Davis voters weigh Measure V housing project amid traffic and growth debate

Measure V is a major ballot item for many Davis voters. If approved, the proposal would create a new residential neighborhood with parks and open space in a high-traffic corridor in the city.

With UC Davis enrollment increasing over the past 25 years, it's created longer commute times and rising housing costs. Village Farms Davis, the proposed development, is intended to help address those pressures, though it has drawn significant opposition.

"This particular location happens to be one of the highest traffic-wise, as you can hear and see," said Eileen Samitz, campaign coordinator for the No on Measure V campaign.

Samitz has been taking to the streets to speak with voters in an effort to stop the project from moving forward.

"Our group is not against growth. It's not against having more housing. We're against bad planning," she said.

Davis voters will decide Measure V in Tuesday's election. If it passes, Village Farms Davis would bring a residential neighborhood with parks and open space to the area near Pole Line Road and Cordell Boulevard.

"It's an infill project in Davis, California near shopping, existing infrastructure, urban uses," said Doug Buzbee, project manager for Village Farms Davis.

Buzbee describes the project as smart growth, acknowledging there would likely be increased traffic but noting plans for significant transportation upgrades. He said the development would include millions of dollars in improvements aimed at making the area safer and more accessible for pedestrians and cyclists.

The project would bring 1,800 units for families across a broad income range. The idea is to allow families to live where they work and go to school.

Proponents of Measure V argue it's long overdue, citing that it's been more than two decades since Davis residents voted on a housing project like this one. They say that because of this, the school district is struggling with enrollment.

"Davis is now missing a generation of young people, young families, and those kids who would normally feed into our schools," Buzbee said. "So it's the right time to do this project because it's been so long since Davis has contributed to the family stock in town."

Opponents, however, raise concerns about timing, environmental impact, and infrastructure strain.

"We have plenty of time to get this right and not push it through the way it is, which is unacceptable," Samitz said. "All the impacts to the city, also the liability between the floodplain and the toxics. It makes absolutely no sense."

Samitz also pointed to concerns about the site's history near a former landfill that closed decades ago.

"Those toxics are leaking onto the site. PFAS, which are carcinogenic," she said.

Buzbee disputed those concerns, saying the development is not located on a former dump site and that the affected landfill area is not part of the project.

"We are not developing a site that was a former dump site," he said. "There was a former dump site north of our site. It's inaccessible to anyone. It's not drinking water. The residents of our project will be drinking the same clean drinking water that I drink at my house in north Davis."

Another argument is whether or not it will actually be affordable for young families.