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Community involvement has been a key aspect of Aggie Square since the very earliest stages of its development, so it's only fitting that all are invited to help celebrate the moment the innovation district on the Sacramento campus officially opens its doors.

After a morning ribbon-cutting ceremony, Aggie Square will come alive Friday (May 2) with an open house and block party featuring food trucks, a DJ, caricature artists, photo booth, hands-on activities and informational tables hosted by many of the innovators who will help fill the 1.2-million square feet of public and private space at the new development.

“Aggie Square is a space where all kinds of innovators will collide, strengthening our region through their collaborative and creative work,” said George Baxter, chief innovation and economic development officer. “We have included members of our community throughout the development of Aggie Square, and we can't wait to welcome them to the completed space and see how they use it.”

Since 2018, UC Davis has held more than 100 stakeholder and community meetings, given presentations to neighborhood associations, invited residents to tour Aggie Square and performed other outreach. Since August 2022, quarterly Aggie Square Community Engagement meetings have attracted 580 attendees for discussions on a variety of topics including affordable housings, jobs, workforce development and career pathways, innovation and entrepreneurship, and public art opportunities. Over the past 18 months, 125 people have joined walking tours to learn more about Aggie Square.

A cornerstone of the community engagement at Aggie Square has been codified in a document known as the Community Benefits Partnership Agreement, or CBPA. That agreement between UC Davis, the city of Sacramento and developers Wexford Science & Technology includes $50 million for affordable housing, local hiring goals for construction jobs, funding for improvements to Stockton Boulevard and its intersection with Broadway, and an annual fund for neighborhood priorities like youth opportunities, local entrepreneurship, public art, minority- and veteran-owned businesses, and workforce development.

In addition to lab spaces available to university and private researchers and , Aggie Square will feature meeting rooms that can be reserved for use by community organizations.

Attendees at the May 2 event will be able to learn even more about some of Aggie Square’s tenants by completing a “passport” that must be stamped at various booths and stations. Visitors who turn in a completed passport will receive an entry ticket for a prize giveaway.