by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
The Downtown Development Review Board of the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission met Thursday and approved an addition to an existing building at the Maxwell House plant on East Bay Street.
At 1,450 square feet and a single-story of concrete block, it’s not the biggest project ever approved, but the extra space will make way for the installation of new equipment. The line of “General Foods International Coffees,” the instant coffee products currently sold in aluminum containers, will be packed in plastic containers after the new production-line machinery is installed. All of the General Foods International Coffee is manufactured and packaged by Kraft Foods at the Jacksonville plant.
After the new package is introduced, the name will be “Maxwell House International Coffees.”
The board also approved 22 locations for the new JTA bus shelters, including granting a variance to allow a row of three shelters to be installed at 176 S. Pearl St. It’s one of the most-used bus stops in the JTA system.
JEDC Deputy Director Paul Crawford reported that the City has contracted with Haskell to perform the design and construction of the improvements to the Southbank Riverwalk. Crawford also said the Friendship Park project is progressing and the section of the Southbank Riverwalk between the Crowne Plaza Hotel and River City Brewing Co. has reopened for pedestrians.