The Lee County Port Authority Airports Special Management Committee and Board of Port Commissioners approved an agreement for a ground lease and commercial development of non-aviation land at Southwest Florida International Airport.

The project approved is Phase 1 of the Madden Research Loop, the first of several properties to be developed in public/private partnership on a 750-acre site called the Skyplex Commercial Center. It‘s located on the north side of airport property on Chamberlin Parkway, off Daniels Parkway.

The developer is a subsidiary of the John Madden Co., a real estate development firm based in Denver, with an office in Fort Myers. It has developed Class A office space in Colorado, California, Arizona, Michigan and other states.

Madden Research Loop is being developed as a bioscience and technology research complex that will attract academics, researchers and business entrepreneurs to a center where new ideas thrive in a natural, park-like setting.

Phase 1 includes 25 acres of land and 275,000 square feet of Class A office and lab space in multiple buildings and a three-story parking structure. Groundbreaking of the first building is tentatively scheduled for third quarter of 2008.

“This property offers an ideal combination of proximity to the international airport, accessibility to local educational institutions and a unique opportunity for collaborative ideation among a diversity of research and medical companies,” said Steve Brown, Jr., vice-president of project development for John Madden Company. “The Madden Research Loop will be master-planned to create an environment that encourages knowledge transfer among its tenants.

“The natural setting, the siting of the buildings and the mix of tenants will all contribute to creating a setting where innovative thought and medical advancements can occur.”

The first phase of the Madden Research loop is expected to support a total of 800 jobs and generate 500 new jobs in the life sciences and medical industries. This includes high wage earning positions such as pathologists, biochemists and microbiologists that have an annual income range of $65,000 to $129,000.

All of the office space within Phase 1 will be designed to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. LEED is the internationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings.

“The development of the Skyplex Commercial Center will add considerable economic benefits to Southwest Florida,” said Robert M. Ball, executive director of the Lee County Port Authority. “The convenient road access between the development site and the airport, our Foreign Trade Zone designation, and the overall appeal of living in Southwest Florida make this a very attractive location for businesses planning to expand or relocate.”