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The Kitsap SEED (Sustainable Energy and Economic Development) Project is negotiating with several interested companies in its hope to attract tenants for its first complex on the future SEED campus.
The project, initiated in 2004, is currently owned and managed by the Port of Bremerton, which designated 75 acres of its property for SEED.
The preliminary concept design is done although some work still remains, said Tim Botkin, director of Sustainable Solutions. The first complex, or “pod,” will include a clean technology business incubator and a research laboratory. The site can accommodate as many as eight pods. Original plans had estimated construction of the first pod to start in early 2006, but the timeline has changed since the project will depend on the occupants’ needs.
According to Botkin, site preparations may start by the end of the year. “We’ve had some pretty good discussions with a few companies,” he said. Those companies are located outside of Washington and one is abroad.
The idea behind SEED is to focus on the new energy industry and attract it to a state-of-the-art, sustainable center. “We believe this project will present an opportunity for Kitsap County we’ve always looked for but haven’t been able to attract,” port Commissioner Bill Mahan told an audience at the Bremerton Chamber of Commerce monthly luncheon in January.
The new energy industry has been a growing sector in the U.S. economy. According to SEED data, the oil production in the world will peak by the year 2015 while the global oil use will grow 250 percent by 2020. “It’s an issue that has everybody concerned,” Botkin said.
The project will have a 50/50 public-private partnership. Kitsap County and the Karcher Creek Sewer District are among those who already committed funds or other forms of support. The first phase, which included low-impact site planning and a design summit, has been completed.
“It’s a vision but in fact it’s not just a vision at this point, it’s happening,” Botkin said. | 
