Monarch building new headquarters

Locally based Monarch Beverage Co. plans to transform a vacant drive-in theater in Lawrence into its new headquarters. The theater would be replaced with nearly 1 million square feet of new office, warehouse and distribution space under plans filed this month. The state’s largest beer and wine distributor has outgrown its home along Interstate 465 just east of the airport and has been looking for new digs for a year. IBJ first reported Monarch’s interest in the Lawrence site in a story last month. Monarch plans to spend about $45 million on the new facility, which would serve as a home base for more than 600 employees. A site plan shows a first-phase of 510,000 square feet and a second-phase of 450,000 square feet. The 93-acre site, along Pendleton Pike just east of Post Road, has been vacant since 1993 and once was targeted for a horse-racing track. It is owned by Estridge Development Co.