SEED master plan approved

The Port of Bremerton commissioners on Tuesday approved the master plan for building a business center in its Olympic View Industrial Park that will focus on sustainable energy.

Last year, the port contracted with Sustainable Synergy, a consulting group formed by former county Commis-sioner Tim Botkin and Mark Frost, to create a development concept for a business campus on nearly 80 acres that would embrace sustainable energy and building technology.

The project, known as Sustainable Economic and Energy Development (SEED), is designed to “further the economic development activities of the port, Kitsap County and the region,” said Port CEO Ken Attebery, explaining that the project also matches the port’s overall vision for the industrial park.

The approval this week of the Kitsap SEED Project Master Business Plan, a 92-page “source” document that covers economic development analysis, cutting-edge site and facility design and sustainability principles, is the culmination of the contract period that began last August 2004.

As required during the “proof of concept” phase, more than 400 targeted renewable energy industry potential partners were contacted and the project engineering team completed the feasibility determination of the proposed “zero import/export” water management system that will be the first of its kind.

“The project principles have been sounded out, look good, and now we have to buckle down to get it up and running,” said Commissioner Bill Mahan.

“In the coming months we will see a tighter focus on the two most critical areas at this point — finding capital and finding business tenant-partners,” Attebery said. “I am very much looking forward to continuing the SEED project. It is a very unique and forward-looking venture.”

Botkin agreed.

“Now that this preliminary road map is established, we have a clear idea of the work that needs to be done, and many more tools to get it done.”

The project is conceptually planned for a 72-acre site near the Bremerton National Airport, and will be developed in modular “pods” using sustainable design criteria. Ultimately, it is expected to house 1,000 or more employees.

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