branch Properties said in its Sept. 8 statement that “an unauthorized crane truck drove onto the upper level of the parking deck, not heeding to the posted weight limit signs.”
“This heavy-duty vehicle, which was significantly in excess of the weight limit for the multi-level parking deck, punctured a discreet section of the deck and dropped to the level below,” according to the statement.
“Fortunately, no serious injuries occurred as a result of this avoidable incident,” Branch Properties said.
Publix, Piedmont Urgent Care and the parking deck were closed immediately to keep the public safe while appropriate authorities and licensed engineers assessed the situation.
“In the days since the incident, the parking deck was once again certified as structurally sound as it has been since its first day of operation. The parking deck was originally constructed to the highest standards of safety and engineering specifications, and the deck remains structurally sound today,” according to Branch Properties.
“Now that Publix and Piedmont Urgent Care are reopening, we will proceed to repair the damaged section of the parking deck,” Branch Properties said.
The Summerhill Publix opened in June. Branch Properties partnered with developer Carter on the 50,000-square-foot grocery store.
Carter is redeveloping the former Turner Field site with mixed-use, office, multifamily, and educational projects as part of revitalizing Summerhill.