Election results: Davis housing, research campus ballot measure behind in early returns

Measure H, an annexation proposal for a research hub and housing project on the east side of Davis, is on track to fail, according to early results from Tuesday’s primary election.

If approved, the ballot measure would change the land-use designation of agricultural land near Mace Boulevard and Interstate 80 to make way for a 102-acre “mixed-use innovation center” that includes labs and research space, offices, retail and hundreds of units of housing.

Measure H was failing with 63.27% of voters voting “no,” as of about 11:45 p.m. Tuesday night, based on early results.

It’s the second time Davis voters have considered whether to allow construction on the project, called the Davis Innovation and Sustainability Campus. Developers behind the project had hoped that a pared-back version of the development would win over voters, who initially rejected the development in November 2020.

At the time, opponents to the project criticized the increased traffic that would result from the new development. Many of those criticisms remained, even as proponents for the new version of the campus said project developers Buzz Oates and Ramco Enterprises had made adjustments that rectified major concerns.

The new plan cut about half of the commercial space down to 1.34 million square feet, and the number of housing units on site was reduced from 850 units to 460.

“All our initial concerns remain the same from the original project, it’s still an auto-centric, freeway-dominated project that has enormous traffic impacts on a major arterial that’s already congested,” Alan Pryor, a spokesperson for the main opposition campaign against the development, previously told The Bee.

Advocates behind the project said the development would attract companies in agricultural, environmental and technology fields to the city, and help keep more UC Davis graduates in town.

The last time Davis voters approved annexing agricultural lands for new development was in 2018, when they supported two projects — Nishi Gateway Project, a 47-acre student housing development, and the Bretton Woods in Davis, a senior housing development.

This story was originally published June 7, 2022 at 9:13 PM.