The Abridged version:
- Election officials are counting the votes for and against the Village Farms housing development ballot measure, or Measure V.
- Whether the project, on the north end of Davis, moves ahead depends on a simple majority vote.
- Early returns show “no” leading, as of midnight. with about 28% of registered voters counted.
Early returns show more than half of counted ballots in Davis opposing Measure V. If approved, the measure would give the green light to the Village Farms development.
With about 28% of registered votes counted, the “yes” campaign had 47.7% of the vote as of midnight, while “no” had 52.3%. The project must be approved by a simple majority, or 51%, of Davis voters before it can move ahead.
While early results show “no” with a lead, the election will not be certified until all votes are counted. The county will continue to update results, with the next batch of results expected Friday.
If approved, Measure V would add up to 1,800 residential units just west of the Wildhorse neighborhood. If rejected, the project would not move forward, and the approval process would need to restart for any future proposal.
The ballot measure, which the Davis City Council approved in January, has faced ongoing scrutiny from opponents who have a list of environmental concerns and worries over its potential effects on traffic and public health.
Supporters point to a city-approved environmental impact report that they say addresses many of these concerns. They also highlight sagging enrollment at Davis schools and increasingly unaffordable housing.
This isn’t the first time a housing development on this piece of land has been proposed. In 2005, Davis voters rejected Covell Village by just under 4,000 votes. That project, which had a similar footprint to Village Farms, attracted much of the same opposition and eventually failed.
Another project on Davis’ northern boundary will be on the ballot this November. The Davis City Council approved the Willowgrove proposal, which would bring 1,250 new units to Davis, in early May.
Sign Up for the Yolo County Newsletter
Stay in-the-know on all things Yolo! Weekly email with stories and insights from Yolo County reporter Daniel Hennessy.
Support and opposition for Davis Measure V
No on V campaign
No on V, spearheaded by Eileen Samitz, raised concerns about the environmental consequences of the project, its proximity to the old Davis landfill, traffic and what the campaign says is an inadequate affordable housing plan.
Yes on V campaign
Yes on V was funded by the North Davis Land Co., which was established by the group of developers behind the project, including John Whitcombe. The campaign touted the project’s potential to increase Davis’ struggling housing stock and sagging school enrollment rates.
Baseline project features
In addition to housing, the proposal includes a list of baseline project features and an affordable housing plan.
- Up to 1,800 residential units can be built, including high-density, medium-density and low-density.
- The developer will set aside land and money for the construction of 360 deed-restricted affordable housing units. It will provide at least $6 million for the construction of those units and at least 100 lower-income units will start to be built by the time the 150th market-rate low-density unit is built.
- Land dedicated to Davis Joint Unified School District for pre-K facilities and an educational farm.
- A community park, a neighborhood park, greenbelts, trails and bike paths.
- Landing sites for grade-separated bike and pedestrian crossings for F Street and Pole Line Road.
- Public open space, land for habitat conservation and land for agricultural uses.
Daniel Hennessy joins Abridged from the California Local News Fellowship. He’s a reporter covering Yolo County.