City Ventures Announces “NEXUS” — An Enlightened, Tech-Forward, Net-Zero Land Plan Initiative Which Provides Attainable Housing for California Residents While Addressing Critical Social, Climate and Wellness Issues Facing the State

City Ventures, Who Led the State in the Creation of the First All-Electric, All-Solar Residential Neighborhoods, is Offering its Smart-City Land Initiative Named NEXUS to Municipalities Across the State

SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–As California grapples with a myriad of critical issues related to climate change and the recent pandemic-fueled exodus of families unable to afford homes, City Ventures — the state’s leading builder of all-electric, solar-powered homes — has launched a solutions-geared community design program to address these issues through NEXUS. NEXUS, which the developer and homebuilder unveiled this month, provides important, timely and attainable solutions to nearly every problem facing California development. NEXUS, a net-zero community planning strategy, is immediately available for implementation across all California cities struggling to find progressive and fully-integrated solutions to their forward-planning efforts.

The NEXUS smart-city design provides an interwoven approach to connecting tech-forward thinking with sustainability (net-zero village designs). The effort ensures that California’s largest hurdles in addressing the housing crisis are handled with advanced design concepts that highlight the state’s most prized and often under-used resources: innovative technology programs, solar power, incubation idea centers, in-community skilled labor education, and wellness-oriented amenities. At the heart of NEXUS’ design are solutions around the most critical obstacle facing California, how to build new attainably priced homes for residents in the state’s median income range while also protecting our resources and environment.

“We have built thousands of solar all-electric homes across California at price points affordable to median income buyers. All of us at City Ventures see the incredible challenges facing the state of California and we see an opportunity to leverage our proven track record to redevelop underutilized land and design, build and deliver solar all-electric homes at a scale that will make homeownership more attainable for all Californians while addressing climate change,” said Phil Kerr, Chief Executive Officer, Homebuilding at City Ventures. “NEXUS brings together a suite of solutions that we have already implemented and proven will work. It encapsulates our decades of experience in smart, eco-friendly homebuilding and applies it on a grander and more impactful scale to bring positive change for California’s future. We take great pride in this opportunity and feel a responsibility to bring our very best thinking to NEXUS and to the challenges facing our state.”

CHALLENGES FACING CALIFORNIA TODAY AND SOLUTIONS OFFERED THROUGH NEXUS BY CITY VENTURES:

CHALLENGE: CLIMATE CHANGE

SOLUTION: NEXUS’ design directly recognizes and combats the realities of climate change — rolling blackouts, increased energy bills, fossil fuel usage tied to long distance commuting — through a vast array of planning principles that are MANDATORY to every NEXUS community:

• Net-Zero Community Carbon Emissions achieved through all electric, solar-powered homes and solar fields
• Cutting-edge battery technology offered in all buildings to maximize solar and renewable energy use after the sun has set
• Integrated energy efficiency through smart thermostats, energy efficient appliances, low voltage LED lighting, and heat pump technology
• Direct access and integration with existing mass transit infrastructure
• Communities built within existing urban cores to reduce suburban sprawl and reduce state-wide fire risk to homes caused by wildland developments outside city boundaries

CHALLENGE: LACK OF SKILLED WORKFORCE & INNOVATION

SOLUTION: NEXUS’ design recognizes the vital relationship that exists between community development and employment. The result is a set of planning guidelines that looks at both local skilled worker development programs as well as larger opportunities for incubation and innovation centers paired with every community.

• NEXUS’ design ensures IN-COMMUNITY technical skills development to encourage the growth of the local workforce with educational programs focused on technology and industrial and construction trades.
• NEXUS’ design features IN-COMMUNITY innovation and incubation hubs that promote idea generation amongst the most critical industries in CA — including medical and pharmaceutical, aerospace, technology and more.

CHALLENGE: CHRONIC DROUGHT CONDITIONS:

SOLUTION: NEXUS’ design has placed water sustainability at the forefront of its considerations and planning. NEXUS communities implement water efficiency and water quality features throughout including a commitment to:

• A minimum of 50% of all water used in the development will come from reclaimed water sources.
• Water efficient fixtures are standard in all commercial and residential buildings.
• Drought tolerant landscape design is standard in all communities.

CHALLENGE: TRAFFIC AND CONGESTION:

SOLUTION: NEXUS’ design promotes a wide variety of solutions that support the reduction of traffic, encourage hybrid working and support 360 Degree Community Design.

• All developments are designed to provide an in-community walking path and trails structure for optimal movement.
• All developments are directly built into existing mass transit infrastructure.
• Scaled developments will feature a community-wide Autonomous Vehicle Grid and related parking.
• Scaled developments will leverage an interior community smart rail system to support the reduction of vehicle usage.
• All communities will showcase cutting-edge fiber-optic wiring to provide work-from-home solutions to reduce resident work commutes.
• All homes will be designed to maximize work-from-home with home office options.
• All communities look at development from a comprehensive perspective and ensure that retail, commercial and other vital services are easily accessible.

CHALLENGE: ATTAINABLY PRICED HOMES:

SOLUTION: NEXUS’ design leverages City Ventures’ expertise as the state’s largest and most aggressive all-electric, solar-powered home builder for the last decade. Middle income families are increasingly priced out of homeownership. NEXUS commits to developing homes that offer affordable monthly payments to median income families. NEXUS is also committed to creating opportunities for first time homebuyers by creating home ownership opportunities at a monthly mortgage cost below comparable rents in the area. NEXUS will offer:

• Attainable priced home development — both for-sale and for-rent — through cutting-edge design solutions that embrace livable density, a wide array of architectural styles with an emphasis on townhome living.
• Every NEXUS community includes inclusionary housing with homes meeting or exceeding the state’s affordability standards designed to the same standards as market rate homes and equitably distributed throughout the community.

CHALLENGE: WELL-BEING

SOLUTION: NEXUS’ design recognizes the need for communities to proactively address wellness through the community and integrates planning principles that encourage outdoor activity, peaceful spaces, physical activity, and community gathering with well-being-centric amenities.

• Open Space: Every community features open space, parks, and trails. NEXUS looks for opportunities to integrate natural spaces and preserve native species though riparian habitat, wetland restoration, habitat preservation, and waterway protection.
• Community gathering locations: All buildings are designed around common open spaces and include patios, balconies, and porches that encourage neighbors to interact in safe shared spaces.
• Shared amenities: NEXUS leverages technology and the sharing economy to reduce resource use. NEXUS communities include bike share, ride pickup locations, and car share access to increase resource efficiency.

City Ventures was formed in 2009 with a mission to partner with California’s cities to identify infill locations and build homes designed for the way people live today. City Ventures proactively led the charge into Solar All Electric Homes as the first homebuilder committed to installing solar panels as a standard on every townhome delivered. Now, with NEXUS, the company continues its focus on repositioning underutilized property into residential housing and mixed-use development to help alleviate the state’s housing crisis and deliver homes in supply constrained coastal urban infill areas.

Since its inception, City Ventures has entitled, developed or built communities across California from San Diego to Orange County, L.A. to Santa Barbara, and San Jose to Santa Rosa. The company has generated almost $2.5 billion in revenue and developed properties that have resulted in almost 10,000 new residences that Californians can call home.

“From its inception, City Ventures has always partnered directly with municipalities in Northern and Southern California to help revitalize California cities and design communities that address the pressing housing needs of California cities. City Ventures has worked with over 100 cities in California and is always looking for opportunities to partner with cities to transform underutilized and outdated properties into vibrant new neighborhoods,” said Kerr. “With NEXUS, we will continue to deliver much-needed housing to cities across the state, redeveloping underutilized sites and master-planning full communities in a thoughtfully, climate and eco-friendly way that leverages the best of technology and innovation for a more sustainable future.”

City Ventures is unique in several important ways: 1) its commitment to partnering with city leaders, 2) its long-proven track record of delivering median priced homes for families, and 3) its commitment to building the most innovative energy-efficient residences, specifically solar, all-electric new-home communities. City Ventures has built thousands of homes that are solar, all-electric, designed to reduce occupants’ electric bills, eliminate natural gas, and reduce climate impact. With advanced solar technology that powers the entire home, many of City Ventures’ projects are the first-of-their-kind sustainable communities within the cities they call home.

About City Ventures

City Ventures is headquartered in Irvine, California and operates homebuilding divisions in Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego and the San Francisco Bay Area. The Company is committed to keeping California Green by pioneering eco-homebuilding—a commitment that has received national acclaim. The privately held company acquires properties in desirable neighborhoods with the intent to entitle and build solar, all-electric homes and vibrant new residential communities. City Ventures places an emphasis on energy-efficiency, construction quality and cost to deliver its buyers innovation and value. For more information, visit www.CityVentures.com.

Contacts

Mike Hoye
Paolucci Salling & Martin – Public Relations
310-346-0845
[email protected]