Almost two weeks after buying the property, Darden Restaurants Inc. landed a site-clearing permit Feb. 12 from the city to clear almost 2 acres at Glen Kernan Park for an Olive Garden Italian Kitchen.
The permit allows site clearing at 4995 Sweetgrass Place at a project cost of $20,000.
The city also is reviewing a construction permit for the 7,847-square-foot restaurant at a project cost of $2.4 million. Venture Construction Co. is shown as the contractor. The permit was created July 10, 2014.
According to its JEA service availability request, the restaurant will seat 237 customers.
Glen Kernan Park is a retail, hotel, commercial and residential development at northwest Butler and Hodges boulevards.
Darden paid $2.7 million on Jan. 31 for three lots totaling 1.83 acres for the restaurant.
Joyce Development Group of Jacksonville sold the property through Glen Kernan Park LLC.
GMRI Inc. a subsidiary of Orlando-based Darden Restaurants Inc., bought the site through Olive Garden Holdings Inc.
Darden operates Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Bahama Breeze, Seasons 52, LongHorn Steakhouse, Yard House, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, The Capital Grille and Eddie V’s. Most of those brands operate in Northeast Florida.
Olive Garden is planned next to a seven-story, 174-room Embassy Suites hotel in Glen Kernan Park.
It would be the first area Olive Garden built in at least a dozen years and would be the fifth Olive Garden restaurant in the area. Locations in Regency, Argyle and Avenues were built in 1990-91 and the fourth was built in 2009 in River City Marketplace in North Jacksonville.
The Regency location was rebuilt in 2015 after a fire.
Olive Garden makes up 44% of Darden’s total sales and 45% of its restaurant locations. Its May Securities and Exchange Commission filing showed Darden having 2,031 restaurants.