Developers behind Village Farms proposal host campaign kickoff in Davis
The campaign committee supporting the 1,800-unit Village Farms proposal held a Yes on Measure V campaign kickoff event in downtown Davis on Wednesday.
The committee was formed by and receives major funding from the North Davis Land Company, the developers behind the Village Farms proposal.
“We are all here because we are in dire need of some new missing middle housing in Davis,” said Sandy Whitcombe, a member of the Village Farms Development Team. The development will bring “the types of homes that are obtainable for the missing middle,” she said. The project, Whitcombe said, is a “no-brainer.”
The development qualified for the June ballot in January. Supporters hope it will bolster the city’s budget hope it will bolster the city’s budget and help young families settle in Davis. The developers released a poll last week that found majority support for the project. Opponents are skeptical of the poll’s results and say the proposal has too many flaws and should be sent back to the drawing board.
The event, which was held at the campaign’s headquarters, attracted about 100 people. Campaign volunteers passed out pamphlets with information about Measure V and buttons and yard signs showing support.
“Our community really has the value of supporting and nurturing the youth of our community by having good schools,” Davis Joint Unified School District board President Hiram Jackson said. “This will generally help with our school population”
School districts that are thriving are the ones in places that are building housing, Jackson said.
The school board has been uncharacteristically vocal about Measure V. Davis Joint Unified faces an enrollment crisis and may have to close schools. The school district estimates Village Farms could bring more than 1,100 children into the school district.
Community members in favor of Measure V cite the numerous obstacles standing in the way of affordable housing and say they’re frustrated by the glacial pace of development in town. Some want their children to have the option to raise their families in Davis, and others say the city should approve every unit it can.
“It took months to find a place when we were looking,” said Albert Robles, 58, who raised two daughters in Davis. “And that was 20 years ago.”
Evan Kim, 26, moved to Davis as an undergraduate at UC Davis and hopes to raise a family in the city.
“To me, I think it’s simple,” Kim said. “We should build this. We should build everywhere.”
