TGI Staff Writer Talk about a developer’s delight. You haven’t even broken ground for a structure nearly guaranteed to be the high-tech future of not only Kauai’s west side but the entire island, and you have tenants lining up to
TGI Staff Writer
Talk about a developer’s delight.
You haven’t even broken ground for a structure nearly guaranteed to be the high-tech future of not only Kauai’s west side but the entire island, and you have tenants lining up to fill the place, including multi-national corporations and at least one agency of the federal government.
And funding for the design work, site work, land acquisition, permits, legal costs and construction are all coming from various government entities.
Talk about your basic no-brainer.
The second phase of the West Kaua’i Technology and Visitors Center’s committed tenants include the federal Office of Naval Research, Lockheed-Martin and Boeing.
The second phase will be built immediately behind the first, along Kaumuali’i Highway in Waimea and not coincidentally a short drive from the Navy’s Pacific Missile Range Facility. Many of the tenants will do business for and with the base, as do many of the center’s current tenants.
The draft environmental assessment on the project has been issued, and the project needs only a few county permits before proceeding.
The 10,000-square-foot facility is on about 1.2 acres near Waimea Canyon Park that for the better part of a century was planted in sugar. More recently, seed corn and sunflower crops grew there.
The new building is expected to be a catalyst for economic development and the promotion of the west Kaua’i region’s technological facilities. Planned for the new building, beside the commercial tenants, is a training and sensor integration center where an integrated recruitment program will provide workforce development and distance learning opportunities.
The first phase of the center produced 74 jobs, either within the five companies in the building or at other sites spread across the country, according to Kaua’i County Mayor Maryanne Kusaka.
“High-tech companies are becoming more visible in our business landscape. Many of these high-tech employers are making a concerted effort to hire young, local talent interested in returning to Hawai’i after receiving degrees — in some cases, doctoral degrees — from mainland colleges and universities,” Kusaka said. “The industry holds the greatest hope for us of providing well-paying jobs for our young people returning with college degrees.”
Phase two is expected to create as many as 150 positions when it opens, possibly as early as 12 months from now.
Land acquisition, permitting and legal costs are funded at $1 million through the state’s capital improvement program.
The state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism will own the land and lease it to the Kaua’i Economic Development Board, the applicant for the various county permits.
Construction will be funded by a $2 million grant from the Economic Development Administration in the U.S. Department of Commerce, and $500,000 for design and site work is coming from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Private-sector money will be used for leasehold improvements on the property, according to The Environmental Notice, the semi-monthly bulletin of the state Office of Environmental Quality Control.
Staff Writer Paul C. Curtis can be reached at mailto:pcurtis@pulitzer.net or 245-3681 (ext. 224).
