Aggie Square Community Benefits Partnership Agreement (CBPA)
University of California, Davis — Goal 2 Initiative Aggie Square Community Benefits Partnership Agreement (CBPA)
UC Davis, the city of Sacramento and Wexford Science & Technology signed the Aggie Square Community Benefits Partnership Agreement (CBPA) to address the need for investment in opportunities for people living in neighborhoods around Aggie Square, the university’s new campus-hosted innovation district. Aggie Square is located on the UC Davis Sacramento campus. The CBPA is a comprehensive initiative for inclusive economic development to benefit these residents' health and wealth.
Central to the public-private partnership is a collaborative effort to bring jobs and job training to Aggie Square. It also promotes affordable student housing, better transportation options, and youth education programs, among other benefits. Jobs for local community members are being prioritized thanks to this agreement, and more than $50 million is being directed to an affordable student housing fund.
One of the most exciting dimensions of this initiative is the evolving role of the university in inclusive economic development. Along with the benefits to community members, this focus on inclusion brings forward academic programs not typically seen in science-based innovation districts. Additionally, the project marks the inception of an undergraduate teaching program called Quarter at Aggie Square, and undergraduates will have other opportunities to take a full course of study at this location in Sacramento near UC Davis Health, which is about 15 miles from the main campus in Davis. Students will be placed in experiential learning cohorts informed by partnership opportunities with UC Davis Health, the presence of industry partners, and the participation of community-based organizations in surrounding neighborhoods.
The Aggie Square CBPA is a milestone for Sacramento and surrounding communities that will bring real innovation to our region, through jobs, workforce development, housing, industry partnerships, and new opportunities for students, faculty and staff. It's a great example of UC Davis' ongoing commitment to public service.
Initiative Differentiators
This partnership includes city investment of property tax increment, generated by Aggie Square, into project infrastructure and an affordable student housing trust fund. The CBPA is also fueled by UC Davis Health’s role as an anchor institution in Sacramento. Anchor institutions are nonprofit or public place-based entities such as universities and hospitals that are rooted in their local community by mission, invested capital, or relationships to customers, employees, residents, and vendors.
The CBPA focus on inclusion brings academic programs not typically seen in science-based innovation districts, such as the UC Davis School of Education and Public Scholarship and Engagement program.
Key Interventions and Milestones
Aggie Square’s commitment to the community is a cornerstone of this project. The Aggie Square team worked for more than two years with various communities — neighborhood associations, community-based organizations, business organizations, chambers of commerce, and others — to engage in discussions regarding Aggie Square and the opportunities and potential challenges it may bring. During this time, more than 90 meetings took place. Recently UC Davis began hosting quarterly community engagement forums to shift from Aggie Square planning to implementation. Additionally, annual community meetings will be held to measure progress against all community benefit goals.
Expected Impact
Aggie Square is expected to add nearly $5 billion to the Sacramento region’s economy each year and support 25,000 ongoing jobs. The report also predicts an additional $2.6 billion in one-time economic impact, with more than 15,000 job years — the equivalent of 15,000 people working in one year — generated from Aggie Square’s two phases of construction.
The CBPA aims to maximize community impact, with metrics including the number of new affordable student housing units in the marketplace, residents reached by anti-displacement programs, qualified local residents hired from priority ZIP codes, and Pre-K-12 students reached with youth opportunity programs.
