Green Building Measures

Not since Village Homes in 1975 has green home construction been a priority in Davis.  This project will implement ground-breaking environmentally friendly construction methods to make Davis a leader in green building and raise the bar for future building in the city.

• 90% greenhouse gas reduction (0.5 metric tons of annual emissions versus the average home in Davis at 5.5 metric tons).
• 40% of site reserved as forested open space.  Drought tolerant native species reduce temperatures and capture and sequester carbon.
• Bioswales reduce storm water runoff, remove pollution and silt, and retain ground moisture.
• Passive solar design reduces need for heating and cooling.
• 100% of units equipped with 2.4kW photovoltaic systems to provide clean energy.
• “Night Breeze” passive cooling system, designed by a Davis firm, filters cool outside air for the home.
• Smart meters allow occupants to monitor energy use 24/7 in real time.
• Solar hot water heaters use clean energy.
• Highly reflective roof and wall colors reduce solar gain.
• Standard Energy Star appliances reduce energy use.
• Standard low-flow water fixtures reduce water use.
• Pavement minimized to preserve open space and reduce storm water runoff.
• Plug-ins in every garage for electric and hybrid vehicles.
• Yolo Bus and Unitrans stops at neighborhood entrance reduce auto use in town.
• Access to greenways extends Davis bicycle network and connects with new Covell underpass.
• Sets aside 67 acres of conservation easement between Davis and Woodland, building the permanent agriculture buffer around Davis and preserving Swainson’s Hawk foraging habitat.
• Successfully relocated burrowing owls to agricultural buffer near Wildhorse golf course as a mitigation effort.
• Achieves minimum 150 Build it Green points. (Build it Green is a California-specific program promoting healthy, energy and resource efficient construction.) Minimum for Build it Green qualification is 50 points, Davis requires 70 or 80 points depending on home size.
• Accepted into LEED for homes program.