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The ambitious Kitsap Sustainable Energy Economic Development (SEED) project, after attracting more than $1.5 million in state and federal funding, has entered its design process. Located at the Port of Bremerton’s Olympic View Business Park, Kitsap SEED ultimately plans to have two million square feet of space — consisting of up to eight high-tech, sustainably built office and manufacturing “pods” — designed specifically to attract new energy businesses, an industry sector that is projected to grow significantly in coming years.
A multi-functional design team, including Washington architectural firms Mithun and O’Brien and Associates, is working together on a number of design elements, including facility design, programming, marketing and sustainable practices.
“The part that’s being designed is the part that’s appropriate for public funding,” said Tim Botkin, director or Sustainable Solutions, which is working with the Port of Bremerton on the project.
The infusion of public funding has given the SEED project a sufficient budget to complete the design work, which Botkin anticipates will continue through the middle of 2007. Some of the funds — which will very likely include an additional $1.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration — may also be available when the project begins construction, but final numbers won’t be determined until the design process is completed.
“The way we will design it will be in increments,” said Botkin, “based on the money we need.”
It’s too early in the process to say what businesses might eventually call the SEED project home, but Botkin reported significant interest.
“We’re kind of holding businesses at bay,” he said, indicating that a number of businesses have initiated contact with the Port. Because of that demand, Botkin continued, the Port has invested in an additional “spec” building that should be underway in the next several months, which may provide an interim location for businesses that wish to participate in the project.
Ultimately SEED will use around $16 million in public funding; a mere drop in the bucket of the $250 to 600 million ballpark figure Botkin gave as the project’s ultimate cost.
“It’s a catalyst,” said Botkin of the public monies. “You invest some public funding in a very targeted way.”. |
