Emerald city to offer sustainability and economic prosperity
By Chris Fish
cfish@hometownnewsol.com
PALM BAY - There's no place like Emerald City, where the economic possibilities of this future "green" city have officials in Palm Bay following the yellow brick road to prosperity.
Emerald City, which will be located at the future interchange of Interstate 95 and St. Johns Heritage Parkway, will transform 1,600 undeveloped acres into a mixed-use downtown area, complete with residential housing, retail shops and professional offices. It is estimated to produce more than 6,000 jobs for residents and area employees.
"(Emerald City) will give another very strong and new commercial job center to the county, and it will be a concentration that will draw the South Florida business market, as well as the Orlando Market," said Brenda Yates, manager of the project with Emerald City Development LLC. "We are looking at being green and becoming a diamond in the rough."
According to Emerald City Development LLC, Emerald City is inspired by the idea of sustainability, with the notion that a community with more than 1.7 million square feet of non-residential uses and 3,500 homes of various types and sizes can meet human needs now and in the future, while, at the same time, maintaining equilibrium with the natural environment.
The project, which is scheduled to break ground in 2015, will cost nearly $300 million and will likely take 20 years to build, Ms. Yates said.
Ms. Yates said the funding for the project will come from developer and private funding.
Emerald City will also include the 200-acre Business and Technology Park, where business owners and tenants will be provided economic and lifestyle benefits not easily found in other locations.
For more information, visit www.emeraldcity-florida.com.