The Stuart News
Posted October 8, 2009 at 11 a.m., updated October 8, 2009 at 3:38 p.m
By George Andreassi
PALM CITY � The size and location of the proposed Interstate 95 Agricultural and Employment Center could make it an attractive site for coveted high-wage companies, several Martin County business leaders said.
At least 8,000 jobs are expected to be based at the center by the time the project is completed in about three decades, said Mitch Hutchcraft, vice president of real estate for Consolidated Citrus.
The proposed center on I-95 could lure companies that want to do business with the renowned research facilities being developed at Tradition in Port St. Lucie and Abacoa in Jupiter, which also are near I-95, Hutchcraft and several county business leaders said.
With 1,782 acres of land, currently a sickly citrus grove, the proposed center would have enough space to accommodate businesses that need hundreds of acres to build a corporate headquarters or an industrial facility, they said.
Consolidated Citrus has proposed continuing agricultural operations on the land while it tries to develop 5 million square feet of industrial space, 1 million square feet of office space, 200,000 square feet of retail space and 500 hotel rooms in the next three decades.
If the County Commission approves the new land-use initiative proposed by Consolidated Citrus and ultimately a site plan for the project, it would boost Martin County�s economic development efforts, said Ron Bunch, executive director of the Business Development Board of Martin County.
�It would be very significant,� Bunch said. �A site that large on the interstate that was ready to go ... would be very marketable and would open us up to economic development opportunities that we don�t even have an opportunity to compete for now.�
Joe Catrambone, president of the Stuart/Martin County Chamber of Commerce, said the county�s economy needs the kind of boost a project like the proposed Interstate 95 Agricultural and Employment Center could provide.
�Economic development is what we need,� Catrambone said. �I think that this economic turn-down hopefully has made people realize that we need to increase our tax base and tax revenue through economic development.�
Martin County lacks large sites that could host facilities like Scripps Florida and the Max Planck Society in Jupiter, and the Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies and Oregon Health & Science Universities Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institutes in Port St. Lucie, Catrambone said.
The urban service district � where water and sewer service is permitted � is almost full, so it�s time to turn to the county�s agricultural lands for sites for industrial and commercial development, Catrambone said.
�It�s about time we woke up,� Catrambone said. �We certainly don�t have the opportunity to bring any kind of economic development here at all. If someone were to come in and wanted to put in a campus ... and wanted 100 acres, we don�t have anything to offer anyone.�
Tammy Simoneau, executive director of the Economic Council of Martin County, said Consolidated Citrus� proposal to combine agricultural and industrial uses could set the stage for research and development operations that want to work with agricultural products.
�I think it�s a perfect fit for Martin County,� Simoneau said. �We have always been very supportive of ... allowing research and development on the I-95 overlay. We strongly feel that we should maximize our ability to diversify the economy on the I-95 corridor.�
The development sites will range in size from 3 acres to 200 acres to appeal to a wide variety of businesses, Hutchcraft said. Corporate parks, light manufacturers, distribution centers, and research and development operations are among the kinds of industries that may want to set up shop on site.
�There�s a great opportunity to partner with the county to develop a portion of this property for targeted employment uses,� Hutchcraft said. �That will ... bring economic base and job opportunities to Martin County and would provide an opportunity for us to generate revenue and hopefully continue agriculture on other portions of the property.�