The Creamery at Alkali flats is located in one of Sacramento’s oldest neighborhoods. The redevelopment of the historic Crystal Creamery sites will now make this area one of Sacramento’s newest, comprised of elegant tri-level homes with two-car garages and optimal rooftop patios. The site is in the heart of everything downtown Sacramento; walk, bike, or ride to professional and community theaters, restaurants, clubs, the Golden 1 Arena, coffee shops, parks, schools, stores, and services. The project was design to attract professionals, creatives, young families and energetic midle-agers looking to reconnect with the eclectic and electric charms of the city.
The Creamery’s features and amenities include a bark park, urban garden and planter boxes, and promenades. The bark park is a private place that you can take man’s best friend to exercise, explore, and enjoy the great outdoors. The quarter-acre dog recreational area is complete with water station, secure double entry, shade trees, and benches to sit and relax. A special feature of The Creamery’s landscape is more than a half-acre of urban gardens and planter boxes throughout the new community, providing homeowners with a connection to nature just outside their front doors. These areas will be maintained by the home owners association. The development takes up three city blocks, and each block has a promenaded feature that creates cozy corners in which to greet friends, host or join neighborhood gatherings, or enjoy reflective moments and the tranquility that results from a sense of community. The promenades have large farm-style tables with overhead twinkle lights to make the space enjoyable day and night.
The Creamery at Alkali flats is a flagship project for the city of Sacramento to learn about reclaimed water and the benefits and cost savings on infrastructure and resources. We have been working with the City of Sacramento to use one grouping of homes as a model for the grey water system. The selected grouping of 6 houses will use two grey water tanks where the water from the showers, laundry, and hand sinks will be captured and cleaned through a 3-state process that combines floatation, filtration, and disinfection. The use of this grey water will then irrigate the common area around the selected grouping of 6 homes and the bark park. The system is projected to be near zero-use of domestic water and a 100% use thought the year of grey water. There is a safety switch to allow domestic water to infiltrate the system if there isn’t enough water to meet the demands of the landscape as a safety precaution. We are hoping that the City of Sacramento will use this as a standard that they will want to see from future development to help save our natural resources and minimize the burden of waste water on the current sewer system.