STENNIS
TECHNOLOGY PARK
IN FULL DEVELOPMENT
The
landscape of the Stennis
Technology Park
just north of Interstate 10 and south of Kiln is looking more like it
did
pre-Katrina, but this time the initial building is one floor larger and
two
feet higher in elevation. Developer Rodney Pilot of Mobile,
AL wasted no time
bringing the construction
level of the office park’s first building back to what it was
before Hurricane
Katrina leveled it. Developers
also plan
to begin construction on the residential portion of the community on
the south
side of the Interstate.
Interest
in the Stennis
Technology Park
was promising prior to the
storm. But displaced companies and visionaries have so enthusiastically
inquired about space that Pilot decided to add one floor and increase
floor
space of the first building to 30,000 square feet.
Two prospective tenants have inquired about
renting all available space in Building One.
This piqued
interest has lead the
developer to commit to building two
additional buildings. Robbie Maxwell of Maxwell and Associates, a
consultant
for the developer, said they have had interest from as far away as
Houston and
Dallas.
The
Stennis Technology
Park was
conceived to serve as home
for mature, high-tech companies, as well as for Stennis Business
Incubator
graduates. However,
the final vision for
the technology park includes opportunities for companies and
individuals to lease or
buy land for further development and expansion, including
residential areas, a pedestrian mall and retail shops. Developers
eventually
see the 1,700 acres as a live/work/play community designed around the
New
Urbanism concept, complete with walking access underneath Interstate 10.
The
Technology Park’s
development is spearheaded by a group of local investors, Hancock
County
Development LLC. The Mississippi Enterprise for Technology (MsET) at Stennis
Space Center
has worked with the developers for several years to plan a park that
could
accommodate the rapid growth of technology companies associated with Stennis
Space Center. For more information, call
MsET at (228)
688-3144.
