The big Stone Brewery beer production center is heading toward completion in the East End. Location: Williamsburg Avenue and Stony Run Road. The California-based company selected Richmond for its East Coast brewery last October. To help get the plant up and running quickly, the city has borrowed $23 million to build the factory, which the company is to repay in monthly installments over 25 years. The company is directly investing $51 million in the equipment, land and other costs. Brewing is expected to begin early next year, possibly in January. Production could top 120,000 barrels a year and could grow to 500,000 barrels a year. Up to 100 people could be employed there. Separately, the city is beginning to make plans for creating an $8 million restaurant and beer garden for Stone Brewery at the now vacant Intermediate Terminal on the riverfront. The company also would repay the city for that investment. As yet, there has been no indication on when construction of that restaurant and entertainment development might begin. Initially, work on that portion of the project was expected to begin at least two years after the brewery opening.
