The Cannery at Davis was a progressive housing development that focused on green living, renewable energy, and generally speaking a more environmentally responsible lifestyle – all things that resonate with our mission here at This Electric Home. To give you an idea of the lifestyle The Cannery promoted, here is a bit of background.
At The Cannery, good living grows naturally. This is a place where neighbors meet up at the Dog Park and give their dogs a break from the fenced-in yard, trade recipes at the Farmstand and BBQ together at The Ranch House. The Cannery was built to a total of 520 homes, each boasting energy-efficient designs built into the residence. In addition, some homes’ multi-generational “Life Space” designs include guest houses and private quarters. Every home is within 300 feet of a park or trail that connects to Davis’ bicycle network.
Cannery Marketplace, Parks, Bike Paths & Trails
At The Cannery, the entire cycle of life – from raising food to raising families – revolves in one, healthy place. The first fresh, green community bordered by its own farm, The Cannery is rooted in the most up-to-date neighborhood and environmental thinking. Yet, it is down-to-earth and friendly with parks, paths, stores, and plazas that make life easier, healthier, sustainable, and comfortable.
Cannery Marketplace at The Cannery includes stores and retail experiences that act as a vibrant icon within the community and include comfortable plazas and integrated mixed-use residences. Cannery Marketplace brings offices and services to the community and commercial opportunities for start-up businesses and mid-size tech firms looking for professional offices, fled space, and small office creative spaces.
Parks, paths, and plazas help to make life easy and healthy at The Cannery. With nearly 1/3 of The Cannery site being dedicated to open space, residents and visitors find a wide array of outdoor activities await them once in the community. The 4.7-acres of neighborhood parks include a practice field, sports court, bocce ball and play areas – plus a gazebo and picnic spaces. The Cannery Amphitheatre is a gathering space for fairs, festivals, concerts, and performances while greenbelts and community buffers include multi-use paths, interpretive exhibits, and seating.
The Cannery establishes a national model for connectivity and New Urban Design. Every home was constructed to be 300 feet from a park or open space. An extensive network of bike and walking paths will connect the residents to each other and the larger Davis area, and it serves as a great way to make sure that pets get plenty of exercise. Uninterrupted bike and pedestrian connections include a network of loops around the project that ensure each destination within The Cannery is no more than a 10-minute walk or five-minute bike ride away.
As California’s first farm-to-table new-home community, The Cannery Farm sells local produce to restaurants and local neighbors.
Building Materials, Energy Sustainability, & Water Conservation
Taking Davis’ lead in environmental stewardship and sustainability, The Cannery site and development was set up to reduce the need to use cars, limit the amount of energy that the development consumers, empower those living there with options for renewable energy usage, and generally speaking promote a green and forward-thinking living atmosphere. The Cannery’s bold sustainability starts with low-impact land use. Actually, land reuse, since The Cannery re-imagines the prior use as a tomato canning plant. The central location saves resources: UC Davis and downtown are five minutes or less away. Parks and paths connect neighbors everywhere they turn. The Cannery will be one of the most energy efficient new home communities in the country. A 1.5 kV photovoltaic solar system and electric vehicle charging pre-wire will come standard with every home, and residents can upgrade to net zero living.
The Cannery is committed to building homes that have innovative building features for a sustainable home which presents significant benefits. These features include: Cool Roof Certified-roofing materials, Attic Insulation, Radiant Barrier, Blower Door Testing, Quality Insulation Installation Inspection, Windows with better Uvalue/SHGC Ratings, Ducts in Conditioned Space or High Performance Attics, Water Heating, HERS testing, and Electric Vehicle Charging Pre-Wire.
Through the standards established in each home, the development has achieved significant progress towards sustainable energy. By making use of passive solar technology, there is a reduction of the demand of energy from the homes, and the buildings are designed in an energy-conscious manner. Each home has photovoltaic systems and is prepared for the installation of solar power if chosen by the future owner, which allows for powering appliances such as energy-efficient electric fireplaces. There is also no net electric for maintenance of public spaces. Lastly, homes will be pre-wired for electric vehicle charging, and the mixed-use and multi-family areas will include charging stations.
A dedicated effort to conserve water is implemented through turf reductions in residential areas and the park, smart/centrally controlled irrigation controllers, and water-reducing fixtures and appliances. Non-potable water from an onsite agricultural well will also be used for irrigating landscaped areas along roadways and within open-space greenbelts, parks, and The Urban Farm.
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