Activists are encouraged to rest and restore during the solstice season, while also taking action to help those in need, both locally and abroad, and to support young, energetic leaders in upcoming elections.
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 Planning Commission voted 5-2 to recommend the City Council certify the Village Farms Environmental Impact Report and move the proposed 1,800-unit development toward a June 2026 ballot measure, despite some commissioners’ concerns about the project’s potential environmental and safety impacts.
The Village Farms proposal and its PIP are not sufficiently clarified and do not meet the necessary requirements to be certified or approved, including the lack of moderate income ownership units, unclear funding streams, and the need for more 2 and 3 bedroom units.
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 City of Davis announced Monday it will recirculate portions of the Village Farms Draft Environmental Impact…
The Davis Joint Unified School District is facing an enrollment crisis due to 25 years of constrained housing production, which has resulted in a population gap of 8,000 missing residents and a decline of 2,300 students in the district.
Davis residents are debating whether the city should build housing to support school enrollment, but demographic modeling shows that the level of housing needed to stabilize enrollment is almost exactly the same level the state is already requiring the city to build under its housing obligations.
The EPS projection that Village Farms would add about 701 new students to the Davis Joint Unified School District is based on district-approved methodology and real-world results in Davis, and is necessary to reverse the district’s long-term enrollment decline.
The City of Davis has released the Draft Environmental Impact Report for the proposed Willowgrove Project, a 1,250-unit mixed-use development that would convert 232 acres of farmland into residential, retail, and commercial space, and includes a 45-day public comment period running from Nov. 10, 2025, to Jan. 2, 2026.
Davis, California is facing an enrollment crisis due to a lack of affordable housing, leading to a decline in school enrollment and the potential closure of schools, prompting the city to consider new housing developments to address the issue.
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 Joint Unified School District Board of Education is facing a potential loss of 1,000 students over the next decade due to rising housing prices, falling birth rates, and changes in UC Davis’s workforce patterns, which could lead to school closures and staff cuts unless two proposed housing developments are approved.
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 Village Farms housing development in Davis, CA could help address declining school enrollment and high housing costs by providing a range of housing options and bringing an estimated 701 new students to the Davis Joint Unified School District.
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 proposed Village Farms development at Pole Line Road and East Covell Boulevard is a missed opportunity to create a vibrant, mixed-use district that would meet Davis’s housing needs for the next 40 years, due to its poor design decision of placing a park in the way of transit and local shopping.
The proposed Village Farms PIP does not meet the requirements of Section 18.05.050 and does not provide the range of housing types and qualitative land use that the city would get under normal standards, and the proposed LEHC is not feasible to meet 100% -120% of median income.
The Twin Pines Cooperative Foundation has suggested changes to the city’s affordable housing plan, including increasing the percentage of affordable units in new developments, requiring long-term affordability, and ensuring that the city meets its RHNA requirements.
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.