Davis voters to decide on Measure W housing development plan

Davis voters will decide in the November election whether to approve one of the largest housing developments in the city's history, a proposal that would add 1,250 homes while preserving hundreds of acres of farmland.

Measure W would amend the city's general plan to allow the nearly 232-acre Willowgrove project near the Wildhorse neighborhood and East Covell Boulevard. The proposed development includes single-family homes, apartments, a community park and potential retail space.

According to the proposal, 43% of the homes would be designated as affordable housing. The plan also requires certain units to be reserved for people with disabilities.

The project would preserve 374 acres of farmland owned by Bullseye Farms, according to city officials.

Davis City Attorney Inder Khalsa said the developer has also committed "a $6.8 million donation ... to the city to facilitate affordable housing development and construction of a community park."

The measure comes just months after Davis voters narrowly rejected another housing proposal, Measure V. It also follows the city's long-standing Measure J, which requires voter approval for certain changes to the general plan involving the conversion of agricultural land to urban uses.

"Simply amending the general plan by itself would trigger voter approval, but we don't want to present that to the voters," Khalsa said. "We want to present to the voters a full-fledged project that they can evaluate the potential impacts on the community and see the pros and the cons."

The land proposed for development is primarily outside Davis city limits. If the project moves forward, the city would also need to seek approval from the Yolo County Local Agency Formation Commission, known as LAFCO, to annex the land.

Unlike the earlier Measure V proposal, Measure W has received unanimous support from both the Davis Planning Commission and City Council. The city's website lists no formal or organized opposition to the measure.

"In many ways, their proposal does in some areas exceed the city's requirements. They are going to be providing what we call fair share funding towards traffic, infrastructure, road infrastructure improvements that will address the traffic caused by this project," Khalsa said.

Davis Mayor Donna Neville said she is hopeful voters will recognize the importance of making housing more accessible to everyone.