New York firm announces plans to build greenhouse in Kansas City

From Kansas City Business Journal:

New York-based urban farm developers BrightFarms Inc. will build a greenhouse in Richard L. Berkley Riverfront Park in Kansas City, the Port Authority of Kansas City announced Monday.

BrightFarms will build the 100,000-square-foot, $4 million hydroponic greenhouse in partnership with the Port Authority and should create 25 full-time jobs along with 100 temporary construction jobs, a release said.

When complete, the facility will produce as many as 1 million pounds of produce annually.

BrightFarms spokeswoman Kate Siskel said construction should begin in the second half of 2013 and should take about nine months.

Siskel said BrightFarms' interest in Kansas City stems from the city's and the region’s strong support for and investment in agriculture.

Although the greenhouse is relatively small, the Port Authority and CEO Michael Collins have big plans for the area.

The Kansas City Business Journal previously reported that the authority plans to build as many 1,500 market-rate residential units in a mixed-use development on the underused tract of land along the banks of the Missouri River.