By Elaine Roberts Musser and Dan Carson
Measure W -Willowgrove is the latest housing development to come up for consideration under Measure J/R/D. This measure is the City of Davis law that requires a majority vote of the public to annex farmland or open space to our city for urban development.
As you assess the merits of this project, it’s important to understand where we stand today. The state has imposed mandatory requirements for communities like ours to rezone the land needed for additional housing. These requisites include additional units of low income housing, as well as housing for moderate income persons who work in Davis but cannot afford to live here. Our failure to comply with these mandates would, without question, trigger state intervention to force our compliance with state housing policy.
That state intervention could even result in state action to override Measure J/R/D itself. The last legislative session saw strongly bipartisan approval in the Assembly of AB 2676. This bill would have curbed the use of local initiatives and referenda, that are widely being used around the state to block cities from meeting their state-mandated housing obligations. AB 2676 did not pass the Senate, but has momentum, and will almost certainly be reconsidered in some form in next year’s legislative session.
The recent failure at the ballot box of Village Farms Davis is already attracting attention in Sacramento. In our view, if voters want to keep their voice at the table in important local land-use decisions, it is imperative that Measure W – Willowgrove succeed. Measure W needs to be resoundingly approved by Davis voters and move this important project forward.
The good news is that Measure W – Willowgrove is an excellent project, with an impressive list of positive attributes, that amply deserves your “yes” vote.
There are too many positive features to mention in this brief article. You may wish to go to the Yes on W website, at https://www.yesonw-willowgrove.com/, and the City of Davis election website, at https://www.cityofdavis.org/city-hall/city-clerk/elections/november-3-2026-general-municipal-election, to get a more complete picture. But here are a few aspects of the project that make it a winner in our eyes:
- Willowgrove would add 250 deed-restricted affordable homes. Another 288 of the total 1,250 homes are financially attainable middle income housing. These are big steps forward toward meeting our future state-mandated housing obligations.
- At least 20 dedicated units would be set aside for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities, a first for Davis. The Yolo County Commission on Aging & Adult Services pushed very hard for this important type of housing that is so lacking, and the Willowgrove team understood the need from personal experience. Bravo to the Willowgrove developers for its inclusion!
- Willowgrove will open the opportunity for young families to move into neighborhoods and homes that they can afford and that are suitable for children. These critical features, sadly, are a rarity in today’s Davis housing market. This will bolster attendance numbers within our school system. That, in turn, will help our academically outstanding school district navigate the serious threat of school closures and the risk of degradation of its excellent educational programs.
- The addition of more housing will bring in new customers for our local businesses, helping to keep the downtown vibrant and fiscally viable. It could provide the critical mass needed for the long-planned commercial center at the Cannery to be revived. Neighborhood retail in Willowgrove will also provide walkable options currently not available and local employment. All of this helps ailing city finances.
- Willowgrove has extensive amenities that can be used by the entire Davis community and will be 100% developer funded. A 17-acre community park will include a 9,500 square-foot gymnasium, lighted athletic fields, pickleball courts, a dog park, shaded pavilions, and a large, inclusive playground. More than 70 acres of trails and greenbelts for biking and walking will crisscross Willowgrove, where 2,500 new trees will also be planted.
- The project will fund $11 million in traffic improvements along East Covell Blvd, the Mace Corridor and at I-80 interchanges. This should go a long way to mitigate traffic problems that exist today and are likely to go unfunded without Willowgrove. A safe route to school plan has been included that takes advantage of both an existing undercrossing of Covell Boulevard and Willowgrove’s proximity to Harper Junior High.
- With the generation of new property taxes, retail sales tax, and long-term City maintenance funding commitments, Willowgrove is a fiscally responsible project that will generate a net surplus for Davis.
If Measure W passes, it is a clear demonstration that J/R/D works. The above list of Willowgrove amenities are examples of the kinds of enhancements that our local community was empowered to negotiate for. And they are included only because of Measure J/R/D that is in place today. That leverage will be lost if a “no” vote on Measure W triggers state legislative or administrative action to override Measure J/R/D.
Accordingly, we gladly endorse the proposed Willowgrove housing development. No project is perfect. However, we are convinced that the new community of Willowgrove will be a huge net positive for our community. Please vote YES on W!
Elaine Roberts Musser is an attorney who has served on county and city commissions as well as various task forces. She was given the award of Davis Citizen of the Year in 2014. Dan Carson is a former Davis City Council member and member of the city Finance and Budget Commissioner with a 45-year career in journalism and state and local government service.
Davisite 
Leave a comment