Plaza 2555 Comes Back to Council Looking a Quite a Bit Different, Including a Facility for Yolo Crisis Nursery

By David M. Greenwald

Two years after the first time it came before council, Plaza 2555 is back looking quite a bit different from the last time it was here on October 16, 2018.  Back then, the council appointed their standard Partida-Carson subcommittee to work with staff and applicant to address concerns raised at that time.

These concerns had been over the inclusion of four- and five-bedroom units as well as the loss of commercial space in the city.

The revised version has eliminated the four- and five-bedroom apartments, with the new mix further reducing the number of bedrooms provided in the project by a good margin.

The affordable housing plan has also been revised to include not only onsite affordable units, but a contribution of land to the Yolo Crisis Nursery.

As revised, the proposal will consist of 200 units with around 500 bedrooms, downwardly projected from the 646 bedrooms in the 2018 proposal.

The project has also reduced the number of micro units and single bedroom units and eliminated studio apartments.  However, it now has 81 two-bedroom and 109 three-bedroom dwellings to go with five each of the one-bedroom and micro units.

The proposal includes “approximately 22,400 sf of non-residential spaces that include 3,100 sf leasing office and café space, 8,100 sf multiple indoor activity areas, 2,200 sf bike barns, 1,500 sf day care, pedestrian pathways, landscaped courtyards, common open space areas, and maintenance areas.”

The current affordable housing plan contains onsite for very low income—5% of the rental units to be rented at an affordable rent to very low-income households, with the unit mix including at least three two-bedroom units and at least three of the micro units.  The remainder of the affordable units will be one-bedroom units.

In addition to the 10 overall affordable housing units, Plaza 2555 will contribute one acre of land to the Yolo Crisis Nursery for the purchase of creating a new and larger facility to better meet the needs of the families in Yolo County.

As staff notes, “The Yolo Crisis Nursery provides a ‘home away from home’ for children ages zero to five whose families are in crisis and in need of supportive services. It is a short-term residence for at-risk children who can stay for up to 30 days while their families receive wrap-around services.”

The facility “predominantly serves very low and extremely low-income income families referred by other Yolo County social services agencies. Even though YCN does not itself income-qualify its clients, in practice 99% of the children that YCN serves come from families that are eligible for Medi-Cal.”

The income threshold for Medi-Cal eligibility is lower than the “very low income” threshold.

Furthermore, staff notes, “72% of the children come from families who are at risk of experiencing homelessness.”

Staff reports, “There are only four crisis nurseries in California, and YCN is the only nursery to operate under multiple licenses in order to serve a range of children of various ages. The need for the crisis nursery is growing, but the current facility cannot be expanded to meet the growing.”

Back in 2018, the council noted “that the loss of this commercial designated land is supportable given the limited freeway access and the fact that the property had remained unimproved for many years.”  However, they did not find the unit mix acceptable, particularly the four- and five-bedroom units and the total bedroom count of 646.

The council pushed for a “more traditional” apartment complex that has micro units, 1, 2, and 3 bedroom units.

The project qualifies as a Transit Priority Project exempt under CEQA.  Staff notes, “It meets all of the requirements of PRC related to this exemption.”

It also has a number of sustainability measures, including “compliance with the City of Davis reach codes, photovoltaic panels to offset energy use and purchasing any energy needed to achieve a net-zero energy profile for site and commons area spaces at the highest renewable rate available from the project’s utility. Transportation measures include unbundled parking for the residents, meaning parking will be charged separate of rent to encourage a car free lifestyle.”

Staff notes that the project is proposed “adjacent to transit and within walking distance to shopping, parks, medical facilities, and schools to promote alternative transportation options. The applicant has proposed the amenity space and coffee kiosk to discourage peak-hour traffic to and from the project.”

—David M. Greenwald reporting

Support our work – to become a sustaining at $5 – $10- $25 per month hit the link: