For local contractor Jeff Hill, Jack in the Box came just in time.
The demolition and building job means a boost in business during the sluggish times of the recession, he said.
“It’s been really slow, and I had been waiting for things to pick up,” Hill said. “But this is the first big job in a while, and things seem like they might be looking up.”
Hill’s company, Jeff Hill and Sons of Ben Lomond, was contracted to build Scotts Valley’s newest fast-food addition on Scotts Valley Drive between the Chevron gas station and the Best Western hotel.
The Scotts Valley Planning Commission reviewed and approved the plan in September 2009, and a building permit was issued last month.
Jack in the Box, which opened its first restaurant in 1951 and has grown to nearly 2,200 eateries nationally, plans to build a modern, 2,492-square-foot restaurant in place of the 3,506-square-foot Scotts Valley Diner.
Owners of neighboring restaurants Wendy’s and Cafe Carlos said they thought Jack in the Box would be good for their businesses.
The Scotts Valley Jack in the Box could employ 85 workers and was approved for a 24-hour drive-through, according to the description on file with the city.
Hill, who had been in business since 1989, said the fast-food joint should be up and running by August, if everything goes according to plan.
“We’re still demolishing it and getting rid of the existing structure right now,” Hill said. “We’ll probably start building in about two weeks.”
