Fox Point Brewing Co., shown in a Fox Point Farms social media image, was noted in a recent report from the Global Wellness Institute as part of the Encinitas development’s focus on sustainability and wellness. The hops for the brewery are grown on site. (Fox Point Farms social media photo by Maria Russo)
A newer Encinitas neighborhood’s agricultural approach to development and sustainability recently received global attention.
Fox Point Farms is one of several projects included in the Miami-based nonprofit Global Wellness Institute’s “Build Well to Live Well” case study report, which highlights wellness-oriented real estate developments in a variety of settings, from college housing to senior living.
The report, which was released Sept. 25, looks at 13 projects in the United States and United Kingdom that demonstrate “the extraordinary diversity and creativity underway in the $548 billion wellness real estate sector — the fastest-growing wellness market,” according to a Global Wellness Institute news release. The case studies were developed over 18 months and presented by the organization’s researchers at the Women in Residential Construction conference in Austin, Texas.
Global Wellness Institute researchers noted Fox Point Farms’ focus on wellness through food systems and sustainability that reach into the community.
“The design of Fox Point Farms is driven by a strong conviction that food systems, sustainability, and human health form a closed loop,” the report stated. “The 5.5-acre organic farm is the centerpiece of the development, situated adjacent to the cottages and townhomes. The farm not only supplies a green viewscape for residents and food for the community, but it also serves as a laboratory and classroom for earth-friendly farming and health-enhancing food production.”
Researchers broke down the development’s successful elements into what it listed as five Dimensions of Wellness:
✓ Physical: Residents are within walking distance of the site’s farm and other wellness amenities available to them.
✓ Mental and Spiritual: Farm-based education programs and mind-body classes offered onsite.
✓ Social: Community spaces that are open to the public, in addition to events and programs organized by Hatch Gatherings.
✓ Environmental: Rainwater capture and stormwater reuse, native and drought-tolerant landscaping, electric vehicle charging for residents and guests, and an e-bike sharing program for residents.
✓ Economic and Financial: A micro economy that supports local production, higher-density homes with 40 rental units reserved for extremely and very low-income residents, with home prices running $700,000 to $1.5 million otherwise.
The report also highlighted Fox Point Farms’ use of hyper-local businesses as a way to overcome zoning challenges for the property it was developed on.
“The land on which the development stands in north San Diego County was originally the site
of a greenhouse operation, zoned for agriculture and mixed residential and commercial use,” the report stated, explaining that the addition of a brewery was a zoning challenge since industrial operations were not part of the site’s approval.
“However, with the farm supplying hops directly to the brewery, (developer) Nolen Communities was able to make the argument that the brewery is an accessory use to the site’s approved agricultural use, which eventually won zoning approval,” according to the report.
The full “Build Well to Live Well: Case Studies Volume 1,” which looks at projects elsewhere in the U.S. such as Rancho Mission Viejo in Orange County, is available at globalwellnessinstitute.org.
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