The city issued six permits March 25 for Darden Restaurants Inc. to put up signs at its Olive Garden Italian Kitchen in development in Glen Kernan Park at northwest Butler and Hodges boulevards.
The signs say Olive Garden Italian Kitchen and Olive Garden To Go!
Media Resources USA Inc. and Florida Sign Erectors LLC are the contractors for the six signs at a total project cost of $29,100 at 4995 Sweetgrass Place.
It is the first new area Olive Garden in more than 15 years.
On Jan. 31, GMRI Inc., a subsidiary of Orlando-based Darden Restaurants, bought the site through Olive Garden Holdings Inc. It paid $2.7 million for three lots totaling 1.83 acres. Joyce Development Group of Jacksonville sold the property through Glen Kernan Park LLC.
On. Feb. 12, Darden Restaurants landed a site-clearing permit from the city to clear almost 2 acres at a project cost of $20,000.
On Feb. 24, the city issued a construction permit for Venture Construction Co. to build the $2.4 million project.
According to its JEA service availability request, the restaurant will seat 237 customers. Plans show five dining rooms, a bar and a to-go area.
Glen Kernan Park is a retail, hotel, commercial and residential development. Olive Garden is planned next to a seven-story, 174-room Embassy Suites hotel there.
It 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.