Coastal Beverage Co. Inc. has submitted site plans for the development of its new facility in the Pender Commerce Park, and another major project in the park is now underway.

Coastal Beverage Co.’s plans for the construction of a 173,668-square-foot beer warehouse distribution center and corporate office went to the Technical Review Committee on Thursday, according to Pender County Planning and Community Development. 

The company in February announced plans to be operational at Pender Commerce Park by next year, bringing all of its existing 150 employees to the site. The company is currently operating off Harley Road near Market Street in Wilmington. It plans to move to the more than 27-acre site off Corporate Drive in the industrial complex, which also holds operations for two other companies, Acme Smoked Fish and Empire Distributors.

Schematics for the site detail a two-story office building attached to a warehouse and a detached maintenance building.

The first floor includes a more than 12,300-square-foot cooler and a loading bay, a 1,500-square-foot gym and lockers, a 3,900 square-foot training/hospitality suite, a sign shop and lobby space. The second-floor schematic shows several offices, conference and boardrooms.

Another future employer to the area has also submitted its site plans for development in the Pender Commerce Park and has been issued a building permit, according to county planning officials.

FedEx Freight has submitted site plans for its 12.5-acre site, also located off Corporate Drive in the industrial park. 

Those plans include a large parking area along with a single building that has a 24-door service center at more than 10,200 square feet and nearly 5,000 square feet of office space.

The site plans were approved on March 26, according to county planning. Crews are working on grading the land (right).

The activity on the property comes just months after FedEx Freight said in February that the company was looking to build a 15,000-20,000 square foot office and warehouse space on the property, an announcement that was just days apart from Pender commissioner's approval of Coastal Beverage Co.'s purchase of the land in the industrial park.

At the time of the announcement, Scott Satterfield, CEO of Wilmington Business Development, said that the facility would employ about 25 people, initially. FedEx Freight, a less-than-truckload carrier and unit of FedEx Corp., said the company plans to invest at least $5 million in its new hub at the industrial park.