by Matt Williams
The Committee and the Planning Department Staff did a truly superb job of providing a wealth of information on huge 3 foot wide by 6-foot tall sheets, which covered all four walls of what had to be a 40-foot by 40-foot room. In the words of Rodney Robinson, “I can’t wrap my mind around all of this!” I am sure Rodney was not alone in those feelings.
To their credit, the Committee and Staff did their very best to anticipate that very reaction, and organized the workshop into five “Stations” each of which was designed to expose the participants to a “bite-size” portion of information, and build the participant’s knowledge (and hopefully enthusiasm) as they moved from Station to Station. Each Station was manned by as many as three of the Committee members, who shared information and answered questions.
Station Two built on the knowledge garnered in Station One. Interactive learning/participation with Committee members was supplemented by eight more 3 foot by 6-foot wall graphics. It was fascinating to watch the interactions at Station Two. As Committee member Mark Spencer said, “People didn’t stay in their burrows tonight.” No question was out of bounds, and based on the questions being asked at all the Stations, more than one Committee member echoed Kristin Stoneking’s comment that she “didn’t think that developers had been in evidence tonight.”
Reflecting on what he saw, Council member Don Saylor made the comment that, “You couldn’t have asked for more. The Workshop gave everyone the opportunity to build their knowledge at their own pace, before moving on to the next stations where they were given the opportunity to share their opinions.” Mayor Greenwald spent most of her evening at the workshop sharing her thoughts on housing in general and on some sites specifically … Nishi and Cannery most notably.
Stations Three and Four began the feedback process. The 14 Principles the Committee has used to guide their deliberations and site rankings were on display.
(1) Promotes a compact urban form, which allows for efficient infrastructure and services.
(2) Promotes overall proximity to existing community facilities including parks, greenbelts, schools and shopping (which reduces driving and its negative impacts).
(3) Promotes overall proximity to the downtown and UC Davis (which reduces driving and its negative impacts).
(4) Is capable of providing compact development and higher density housing, especially near community facilities (which reduces driving and its negative impacts).
(5) Preserves prime farmland and minimizes farmland conversion.
(6) Is adjacent to, or contributes to open space and greenway system connections.
(7) Provides adequate vehicular access and safety.
(8) Promotes pedestrian, bicycle and transit mobility.
(9) Is compatible with existing land uses in the vicinity.
(10) Is compatible with noise environment.
(11) Avoids health risks (such as exposure to particulates in close proximity to freeways).
(12) Preserves a small town feel.
(13) Promotes historic preservation.
(14) Advances (or at least does not harm) fiscal stability.
Each participant was given three sticky dots, which s/he could use to vote for their most important three Principles. Principles (1), (4), (5) and (8) appeared to have the most green dots.
For those participants who weren’t suffering from their own version of Rodney Robinson’s mind-wrap problem, Station Five was set up to get feedback on the wealth of topics not covered in Stations Three and Four. Some of those topics were:
- Overall housing directions,
- Trade-offs and strategies the community might want to pursue in meeting its housing needs
- Options for Housing Density and Intensity Near Downtown and Neighborhood Nodes
- Preferences for Housing Development Within the City as Compared to Peripheral Sites, and
- Thoughts on the one percent growth guideline adopted by the Davis City Council on March 8, 2005 (based on an estimated internal housing need report prepared by Bay Area Economics).
- “Not one single additional acre of farmland should be paved over in our life times!”
- “What does the Committee envision for the Anderson Transit Corridor?
- “The South Davis properties along I-80 shouldn’t be residential. The kind of High Tech companies we want to attract to Davis want Freeway access, which is one of the few positives those sites have to offer.
- “Davis is a wonderful community because of our values, our innovation and our welcoming hospitable character. To continue to be innovative, Davis needs a certain amount of growth, with the 498 unit RHNA number probably being too little growth, but the 2,300 unit 1% guideline number probably being too much growth.”
Submit your comments either at THE WORKSHOP OR, if you would like to take more time, please MAIL, FAX OR EMAIL your comments so that they arrive at City Hall by January 30, 2008 (next Wednesday), so that Staff can include your comments in the workshop report.
Please send your comments to Bob Wolcott, Principal Planner, City of Davis, 23 Russell Boulevard, Davis, CA 95616. Tel (530) 757-5610; Fax (530) 757-5660; Email Bob Wolcott. Thanks!
The comments form can be printed off by going to the city website
In closing I would like to echo the words of Committee member Lucas Frerichs, “I’m very, very encouraged by the turnout, especially in the rain. It exceeded all expectations, and is a great tribute to Davis.”
Matt, may I ask:
Who do you work for?
If you are self-employed, what is the nature of your business?
In what part of Davis do you live?
Other than your home, do you own land in Yolo County (directly or indirectly)?
Given that you comment publicly and frequently on this topic, it would be nice to know what your interests are. Thanks in advance for your response.
Matt, may I ask:
Who do you work for?
If you are self-employed, what is the nature of your business?
In what part of Davis do you live?
Other than your home, do you own land in Yolo County (directly or indirectly)?
Given that you comment publicly and frequently on this topic, it would be nice to know what your interests are. Thanks in advance for your response.
Matt, may I ask:
Who do you work for?
If you are self-employed, what is the nature of your business?
In what part of Davis do you live?
Other than your home, do you own land in Yolo County (directly or indirectly)?
Given that you comment publicly and frequently on this topic, it would be nice to know what your interests are. Thanks in advance for your response.
Matt, may I ask:
Who do you work for?
If you are self-employed, what is the nature of your business?
In what part of Davis do you live?
Other than your home, do you own land in Yolo County (directly or indirectly)?
Given that you comment publicly and frequently on this topic, it would be nice to know what your interests are. Thanks in advance for your response.
Thanks for the update, Matt. I’m glad somebody had a good evening; things weren’t much fun over at the school board meeting.
There’s a big difference between 498 and 2,300 units, which seems to be one of the key policy decisions to be made. I assume that, once the sites are ranked, that growth guideline is what determines how quickly they are developed.
Thanks for the update, Matt. I’m glad somebody had a good evening; things weren’t much fun over at the school board meeting.
There’s a big difference between 498 and 2,300 units, which seems to be one of the key policy decisions to be made. I assume that, once the sites are ranked, that growth guideline is what determines how quickly they are developed.
Thanks for the update, Matt. I’m glad somebody had a good evening; things weren’t much fun over at the school board meeting.
There’s a big difference between 498 and 2,300 units, which seems to be one of the key policy decisions to be made. I assume that, once the sites are ranked, that growth guideline is what determines how quickly they are developed.
Thanks for the update, Matt. I’m glad somebody had a good evening; things weren’t much fun over at the school board meeting.
There’s a big difference between 498 and 2,300 units, which seems to be one of the key policy decisions to be made. I assume that, once the sites are ranked, that growth guideline is what determines how quickly they are developed.
Curious said…
Matt, may I ask:
Who do you work for?
If you are self-employed, what is the nature of your business?
In what part of Davis do you live?
Other than your home, do you own land in Yolo County (directly or indirectly)?
Given that you comment publicly and frequently on this topic, it would be nice to know what your interests are. Thanks in advance for your response.
Curious, no problem. I work in Finance/Decision Support at UCD Medical Center. I live in Yolo County just outside the Davis City Limits, but in the City of Davis Planning Area.
Both my wife and I have only one property in California that we own or have interest in, either directly or indirectly, which is the home we live in.
My interests are to see (and in some cases help see) that our decisions about land use/housing are as wise as possible. We have come to love Davis since we moved here nine years ago, and feel that giving back to something that has given us so much pleasure is the right thing to do.
Curious said…
Matt, may I ask:
Who do you work for?
If you are self-employed, what is the nature of your business?
In what part of Davis do you live?
Other than your home, do you own land in Yolo County (directly or indirectly)?
Given that you comment publicly and frequently on this topic, it would be nice to know what your interests are. Thanks in advance for your response.
Curious, no problem. I work in Finance/Decision Support at UCD Medical Center. I live in Yolo County just outside the Davis City Limits, but in the City of Davis Planning Area.
Both my wife and I have only one property in California that we own or have interest in, either directly or indirectly, which is the home we live in.
My interests are to see (and in some cases help see) that our decisions about land use/housing are as wise as possible. We have come to love Davis since we moved here nine years ago, and feel that giving back to something that has given us so much pleasure is the right thing to do.
Curious said…
Matt, may I ask:
Who do you work for?
If you are self-employed, what is the nature of your business?
In what part of Davis do you live?
Other than your home, do you own land in Yolo County (directly or indirectly)?
Given that you comment publicly and frequently on this topic, it would be nice to know what your interests are. Thanks in advance for your response.
Curious, no problem. I work in Finance/Decision Support at UCD Medical Center. I live in Yolo County just outside the Davis City Limits, but in the City of Davis Planning Area.
Both my wife and I have only one property in California that we own or have interest in, either directly or indirectly, which is the home we live in.
My interests are to see (and in some cases help see) that our decisions about land use/housing are as wise as possible. We have come to love Davis since we moved here nine years ago, and feel that giving back to something that has given us so much pleasure is the right thing to do.
Curious said…
Matt, may I ask:
Who do you work for?
If you are self-employed, what is the nature of your business?
In what part of Davis do you live?
Other than your home, do you own land in Yolo County (directly or indirectly)?
Given that you comment publicly and frequently on this topic, it would be nice to know what your interests are. Thanks in advance for your response.
Curious, no problem. I work in Finance/Decision Support at UCD Medical Center. I live in Yolo County just outside the Davis City Limits, but in the City of Davis Planning Area.
Both my wife and I have only one property in California that we own or have interest in, either directly or indirectly, which is the home we live in.
My interests are to see (and in some cases help see) that our decisions about land use/housing are as wise as possible. We have come to love Davis since we moved here nine years ago, and feel that giving back to something that has given us so much pleasure is the right thing to do.
Matt…. did I miss this in your fine article?….what were the approx. numbers that attended last evening?
Matt…. did I miss this in your fine article?….what were the approx. numbers that attended last evening?
Matt…. did I miss this in your fine article?….what were the approx. numbers that attended last evening?
Matt…. did I miss this in your fine article?….what were the approx. numbers that attended last evening?
Thank you, Matt, for your disclosure.
You didn’t indicate where your home is, relative to the city boundary, so let me guess.
Let’s see. It is east, south or southeast of the City. Definitely south of I-80, I think. In or near unincorporated Willowbank or El Macero? Am I close?
Thank you, Matt, for your disclosure.
You didn’t indicate where your home is, relative to the city boundary, so let me guess.
Let’s see. It is east, south or southeast of the City. Definitely south of I-80, I think. In or near unincorporated Willowbank or El Macero? Am I close?
Thank you, Matt, for your disclosure.
You didn’t indicate where your home is, relative to the city boundary, so let me guess.
Let’s see. It is east, south or southeast of the City. Definitely south of I-80, I think. In or near unincorporated Willowbank or El Macero? Am I close?
Thank you, Matt, for your disclosure.
You didn’t indicate where your home is, relative to the city boundary, so let me guess.
Let’s see. It is east, south or southeast of the City. Definitely south of I-80, I think. In or near unincorporated Willowbank or El Macero? Am I close?
El Macero
El Macero
El Macero
El Macero
Anonymous said…
Matt…. did I miss this in your fine article?….what were the approx. numbers that attended last evening?
138 people signed the log. It will be interesting to see what the count of submissions to Bob Wolcott is.
Anonymous said…
Matt…. did I miss this in your fine article?….what were the approx. numbers that attended last evening?
138 people signed the log. It will be interesting to see what the count of submissions to Bob Wolcott is.
Anonymous said…
Matt…. did I miss this in your fine article?….what were the approx. numbers that attended last evening?
138 people signed the log. It will be interesting to see what the count of submissions to Bob Wolcott is.
Anonymous said…
Matt…. did I miss this in your fine article?….what were the approx. numbers that attended last evening?
138 people signed the log. It will be interesting to see what the count of submissions to Bob Wolcott is.
Thanks.. it will be interesting to see how many of the mail-ins moved Covell Village up to High as per Lydia’s explicit instructions.