Aggie Square will be located along the Stockton Boulevard corridor in Oak Park
“Imagine an innovation ecosystem in the urban core of Sacramento. Imagine this hub as an extension of the UC Davis campus, one that links the world-renowned research, faculty, and students with local businesses.” At the time UC Davis Chancellor Gary May made these remarks at the Sacramento Region Innovation Awards last November, I’m sure most in the room, including myself, had no idea how quickly the ball would get rolling on this vision.
Hear an audio excerpt of Chancellor May’s remarks about Aggie Square at the Sacramento Region Innovation Awards
Chancellor May’s vision of an Aggie Square innovation hub in Sacramento’s urban core took a step closer to reality last week when Chancellor May, Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, and other civic leaders convened a press conference to announce the UC Davis Health Campus in the Oak Park area as the location for the first phase of an innovation hub called Aggie Square.
Since December 2017, a working group had been exploring potential sites for housing the innovation hub in Sacramento, along with transportation options between Sacramento and Davis, and potential city and state funding sources to support the overall effort. The group recently released their Aggie Square Working Group Report.
The site was selected from a set of four opportunity areas that were analyzed by the working group:
- Downtown/Riverfront
- UC Davis Health Campus
- Sacramento Center for Innovation
- North Natomas
The working group identified five industries that could be catalyzed by a partnership between Sacramento and UC Davis.
- LifeSciences
- Food Systems
- Mobility
- Government and Civic Tech
- Arts and Communications
Aggie Square will consist of a variety of components, some of which may include:
- Academic programs
- Collaborative space for academic research
- Collaborative space for alumni, student and faculty art to be displayed
- UC extension/professional education
- Incubator/accelerator space
- Landing space for corporate and community partner activities
- Housing developments for UC Davis students, faculty and/or staff
- Amenities and retail (including student housing, restaurants, entertainment, etc.)
Quick Facts:
- Aggie Square to be built on 25 acres set aside by the university for a research and innovation district
- At full buildout, the campus could be 2 million square feet
- Funded by City of Sacramento, the UC Davis and other foundations and private companies
Related:
Mayor Steinberg, Chancellor May, Assemblyman McCarty Unveil Aggie Square Site
UC Davis campus in Oak Park could ‘change this community forever’ | Sacramento Business Journal, April 13, 2018
A huge UC Davis tech campus is coming to this neighborhood in Sacramento | Sacramento Bee, April 13, 2018
