Jupiter’s biotech boondoggle? Fate of medical, research center unclear
Here's why the Institute is empty: The owner of the
That's because both the
Will the Institute become a biotech boondoggle?
ARHC hopes not.
It's asked the town of
In a
"The agreements mandated ... do not currently exist and there is no way to guarantee they ever will be obtained," ARHC wrote in its June filing.
ARHC's request to eliminate Institute research might not sail through
"Unacceptable," said
The land on which the Institute was built was set aside for the life sciences, said Kuretski, who voted on the Institute's 2010 approval: "That project never would have been approved if it were not for the research element."
The Institute, on the east side of
Back in 2010, Kuretski said council members were intent on creating a public benefit from the fruits of the Institute's research. With no research requirement, the public benefit is gutted, he said.
According to the town's 2010 requirements, the Institute is required to submit agreements with clinical research groups that would use 5,000 square feet of research space; medical providers that would use 17,000 square feet of space; plus a collaboration agreement with at least one college or university.
The agreements are supposed to stretch for 20 years, at least.
In a
ARHC said it's not sure the medical equipment is needed by the community anymore.
As for ditching the research space, ARHC said there's no difference between medical space and a research center.
For instance, Jensen said there have been talks with Jupiter Medical. But Jensen acknowledged no medical or research affiliations have been nailed down yet.
A
The Institute is the brainchild of
They also operate NuVista Living in WellingtonGreen, an assisted living and rehab center. The
A payroll company owned by Fago and Walczak also owes more than
In April, Walczak said a refinance was in the works that would provide NuVista with more than
Fago was an early backer of
The state and
The Scripps facility in
Then-Gov.
Although a senior living home and rehab center doesn't fit the biotech bill,
Scripps' officials were among the Institute's cheerleaders: Former Scripps vice president
And a 2010 White Paper authored by Scripps scientist
The
Four years later, the council reapproved the project when the Institute failed to start construction on time.
The council added a couple of extra conditions: Agreements with medical and research partners, and benefits promised by the Scripps White Paper, had to be delivered to the town before the Institute could receive its certificate of occupancy to open.
In 2015, the Institute's development company sold the property to ARHC for
Although years behind schedule, the Institute is nearly complete.
It features a 129-bed skilled nursing rehab center, a 62-bed assisted living facility and a 30-bed center for people with brain disorders. It also has unbuilt space set aside for clinical research.
As recently as April, both Fago and Walczak assured that the Institute would open, probably by July, and employ 500 people.
But the next month, ARHC, a successor company to
In a
Around that time, relations between the Institute and Scripps and Jupiter Medical worsened, too.
On
Lorie warned NuVista to stop referring to Jupiter Medical either orally or in writing, and to remove a website that featured Jupiter Medical's logos. "We want to be sure that NuVista is not misleading the public to believe that JMC is in any way involved with NuVista or any of the NuVista projects," Lorie wrote.
Scripps, too, privately had taken a hard line against the Institute.
On
Publicly, Scripps still is trying to put on a happy face.
"
ARHC included the Scripps and
The matter is expected to come before the
___
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