The Davis City Council meeting exposed a widening fault line in how the city approaches affordable housing, as the discussion shifted away from progress and toward demands for hard guarantees, which could potentially kill the project and discourage future developers from pursuing projects in Davis.
The Davis City Council is divided over how to guarantee affordable housing in a proposed development, with some councilmembers arguing for baseline guarantees and others advocating for a development agreement that could be amended in the future.
The Davis City Council discussed the proposed Village Farms project, which includes 1,800 housing units, 280 of which would be affordable, and the need for long-term maintenance funding, with some councilmembers expressing support and others expressing concerns about the project’s affordability and environmental impact.
The Davis City Council and Planning Commission should amend the Village Farms project to remove any references to a fourth fire station, as the city can save money by repositioning existing fire stations and using the land for affordable housing.
The Davis City Council is holding a public workshop to discuss the proposed Village Farms Davis development, a large-scale housing and annexation project that could ultimately go before voters in June 2026.
The Davis City Council has deferred ballot action on Measure J/R/D, instead focusing on affordable housing production and climate-related standards, and has not yet decided on a timeline for any future changes.
The Davis City Council is considering changes to Measure J to address the city’s growing housing needs, but the process is complicated by political and economic factors, and the city is bracing for the possibility of a legal challenge.
The Davis City Council is discussing potential amendments to Measure J/R/D, a voter-approved ordinance that requires citywide elections before agricultural or open space land can be converted to urban use, with the goal of exempting certain types of projects, such as affordable housing, and potentially reducing costs by placing the measure on the November 2026 general election ballot.
The Davis City Council discussed the potential restructuring of the city’s homeless respite center, including its purpose, operations, and location, due to concerns about data, spending, staffing, and the facility’s effectiveness.
The Davis City Council is being recommended to maintain the Daytime Respite Center at its current location and transition to an in-house staffing model, which is projected to cost $505,534 per year and is the lowest-cost approach that maintains existing service levels.
The Davis City Council held a marathon workshop on the Village Farms project, while the Davis Joint Unified School District warned of the consequences of inaction on housing, including declining enrollment, program cuts, and possible school closures, highlighting the need for affordable housing in Davis.
The Davis City Council has sent a clear message that the Village Farms project will not move forward unless it delivers firm, enforceable commitments on affordable housing, housing mix, farmland restoration, and transparency.
The proposed Limited Equity Housing Cooperative (LEHC) by Village Farms is financially dangerous and ill-prepared, and the City of Davis should reject it immediately due to its infeasibility and potential for financial loss for 82 Davis families.
The Davis City Council will hold a public workshop to review and discuss the Village Farms Davis project, a proposed 498-acre development that could bring 1,800 new homes, a community park, open space, and extensive infrastructure improvements to the city’s northern edge.
The Davis City Council discussed the city’s affordable housing ordinance, highlighting the need for greater financial transparency and flexibility in project individualized plans, while also considering the need for more tools to challenge developers’ claims of infeasibility.
The City of Davis needs additional housing, but the proposed Village Farms project includes a fourth fire station and a downpayment assistance program that could add to the city’s deficit spending and not benefit low-income residents, so the commission should recommend that the fire station proposal be dropped and the downpayment assistance program be either dropped or administered by a private entity.
Despite Davis’ strong inclusionary housing laws, a new staff report shows the city is still falling far short of its affordable housing goals due to rising costs, limited funding, and slow production.
The Davis City Council voted unanimously to defer a decision on requiring community microgrids in the two proposed peripheral housing projects, while approving a $185,000 traffic fee study to move the developments forward.
Parents, educators, and residents of Davis are urging the City Council to expedite the Village Farms and Willowgrove housing projects to prevent families from being priced out of the city, which is hurting schools and teachers.
The City of Davis is facing a housing crisis and should focus on facilitating the addition of housing and affordable housing, rather than pursuing costly and speculative microgrid projects.