I am grateful our commissioners are leaders in planning for our future with a project grounded in thoughtful analysis, a respect for people and the environment, and an impressive regional thought process. I fully support this project."
�Melissa Meeker, Principal
Hesperides Group, former South Florida Water Management District Governing Board Member;
Past President of Sustainable Treasure Coast
In recent years, Martin County identified a need for uniquely located property to tap into the surrounding counties� efforts to attract bio-research and other targeted employers identified by the county and the state. These industries require significant acreage in a campus-like setting, access to major transportation corridors, proximity to other similar uses, and assurances that there will be long-range compatibility with surrounding neighborhoods and environmental resources.
The 1-95 Agriculture & Targeted Employment Center (AgTEC) is a new land use category, adopted in August 2010 by the Martin County�s Board of County Commissioners, and created for this very purpose.
As a landowner with a long history and deep roots in farming, cattle and citrus, our desire is to remain in agriculture. To underscore that commitment, continued agricultural operations and uses have been incorporated into our future plans for the property.
Our vision is to create a campus-like environment where bio-tech firms, energy-related companies and research and development institutions can thrive in an environment that supports continued agricultural operations and the pursuit of alternative energy crops.
Long-Term Vision and Plan for the Property:
AgTEC/Sunrise Groves Property Features:
The Sunrise Groves property, owned by King Ranch/Consolidated Citrus LP (CCLP), is located along Interstate 95 in northern Martin County with convenient access to Palm City, Stuart and Port St. Lucie, Florida. Its borders include the Martin/St. Lucie County line at the C23 canal to the north, State Road 714 to the south, Interstate 95 and existing planned communities to the east, and privately owned agricultural land to the west that is being considered for public acquisition.
The property was a citrus grove that has been 100% impacted by citrus greening. The last crop of oranges was harvested in the summer 2010. Due to the significant risk from re-infection, replanting the grove is not a viable option.
New uses for the land have been created that enable us to continue agricultural-related ventures while also providing community benefits to Martin County including economic diversification, job creation, environmental restoration and water services.
Characteristics and Trends in North American Research Parks
If you'd like to read more about industry trends, we�ve included a study on characteristics and trends in North American Research Parks, which provides information about projects like AgTEC. The study was conducted in October 2007 by Battelle and the Association of University Research Parks. Click here to view this report.
"Synergy is Important, and AgTEC creates the synergy needed for Martin County to be a beneficial extension of the Treasure Coast BioTech Corridor"
AgTEC preserves existing agriculture on the property while incorporating facilities and infrastructure for Targeted Employers. This will allow for continued viable agriculture, a considerable need in Martin County. In return, agricultural land dovetails with many targeted employment industries such as bio-medical, bio-fuel, and alternative energy crops.
Synergy also occurs by having similar Targeted Employment Centers nearby. Directly to the north of AgTEC in Port St. Lucie, efforts have been underway to create a regional jobs corridor and the city�s commitment has been paying off. New entities in the science and biotech arena are now located in St. Lucie County just north of the Martin County line. They include:
These companies continue to come to the Treasure Coast region in part because of a clustering effect resulting from the significant community support for new and innovative industry. They locate near one another to take advantage of innovations, ideas, equipment, grant funding, office spaces, research labs, technology sharing and more.
"AgTEC has incorporated an impressive amount of environmental restoration and enhancement components into its plan."
Given the fact that the property was an active agricultural operation, there are no wetlands on site and there is little environmental value on the land in its current state. As part of the King Ranch/CCLP environmental stewardship ethic, various environmental enhancements to the property have been incorporated into the plans for AgTEC.
The AgTEC plan will:
To read more about AgTEC�s Environmental Restoration, visit the Benefits & Opportunities section.