City of Ontario and Brookfield Residential Announce Drone Service, Robot Carts, e-Scooters, Smart Hubs and More, Along with Major Retail Opening
The First Drone Test Service for a Large U.S. City and first Robot Carts for any California Community
Brookfield Residential and City of Ontario have unveiled sweeping, lifestyle-enhancing technology innovations and services for the residents of Ontario and the New Haven masterplan community. The breakthroughs include the first authorized test drone service for a major U.S. city, robot carts for residents, plus e-scooters, smart hubs and more. They come as New Haven unveils major retail openings at New Haven Marketplace. These tech advancements – the result of long-term investment by the City and Brookfield Residential – further define Ontario as one of the most advanced cities in the U.S. for providing technology that vastly improves everyday life for residents.
“New Haven residents will soon enjoy exciting tech tools in a masterplan setting that will enhance everyday quality of life,” said Brookfield Properties SoCal Land & Housing President Nicole Burdette. “These drones, robot carts, e-scooters, smart nodes and other astonishing advances will uplift and simplify life at New Haven.”
Ontario Mayor Paul S. Leon concurred, saying, “The New Haven masterplan debuted in 2015 as a ‘gigabit community,’ with lightning-fast downloads far surpassing other cities in the country. Since then, our partnership with Brookfield Residential has continued to deliver the best, most cutting-edge and practical technology. It’s all about Community, Connectivity and Convenience. And these new tools – enhancing and simplifying life at New Haven – boost sustainability and businesses while propelling Ontario among the nation’s top, smart-technology cities.”
Brookfield Residential, City of Ontario and their tech partners unveiled the suite of tech services at the July 9, 2021 “Tech on Tap” technology showcase. This event also marked the opening of a major new phase of New Haven Marketplace, the retail center developed by Frontier Real Estate Investments in partnership with CALSTRS and Brookfield Residential. On Ontario Ranch Road between New Haven and Haven Avenues, New Haven Marketplace now includes Rodeo X (featuring gourmet food) and Brew Haven tap house.
The tech tools and partners are:
- Drone Delivery: Leading drone services provider DroneUp, with drone software leader Airspace Link, is working to bring drone delivery from New Haven Marketplace businesses and services directly to residents via drone. Following upcoming test trials, Ontario and New Haven plan to offer the first authorized drone flights in a large U.S. city. These will also be the first flights near a major airport (Ontario International Airport), and the first drone flights with direct city involvement.
- Personal Following Robot Carts: Gita (pronounced “Gee-tah,”) are robot carts that will carry residents’ items to and from shopping and recreation (up to 40 lbs.). They make walking more convenient and shopping and recreation more fun. New Haven has already introduced their ‘adopt-a-robot’ pilot project and will be the first community in California to employ robot carts for its residents.
- E-Scooters: Clevr Scooters – These three-wheeled electric scooters, will be offered as an alternate means of transportation within the community. The scooters are part of City of Ontario’s extensive prioritizing of mobility options in the city. The scooters reduce the need for cars, while easing short transportation trips. Distinct from other scooter providers, Clevr focuses on serving suburban residents, not just urban centers
- Smart Nodes™: ENE HUB (pronounced “Any-hub,”) are thoughtfully designed, multifunctional streetlights that provide lighting, phone charging, environmental sensors, WiFi and 5G service, wayfinding, security and even speakers for streaming music or announcements. A subsidiary of Brookfield Infrastructure Partners, ENE HUB Smart.Nodes™ also measure data for energy and transportation efficiency. Ontario Ranch’s first Smart.Node™ is installed and operating at New Haven Marketplace.
- Premier Innovation Collective: 4th Sector Innovations, provides powerful innovation and entrepreneurship services to for-profit, non-profit and government organizations and their Ontario location is focused on furthering tech development for the region’s largest economic sector – commerce and logistics.
With City of Ontario’s leadership and vision for high-speed connectivity, these tech innovations follow the pioneering high-bandwidth fiber communications New Haven and Ontario Ranch residents have enjoyed since the community’s 2015 opening. Comparable to advanced Google Fiber communities in other parts of the U.S., this “Gigabit Community” offers up to 1,000 megabits per second, for super-fast downloads and increased at-home work, study and entertainment.
In addition, Brookfield Residential recently unveiled its myTime and myCommand smart-home services. myCommand lets potential homebuyers schedule visits to model homes privately and on their own schedule, including off-hours. And myCommand’s new voice-automation technology incorporates the top-three smart-home platforms – Amazon, Google and Apple. Brookfield Residential is North America’s first major homebuilder to seamlessly provide the choice of all three.
ENE HUB station at New Haven Marketplace – street furniture that provides lighting, phone charging, wifi and 5G service, wayfinding, security and even speakers for streaming music or announcements. Photo by Brookfield Residential.
New Haven Marketplace Opens
New Haven recently welcomed the New Haven Marketplace, the first retail center in the Ontario Ranch masterplan. Anchored by the 45,204-square-foot Stater Bros. market, New Haven Marketplace is walking distance from the four distinct neighborhoods of New Haven. New Haven Marketplace has now unveiled Rodeo eXperience (eclectic, upmarket food hall) and Brew Haven tap house. These join over a dozen tenants arriving since late 2020, making New Haven Marketplace the most significant new retail and lifestyle destination in the Inland Empire. Tenants include:
- Stater Bros. Supermarket
- Rodeo eXperience
- New Haven Animal Hospital
- Pio Pico’s Tacos
- Kona Cleaners
- Yoga 6
- Starbucks
- Chase Bank
- Jersey Mikes
- Popping Yolk
- Shootz Hawaiian
- Dot and Dough
- Fika Fika Creamery
- Okami Ramen
- Primal Kitchen
- D’Vine Mediterranean
- Carl’s Jr
- Great Clips
- Kape Republik
- KOIO
- The Camp Transformation Center
- Dentists of Ontario Ranch
- Feeling Groovy Wellness Center
- The Ranch Nail Spa
Brookfield Residential Properties Inc. Brookfield Residential Southern California Los Angeles, a division of Brookfield Residential, is committed to being more than a homebuilder. We strive to create the best places to call home. The Brookfield Residential Southern California Los Angeles team has the passion, the expertise and the local knowledge to craft homes and neighborhoods that speak to homebuyers at every stage of life. We are an award-winning homebuilder and industry leader with an exceptional reputation for quality, design, and customer service.
Brookfield Residential Properties Inc. is a leading land developer and homebuilder in North America. We entitle and develop land to create master-planned communities, sell lots to third-party builders, and operate our own home building operations. We also participate in select, strategic real estate opportunities, including infill projects, mixed-use developments, and joint ventures. We are the flagship North American residential property company of Brookfield Asset Management, a leading global alternative asset manager with over $550 billion of assets under management.