It’s refreshing to discover that I’m not the only one hooked on the idea of a Farm-to-Table Community. A few weeks ago, I noted The Culinary Cottages on the Baja Peninsula won a 2016 Gold Nugget Award, and today I want to tell you about The New Home Company’s community The Cannery in Northern California.

Builder Magazine just featured The Cannery as one of the big winners of the 2016 NOCAL Awards. In fact, this community dominated, taking top honors as Master Planned Community of the Year as well as awards for home design, marketing, landscaping and more. The New Home Company’s SAGE neighborhood within The Cannery was among the big winners.

What’s the appeal of this new land use?

The farm-to-table community concept is an idea that brings together a confluence of current social trends in a meaningful and beautiful way. With rampant population growth in many of our Western metroplexes, issues like open space, sprawl, declining farmlands, and chemical farming is creating the demand for a better way.

The basic idea is simple. Preserve farmlands as open space. They build communities around the farms creating more homes using the density bonuses that open space preservation often triggers. The residents can enjoy a bucolic setting and enjoy the activity of modern organic agriculture. Local grocery stores and eateries have a nearby source of fresh, locally grown produce. Everyone wins.

Who have seen some interesting examples following this modality? Please feel free to share your findings, comments or critique.