Kitsap SEED - Overview
A Unique Vision for Growing Clean Business
The Kitsap SEED Project seeks to create a regional center for clean tech business empowerment and opportunity, though active collaboration, resource sharing, and private and governmental advocacy for its participants. Key SEED's components, developed along a modular "pod" structure, are to include the Northwest Clean Technology Commercialization Center, a shared resource center, research and development facilities, showcase opportunities, including the Sustainable Practices Collaborative, serving as an genesis for cutting edge research and technology integration.
In 2004, SEED brought the hypothesis of the New Apollo Project to the local level as an initiative of the Port of Bremerton in Kitsap County, west of Seattle, Washington. The Port provided a 75 acre industrial zoned site for the development of the business park, as well as early funding for feasibility work and preliminary design. That was followed by funding partnerships with the Federal Economic Development Administration, the State of Washington, Kitsap County, West Sound Utility District, along with in-kind contributions from many other SEED partners.
The result is the Kitsap SEED Project is now underway to establish cutting-edge facilities and programs for new clean tech tenant-partners. The public-supported phase includes a US Green Building LEED platinum clean technology business park which will be a nationally unique demonstration site for energy efficiency and resource protection. A first phase will be the SEED Clean Tech Commercialization Center (CTCC), opening in 2009, providing incubation and acceleration opportunities for start-up companies. The second phase will be the SEED Sustainable Practices Collaborative (SPC) housed where tenants will access shared advanced facilities and services, where regional laboratory and research will come together, and which will serve as an educational and promotional hub for clean technology on an on-going basis.
Also in the business park, plans for groupings of privately financed facilities designed in conjunction with the SPC to provide early production companies – such as CTCC graduates - with quality space and shared resources as they grow. The remaining 65 acres of the site, as well as up to 1200 acres of surrounding zoned property, are available to SEED’s private tenant-partners, who will provide the most important piece of the SEED sustainable energy and economic development strategy.
SEED is located a short ferry ride west of Seattle in Kitsap County. The site is served by the adjacent Bremerton National Airport and rail line service which also accesses a nearby deep water port, as well as fiber optic broadband, core utilities, and ultimately SEED’s future “zero impact” water system. SEED has developed working agreements with local electrical utility Puget Sound Energy for the development, generation, and use of local power supplies.