ESCONDIDO — Over the next few years, a dilapidated city building on Quince Street that has sat vacant for over a decade will be transformed into a regional center intended to create more job opportunities in the agricultural and agriculture technology fields.
Last month, City Council unanimously approved a lease agreement with The VINE Institute, a California-based nonprofit that fosters innovation in the state’s agriculture and food systems, to launch the first-ever Escondido AgX Innovation Hub at 455 N. Quince St.
The VINE Institute is affiliated with University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UCANR), which will play a role in the hub as well.
The hub will serve as a space to support local farmers and other entrepreneurs as they create, attract and retain businesses and higher-wage jobs in the agriculture and ag-tech fields.
Gabe Youtsey, chief innovation officer for UCANR, said the vision for the hub is to continue the state’s longstanding food and agriculture sector across food-producing regions like Escondido, which has a longstanding agricultural history, while also building up ag-tech as a tradable sector.
“I view this hub as the Southern California hub for the state’s ag-tech efforts,” Youtsey said. “This is really the flagship headquarters for Southern California ag-tech.”
Work began on the hub three years ago when staff first presented plans to launch a pilot ag-tech incubator on city-owned property.
The lease will cost The VINE Institute $10 per year over the next three years. The lease allows for three extension options for a total of 15 years.
According to staff, the low lease rate reflects The VINE Institute’s projected $1.3 million investment in renovating the blighted 50,000-square foot building next to the Escondido Transit Center.
The institute will act as the hub’s lead operator, manage all subleases, and be responsible for utilities, permits and all site improvements.
The city also agreed to a $500,000 public service agreement with The VINE Institute in startup funding for the hub’s creation. In June, City Council approved $250,000 in the city’s 2025-2026 operating budget for professional services at the hub, which will be disbursed upon execution of the lease agreement.
The initial startup funding will be used to develop engineering and architectural design plans for interior improvements, including furnishings, equipment for its food hub, an ag-tech incubator, a lab, testing kitchen, office space and common space. The institute will also hire staff, including a general manager and/or executive director to manage day-to-day operations, and implement a longer-term sustainable financial model through the recruitment of tenants and startup companies. It will also identify grant funding and private sector investments into the hub.
The other $250,000 will be disbursed after the institute presents its first annual report to City Council and demonstrates substantial progress toward full operations, which is expected to take approximately three years.
The first year will focus on facility and program planning and design, diversifying funding sources, building and operations, and establishing an advisory council to ensure proper oversight of the hub. The second year will aim to grow its programs and partnerships, continue to work on operation and expand revenue. By the third year, the hub plans to reach full occupancy and transition to longer-term operations.
The hub received unanimous support from City Council on July 23 and backing from local organizations, farmers and educators. Cal State San Marcos and the San Diego Farm Bureau sent letters of support urging the hub’s approval.
Agriculture in San Diego “requires farmers to take innovative approaches in order to stay in business and the ag-tech would assist growers with this,” the Farm Bureau’s letter states.
The San Diego Food Hub, operated by Foodshed Collective, which aggregates local produce from farmers to distribute food to those in need, will be the anchor tenant for the new AgX project.
Ellie Igoe, operations coordinator for Foodshed, said the cooperative will invest over half a million dollars to help develop the site — in addition to a beginner farmer training center and incubator farm in the San Pasqual Valley near the Escondido city border.
“We’re training new and beginning farmers, and the AgX center will be a place where they can move their food,” Igoe said.
According to Youtsey, the hub could also serve local high school students interested in pursuing the agriculture and ag-tech sectors — particularly through farm robotics.
This could particularly benefit students who were in San Pasqual High School’s agriculture program, which the school district intends to shut down due to lack of interest on-site. Students who want to stay in the district’s agriculture program would likely have to transfer across town to Escondido High School, which operates a robust agriculture program along with a farm on campus.
