The New Haven in Ontario Ranch residential community boasts 12 acres of private amenities such as parks, a pool, a clubhouse and… robots and drones. That’s right, residents of this “Connected and Convenient Community,” in Ontario, California are getting some sci-fi upgrades that further illustrate how technology is driving a new wave of premium perks for those who can afford it.
Last week New Haven celebrated its grand opening with an event that featured the mayor of Ontario receiving a drone delivery of beer and other goodies from the New Haven Marketplace and the Brew Haven brewery, both of which are located at the community. But this wasn’t a one-off thing. Drone delivery is being baked into the growth of New Haven and will be offered as an ongoing service.
Brookfield Residential, the developer of New Haven, is in the process of building 59,000 news homes and has partnered with the City of Ontario and Airspace link to create a drone-safe and drone-friendly community. An Airspace Link rep emailed The Spoon explaining:
The next phase is to permit a designated take-off and secured landing location with access control for drone delivery operators to provide the services for the local retailers to the community. Final phase will include the deployment of some physical infrastructure to support these operations at scale (surveillance, deconfliction, communications).
But New Haven’s tech ambitions aren’t solely in the sky. In April, the community rolled out Gita, a small robot on wheels that paired with and followed a person around, acting as another set of hands to carry drinks/snacks/whatever. That program seems to have ended in June and we’ve reached out to New Haven to see if Gita will make a comeback.
It’s not too hard to see how perks like drone delivery or a robot assistant could sway people to buy a home in a residential community. Drone deliveries take just minutes so restaurant meals arrive piping hot, which would be a nice option to have on hand. And having a robot carry stuff for you isn’t just convenient, it seems like you could bundle in a robot with the purchase of each home so everyone got their own li’l mobile assistant.
New Haven’s drones and robots are part of a larger movement to include high-tech amenities in high-end residential communities. Cashierless checkout convenience stores in apartment complexes is another perk we’ve seen pop up over the past year, with Aramark and AWM Smart Shelf opening such a store at the Nineteen01 complex in Santa Ana, CA, and Accel Robotics opening up one at the Vantage Pointe high-rise in San Diego, CA. Ghost kitchens could be another amenity if the recent deal between C3 and Akera Living catches on with residents of Kenect communities.
The goal with all these perks to to place them on-site so people don’t really need to leave their community. They can access whatever they need in the comfort of their own compound. In the case of Accel Robotics, offers “last step” delivery so residents don’t even have to leave their apartments to get goods.
Of course, the only way to access these perks is to have enough money to afford a house in a high-end development. New Haven homes range from the $500,000s for townhomes to the high $600,000s for a single family home. It’s certainly nothing new that those with money get first access to modern conveniences, but hopefully tech companies will find a way to be more equitable in distributing their innovations to communities that can actually use such conveniences, rather than just those that can afford it.
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