By Roberta Millstein
This post is to just let people know that the arguments for and against the Village Farms project are up on the County’s website. The rebuttals to the for and against arguments are due by March 3; I will post them at some point afterward. Village Farms is subject to a Measure J/R/D vote of all Davis citizens and has been assigned as Measure V.
Here is the argument in favor of Village Farms, i.e., in favor of Measure V, that will appear on our ballots in June (the argument against follows after that):
It’s been over a generation without family housing approved by voters in Davis. The consequences are real: young families, teachers and local workers can’t afford to live here, declining enrollment threatens our schools, small businesses struggle, and tens of thousands commute here daily, adding traffic and emissions.
Measure V approves Village Farms Davis – diverse homes for every income level on a site prioritized for decades.
Measure V guarantees a dedication of 16 acres of land and $6 million toward affordable housing, the largest contribution in Davis history. Twenty percent of homes are permanently affordable for income-limited households, exceeding city requirements.
Seventy percent of market rate homes are attached or on small lots, providing much needed “missing-middle” housing. DJUSD estimates Village Farms Davis will attract young families with 1,100+ new students to help enrollment.
Measure V strengthens our city budget and funds critical traffic improvements while generating millions in ongoing revenue for essential city services.
Over half of Village Farms Davis is open space, habitat, agriculture, greenbelts, parks and trails. This includes a central park, needed sports fields, and a permanently conserved 47-acre natural habitat with a permanently funded endowment.
Surrounded by existing neighborhoods in North Davis, this infill site sits within walking and biking distance of schools and services. Village Farms Davis completes the Davis Bike Loop (Northstar to Wildhorse) with grade-separated crossings.
Village Farms Davis is a 100% all-electric, solar-powered sustainable community developed by local families with deep Davis roots – the same builders and planners who pioneered our greenbelt design, urban habitat, and sustainable neighborhoods.
After years of thoughtful design and comprehensive study, Village Farms Davis provides a measured plan to strengthen our schools, budget, and community. It can help us meet state housing mandates and keep local control.
As Davis parents and grandparents, we care deeply about our community’s future. We urge you, please:
Vote Yes on Measure V
/s/ Lois Wolk
Former State Senator/s/ Will Arnold
Former Mayor/s/ Brooke Agee
Elementary School Teacher/s/ Katharine Dooley-Hedrick
Parent/s/ Rose Cholewinski
Small Business Owner
Here is the argument against Village Farms, i.e., against Measure V, that will appear on our ballots in June:
Village Farms, with a 15-year buildout, proposes 1,800 housing units on 498 acres, the largest residential project ever proposed in Davis with many serious impacts.
- Massive traffic, adding over 15,000 car trips DAILY near Covell Boulevard and Pole Line Road.
- Unaffordable housing, where 80% of the project is market rate housing costing $740,000 – $1,300,000 which is not affordable tomost local workers and families with young kids. How would this help schools?
- Developer isn’t responsible for building the affordable housing, except potentially 100 affordable units (Phase 3). Is this a good affordable housing plan?
- Toxics including carcinogenic PFAS “forever chemicals” leaking to Village Farms from the adjacent unlined Old Davis Landfill and Sewage Treatment Plant.
- 200-acre floodplain with serious flooding potential and risk of PFAS groundwater toxics contaminating Channel A which flows through Wildhorse then Willow Slough Bypass, Yolo Basin habitat wetlands and connecting waterways, including Sacramento River.
- Failed floodplain engineering in the 1990’s resulted in the City buying flooded Howat Ranch to settle the lawsuit. Village Farms has no verified floodplain control plan.
- Old Davis Landfill’s 30-year burn pits, testing wasn’t done for carcinogenic dioxins.
- Soil toxics, high neurotoxin levels, toxaphene and lead, on park where kids would recreate.
- Safe access concerns, including 2 proposed bike/pedestrian grade-separated crossings which have had feasibility issues. After 7 years, this developer hasn’t delivered his Nishi housing project or its overcrossing.
- Enormous infrastructure costs.
- ONE MILLION cubic yards (100,000 truckloads) of soil to move, trying to fill the floodplain.
- Unprotected vernal pools with no conservation easement in place so far.
Village Farms is too big, too many impacts, including massive traffic and costs, predominantly unaffordable housing and potential liability to Davis long-term.
There are better alternatives, like the “reduced footprint” alternative recommended, below Channel A to avoid risks of flooding and toxics impacts.
Vote NO on Measure V!
/s/ Eileen M. Samitz
Former Davis Planning Commissioner/s/ Vijay Kumar
Civil Engineer/s/ Jean Jackman
Nature Columnist/s/ John Privara
Former General Plan Mobility Committee Member/s/ David McGlocklin
Retired Teacher
This information is available online at: https://ace.yolocounty.gov/417/Measure-V—City-of-Davis
Davisite 
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