Does Davis support Measure V? Developer takes early poll of Village Farms plan
.jpg "A rendering shows one of the conceptual home design for the Village Farms Davis project. Final designs would be subject to city approval after the City Council put the project's future to the residents in the June primary election.")
The developers behind a controversial 1,800-unit project that requires voter approval in Davis released results of a poll Tuesday showing early majority support among city residents surveyed.
The proposed 498-acre development, Village Farms, would be built north of East Covell Boulevard between the Cannery development and Pole Line Road. In addition to more than 1,000 market-rate homes, it would include 280 units of affordable housing and 80 units designed for moderate-income families. The development plan also would add upgrades to bike and pedestrian infrastructure, a new park, and sites for a daycare center and fire station.
The Village Farms Development Team recently formed a political committee to advocate for Measure V, an annexation vote required under Davis’s Measure J-R-D growth-control ordinance, will appear on the city’s June 2 ballot. The poll, commissioned by the development team, “reveals strong majority support for the Village Farms development project,” according to a news release from the development team.
A survey of 300 likely voters living in the city of Davis found that 54% of voters said they intended to support Measure V and 31% said they intended to vote against it. When survey participants were given additional information about the proposed development, support increased to 61%, according to the press release. Thirty-two percent of survey participants said they opposed the measure after learning more about the development.
The poll found that 30% of Davis voters were more likely to support the project after learning about its affordable housing component, and another 30% were swayed by the development’s plan for habitat preservation.
The poll was conducted between Jan. 12 and 17 by San Francisco-based polling firm Dave Binder Research. Participants were contacted on landlines, cellphones and text messages, and the poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 5.7 percentage points.
The proposal’s environmental impact report was approved by the City Council at a January meeting where dozens of people provided public comment, most in support of the development.
Supporters of the project see it as a lifeline for a city struggling to close a budget deficit and a school district facing the prospect of closing campuses. Some hope it will help Davis’ “missing middle” find homes and raise families locally. The developers said last month they project the new homes would add more than $1.2 billion to Davis’ tax base.
“The results reveal clear community priorities around affordable housing, environmental protection, and recreational amenities,” according to the development team’s press release.
Opponents of Village Farms worry about building so many homes on a flood plain, especially one so close to an unlined landfill that could be leaking toxic chemicals. They also worry about the impact on traffic and say the true cost of the development is not clear because it will require significant infrastructure upgrades, some of which the city would have to fund.
“This is the developer’s poll,” said Eileen Samitz, a former city planning commissioner who heads the “No on Measure V” committee. “It’s geared to ignore the plethora of problems and impacts Village Farms has and present it in a positive light.”
Samitz said she was skeptical of a survey with such a small sample size in which the poll questions were not released verbatim.
“The public needs to consider the source of this poll,” Samitz said. “It’s from the Village Farms developer, so it’s just not credible.”
“With the June 2nd election approaching, the Village Farms project team plans to share detailed information with voters about the proposed development and its community benefits,” the development team wrote in a news release. “Davis voters will have the final say on Measure V when they cast their ballots in June.”
This story was originally published February 24, 2026 at 2:56 PM.
