Ninth Avenue Foods plans $55 million expansion in Columbus

A Columbus business will be constructing a new wastewater treatment plant to handle 500 gallons of water a minute as part of its expansion plans.

Ninth Avenue Foods appeared before Columbus City Council last night, requesting a tax abatement on a $55 million improvement project at its site just off of Deaver Road.

According to company officials, the company is planning to add more than 8,700 square feet to the factory on South Bartholomew County Road 175W. The company plans to invest $3 million in real property and another $52 million in new manufacturing equipment.

The largest investment will be for a new bottle filling line that can fill 600 bottles a minute. That will be $35 million and will also require new warehousing include refrigeration and racking equipment for another $10 million dollars. The new wastewater treatment plant is required to meet the company’s wastewater permits and will be another $10 million.

According to the company’s filing with the city, the investment will allow it to retain 115 jobs and it plans to add 50 jobs over the next two years with an average wage of more than $26 an hour.

Columbus City Council approved the tax abatement request Tuesday night.