By Katharine Dooley-Hedrick
Three years ago, my family moved to the Cannery, drawn by Davis’s reputation as the ideal place to raise kids. Our daughters were five and two, and the strength of Davis’s public schools was central to our decision. Shortly after moving to town, our oldest started Kindergarten and my husband left for a 6-month deployment with the US Navy. In those months as a solo mom to two young kids, I found what so many do in Davis: a community of friends and neighbors that welcomed and supported us. Davis’ commitment to community and neighborly engagement is not something easily found elsewhere.
Today, I cherish the independence my children have found here—the freedom to bike to school and explore our neighborhoods with a sense of security that is increasingly rare. My support for Measure V is rooted in the desire to make this wonderful community more accessible and attainable for other families like ours.
Over the past two years, I’ve spoken with countless community members while volunteering with the Village Farms project. It has been inspiring to hear the many reasons people are drawn here. For many, Davis attracted them as an ideal place to raise their family. Unfortunately, that dream is increasingly unattainable due to a lack of family-friendly homes.
This is why I am voting “Yes” on Measure V. Our community thrives when it is dynamic and multi-generational. By welcoming more families and young people, we do more than just fill houses; we sustain the local businesses that make our downtown vibrant and ensure our schools remain robust. A younger, active population provides the economic energy necessary to keep Davis’s local economy healthy and resilient for the long term.
As a Cannery homeowner, I am also excited by how Village Farms will bridge the gap between our neighborhood and the rest of Davis. We’ve been waiting for our local retail space to thrive. By adding a thoughtful population of neighbors next door, we create the “critical mass” needed to make those shops and cafes a reality. The project delivers the 47 acres of preserved natural habitat that so many of us in the Cannery advocated for, while the new parks and bike paths build upon the connectivity we value.
My family is a direct beneficiary of the only family-friendly development Davis has built in over a decade: The Cannery. Our neighborhood is evidence that when we build it, families come. You can see this yourselves on any weekend day at the pool or the gangs of kids in bike trains every morning to school. I want to see more of what makes Davis such a special place to raise our kids, not pull up the drawbridge behind me.
Village Farms offers a path toward a more accessible, attainable, and connected community. I hope you will join me in voting Yes on Measure V.
Katharine Dooley-Hedrick is a Davis Mom and Cannery Homeowner
Davisite 
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