Planned demo of century-old home in Davis shines light on greater housing conversation

An appeal process ended Friday night for the planned demolition of a home more than a century old in downtown Davis. 

No appeals were submitted by Friday's deadline and the city is expected to give the green light for the demolition to move forward in the next several weeks. 

The 121-year-old home sits at 509 Third Street just steps from the city's downtown core. 

Dilapidated and crumbling, the home has not recently been taken care of and has sat empty for years. 

The push to demo the home is facing pushback as some Davis residents say they want to see the home saved. 

"I find it heartbreaking," said Veronica Tramontini. "All the towns are starting to look the same. I really feel like we need to hold on to these homes before they are gone forever. Because once that happens, you can never get it back. 

Tramontini says she did not file an official appeal with the city because it would cost several hundred dollars. Instead, she turned to CBS Sacramento to call attention to the site. 

"I have traveled all over the country, helping seniors and towns preserve their history. I've seen how beautiful it is when we remember the life that came before us," said Tramontini. 

The home is owned by Andrew Dowling of Dowling Properties. Dowling filed the petition to demolish the home — his business sits right next door. 

Dowling told CBS Sacramento over the phone that the home has become an eyesore, a safety hazard, and a place where the unhoused often will camp. 

In 2023, the city of Davis found there was nothing significant about the home, declaring it ineligible to be deemed a historical landmark. 

The home does, however, pop up in the Yolo County Archives. It was first spotted on a 1907 Sanborn fire insurance map. 

The Yolo County Archives team estimates the home was built around 1897 for Lawrence L. Bowen, one of the owners of the long-closed Lillard & Bowen Meat Market in downtown Davis. 

The home was passed down through several families. In the 1930s it was transformed to several businesses, including the Harold Grady Music Studio and then the E. W. Berger radio repair shop, before returning to its roots as a home and finally sitting empty for the last leg of its life. 

Fast forward to present day, and after the planned demolition, the lot could sit empty indefinitely. 

Dowling Properties had originally proposed to build a five-story apartment complex on the block, but Dowling confirms they pulled the proposal. 

He tells CBS Sacramento it was too risky and would not make any money, especially considering the mandate that part of the development must include affordable housing. 

It is a challenge the city of Davis says many developers are facing. 

"They don't do this just because they like to. They do it because they're trying to make a profit. When you factor in what I like to call the cost of money, the cost of labor, the cost of materials, all these things go into whether or not a project is going to be feasible," said Sherri Metzker, community development director for the city of Davis. 

But driving through downtown Davis, it is easy to spot several similar infill projects that are successfully under construction now.

That includes at G Street. and Sweet Briar Drive where the Sweetbriar Townhomes are going up; as well as 240 G St. which is under construction now to build mixed-use apartments. 

"Reusing properties that have gone through their useful life and repurposing them into something more modern, denser, and with a higher use for a smaller piece of property," said Metzker. 

One clear example of old becoming new is the former Hibbert lumber site at 500 G St. 

"After the Hibbert family decided to stop the business and retire, they put the property on the market," said Metzker. 

After about 70 years in business, the lumber yard was sold and is under construction now to become a mixed-use high rise. 

"It's an implementation of a policy where we go up with our development instead of out with our development," said Metzker. 

Infill is a major focus for city leaders.

"The question was raised, what do you want to see for downtown? What do you see as the future of downtown? Do we leave it as it is, or do we allow for other kinds of development? And the city did allow for this kind of development," said Metzker. 

It comes as the city is drafting its 2050 general plan, asking for community feedback at a meeting scheduled for October 14.

"As we all know, there is a housing crisis in the state of California. We are merely trying to do our part as the city in providing additional housing," said Metzker. 

Dowling Properties told CBS Sacramento that after the planned demolition they could potentially sell the lot, but have no active plans for it right now. 

"Not a lot of things make it 100 years. To just let that go by the wayside, I think it's so sad," said Tramontini of the old home. 

It represents a balancing act between Davis' history and its future. 

Measure W is currently on the ballot for Davis voters, who are being asked to approve or deny the Willowgrove housing development which would bring more than 1,200 homes to agricultural land on the outskirts of the city. 

Davis voters will decide if they want to give the stamp of approval for outward growth in addition to inward, as the city races to meet state-mandated benchmarks for affordable housing.