South Bend board backs deal for chocolate company project

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) - Officials in South Bend have approved a land deal with a company planning to build a new chocolate production facility and a museum with chocolate exhibits and artifacts.

The city's Redevelopment Commission voted Thursday to sell about 70 acres of undeveloped land to the South Bend Chocolate Co. for $1. In exchange, the company says it will spend at least $5 million within five years on the project along U.S. 20 on the city's far west side.

City community investment director Brian Pawlowski tells the South Bend Tribune (http://bit.ly/2oupWWq ) that officials have been working with the company's owner for about two years on finding a new location.

Some residents raised concerns about the impact of the project on a nearby bog that's being developed into a nature preserve.

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Information from: South Bend Tribune, http://www.southbendtribune.com