CIVANO INDUSTRIAL ECO-PARK
Tucson, Arizona
Managing Entity : Community of Civano LLC
Contract Person's Name : David Case
Address : 6280 S Campbell Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85706
Phone : (520) 889-8888 Fax : (520) 889-6207
E-Mail : casent@primenet.com
Alternate Contact Person : John Laswick
Phone : (520) 791-4675 Fax : (520) 791-5431
E-Mail: N/A
EIP's key features.
The Civano business park is part of an integrated development that
emphasizes human interaction and environmental responsibility. The businesses
that are being sought will enable the Civano business park to become a center
of sustainable technologies and practices. Civano will become more like
an EIP as it becomes more like a "virtual corporation" where businesses
with certain core capabilities (e.g., makers of PVs, electric vehicles,
circuit boards, steel fabricators, design firms, renewable construction,
etc.) come to coordinate their activities, share resources, and participate
in joint operations, such as water treatment, and reduce dependence on transportation
and increase competitiveness.
What constitutes success?
The current aim is to attract companies that fit into the general
concept of a sustainable community. At present, the chief measure of success,
besides simply being a viable business district, is to succeed in attracting
critical "flagship" companies that both set the philosophical
tone for the business development thru the use and production of renewable
resource technologies and also promote the idea of a business park that
is center for sustainable technologies.
EIP linkages.
Prior to the purchase of the Civano land by the current developer,
the City of Tucson organized two major workshops on business development
at Civano. These brought together business, financial, academic, and other
organizations that are interested in the idea of a business district with
distinctive characteristics. The Metropolitan Energy Commission, which originated
Civano, and the City have developed new resource-efficient building codes
and builder training
programs for Civano which will be used to promote sustainable technologies
and will likely
form part of the economic incentive for certain types of businesses. The
local and state economic development agencies are including Civano in their
recruitment and expansion programs.
Recruiting process.
In addition to including Civano in the recruitment programs of
the Greater Tucson Economic Council, a Civano Institute is being created
to conduct training programs for local builders in the Civano building techniques
and to promote the concept of sustainable building technologies throughout
the community. Other agencies, such as a new university and the local community
college have campuses in the area and both have sustainable technologies
programs. Both have expressed an interest in working with Civano.
Resources available.
Original funding for developing the Civano concept came from a
$600,000 grant/loan from the State of Arizona Department of Commerce. These
funds were repaid when the current developer purchased the Civano property
from the State. Of course, the developer is organizing aggressive marketing
and recruitment campaigns. In addition, many thousands of hours of volunteer
time have been contributed for at least 10 years to develop the concept
of Civano and bring it to the current state.
Strategy to continue progressing.
Civano is an integrated residential development with an important
business component. In that context, some of the key pieces include the
development of a marking plan, identifying and signing leases with "flagship"
companies, and the implementation of the Civano Institute and the Civano
builder program.
What is missing?
Chiefly, examples of EIPs that will show how to develop a marketing
plan and infrastructure plan that will make Civano an attractive business
property, without "breaking the budget." We need a better understanding
of the characteristics of EIPs that provide competitive advantages over
traditional business developments.
Goals for the upcoming workshop.
Understanding and examples.
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Case Study Source: Eco-Industrial Park (EIP) Workshop, Cape Charles,
Va., October 17-18, 1996.