The following is a letter to Elaine Roberts Musser, Chair of the Senior Citizens Commission sent by Lydia Dellis-Schlosser and Bill Streng of the North Davis Land Company (formerly known as the Covell Partners) advocating for their solution for senior housing. We have repriinted this in its entirety. It was submitted in response to Sunday’s article on Senior Housing.
They also clarified to the Vanguard that they are not advocating for a senior only (age restricted) neighborhood concept. That was part of the original proposal several years ago, however, they believe based on input from the community, that multigenerational was what people wanted.
April 7, 2013
Dear Elaine,
Thank you for letting both Bill and I contribute to the Cannery Park discussion on March 28th. While we appreciated the opportunity we felt we needed to provide a more in depth explanation supporting our request for the following to be considered in the Cannery Project.
We would like to see support for:
1) Requiring the applicant to provide more single story home options
2) Providing a better understanding of the Micro-neighborhood concept
The following information is presented in order to provide some rational reasons why the Cannery Park plan should be able to provide a greater number of single story options to our community, without compromising density or the existing land plan. These solutions are meant to meet the needs of all generations. We are not supporting nor promoting a senior only neighborhood solution.
Single Story Home Facts:
– New Homes claims they have 19 lots able to accommodate single story homes
– ConAgra states that single story homes may possibly be built on these lots.
– They also said maybe only 12 of these lots would actually be considered for single story
– They only have one single storyplan yet they have 6 architects.
– The stacked flats are single story stacked 4 stories high. The ground floor is a garage with parking so no units are on ground level. All units require elevator or stair access. What if the power goes out? The stacked flat home product offers the equivalent of apartment or condo style living, as opposed to the lifestyle offered by living in a single story, single family home. Offering 90% of the single story units as stacked flats does not override the need for a greater number of single story homes on small lots.
– And, while livable design features will be provided in many of the two story homes, which are laudable and desirable, it does not make a two story home fully equivalent to a single story home. Skylights offer a more energy efficient space because you use electricity less, in addition many seniors have failing eyesight and enjoy having the ample amount of natural light in which skylights provide in the living areas. This is not possible in a two-story home or a 4-story building (except for the 4th story). Single story living offers far greater opportunities for complete freedom and independence as you enjoy your entire home… young or old.
– At the SCC meeting you stated that the trend for higher density is warranted, and we must stay within these density parameters.
– Bill Streng attempted to demonstrate how we could accommodate more single story, single-family homes by making the northern area more efficient (dense) in its layout. (see Exhibit 1)
– He also tried to demonstrate how the micro-neighborhood concept could fit into their existing land plan without loosing units or incurring more cost.
Two Single Story Solutions:
Idea One:
If New Homes were to redesign it’s northern area more efficiently (higher density) it would allow for the popular Micro-neighborhood plan (see Exhibit 2) to be incorporated into the area south of loop C on both the east and west side of the clubhouse. The couple of lots lost with the micro-neighborhood, are gained in the more efficiently designed northern loop.
The Micro-Neighborhood design offers a variety of home types, styles and square footages, in addition to providing a common greenway and gathering area outside your front door. The concept evolved from Glacier Circle, a very popular and well-known project in Davis. The micro-neighborhood floor plans are primarily single story with some two-story models. All have universal design features; ample natural lighting, feature great room floor plans, wider doorways, hallways and all bathrooms are universally designed with roll in showers. This micro-neighborhood design reflects the input of 1100 community members.
The concept is meant to serve young and old alike – we are not supporting or proposing a senior only neighborhood. Continued reference to this is not accurate and demonstrates the unwillingness to be open to creative solutions that will meet many of our housing needs.
Idea Two:
The Cottages Area C (76 two story units) is designed on 48′ x 75′ lots.
Exhibit 3 shows how a single story plan can fit on this lot size with up to a 1490 sf home.
The Bungalow Alleys (44 two story units) are designed on 40′ x 80′ lots.
Exhibit 4 shows how a single story plan can fit on this lot size with up to a 1500 sf home.
If you can fit a reasonable size single story home on the Cannery Park proposed lot sizes then there would be no change to the overall density.
Couldn’t a portion of these two housing products offer a variety of single story plans?
Senior Outreach facts:
1. Seniors expressed the desire to downsize and stay in Davis
2. Maintain Home ownership
3. Live in Single Story Detached (1200 to 2000 sf)
4. Enjoy a Neighborhood Environment
5. Own a home with Livable Design Features (Eskaton program)
6. Minimize their home maintenance (smaller lots, single story)
7. Have safe and easy access to shopping
Demographic Facts:
In 2000 the senior 55+ population was 7,256
In 2010 the senior 55+ population was 11,475*
In 2011 the senior 55+ population was 11,907**
A gain of 4,651in the last 11 years for the 55+.
* US 2010 Census **US 2010 Census and 2011 ACS
The median income for Davis householders 65+ is $59,316. (Exhibit 5)
Compared to Yolo County, which is $43,152, and the US, which is $33,432.
The only single family, single story, ownership housing built for seniors in Davis in the last 30 years are the 8-10 units of Glacier Circle.
If Cannery Park passes it will be the only new housing with potential to meet some of the growing senior needs for the next 15-20 years.
Research with Davis title companies indicates there are 4500+ senior homeowners in Davis. This group owns larger, family oriented homes, which are either paid for or have significant equity. Based on the most current statistics Davis seniors have ample retirement incomes and thus are able to afford a home that will meet their future needs. (see Exhibit 5)
Even if a small percentage of these 4500+ seniors decided to downsize and purchase a single story home in the Cannery Park project, they would be opening up their current homes to larger families, with young children, that would allow them to live closer to schools and neighborhood parks.
Thank you for taking the time to read this letter.
Sincerely,
Bill Streng
Lydia Delis-Schlosser
Sounds like a great idea. They should do something like that on their own land.
Good data supporting a priority need for much more senior housing to be built in Davis. Lots of arguable points, too. (Should we build some multi-floor housing for seniors or restrict senior housing to single story buildings only, for example?)
Any idea why Dellis-Schlosser and Streng are taking on the cannery development in such a strong and carefully detailed (see alternate design layouts!) campaign? Did they argue against approving the new multi-story senior housing development next to Konditori (indluding its shortage of skylights)?
Do they represent anything other than a competing housing development company? There must be some explanation of their serious a concerns about thesenior aspects of cannery proposal.
Obviously they plans of their own demonstrated by those designs. I wish them well in their efforts for their own property but do wonder about how much senior housing is needed in addition to what is already coming on line.
Obviously they have plans of their own…
Just sees that there must be more to the picture about being so civic-minded. It’s not as though they got a better, competing project to sell to senior buyers. And, if they do have future plans, the small number of senior units in the cannery wouldn’t take away much of the potential market.
“Any idea why Dellis-Schlosser and Streng are taking on the cannery development in such a strong and carefully detailed (see alternate design layouts!) campaign?”
To kill the project.
Who wins if Cannery fails?
1. CV has another chance to try and force their property into a joint planning effort with land inside the city limits.
2. CV gets another chance to make a low ball offer to buy the ConAgra acreage.
3. The Davis housing shortage becomes more acute; and pressure from the public and SACOG to add more residential continues to grow.
4. Streng and Whitcombe get to demonstrate to the politicians, city staff, activists, and real estate community that they are still cock-of-the-walk after all these decades.
Since he is older than at least 90% of the men in America (and more than 99% of the men still working) Bill Streng is in a good position to comment on issues facing “seniors”.
I’m sure Bill’s heirs will make more money (statistically he has less than a 0000.1% chance of living to cash a check from a Covell Park home closing escrow) if the Cannery is killed (and Covell Park moves forward), but I would be interested to hear why “Silent Majority” thinks this plan is to “kill” the Cannery project.
I’ll cut him some slack since he has been developing homes since before I was born, but it seems that Bill forgets that in 1974 when he was building 1,550sf (Carter Sparks designed) homes in “Ivy Town” (just south of the Cannery site) with 480sf garages on ~7,000sf lots they were in line with the median size of new homes in America that (according to the US Census) were 1,560sf. The median size of a new home in America is now close to 2,200sf with a garage close to 500sf.
Not many people ever called the “Streng” homes in Davis and Sacramento “big”, and I don’t see a “big” market in 2013 for homes that are even smaller, on lots that are half the size with garages that are barely big enough for a couple full size SUVs (but not a full size car or SUV “and” washer and dryer).
Silent Majority, thanks for the clarification on why Streng/Whitcombe want to kill the current ConAgra/Cannery project.
P.S. I was an event in the Bay Area a few months ago and after a friend introduced me to his Dad he mentioned I’m now living in Davis. The Dad asked if I had ever met John Whitcomb (that he got to know when they were in the same section at HBS years ago). The Dad said that many were surprised to hear that any HBS grad would want to move back to a “cow town” but said “I heard things have gone well for him up there”…
Apparently not well enough 🙂
This is more about #4 than money.
[quote]The Davis housing shortage becomes more acute[/quote]
What shortage?
We were very pleased with our modest Streng house in the “college streets” development in what used to be “West Davis.” I suspect anything Bill Streng’s involved with would be a quality operation.
So, I’m skeptical about the somewhat nasty speculations about why he might be so adamant about the cannery project’s senior housing shortcomings (including specific design considerations that are subjective ideas at best). A head-on attack about such details–designed to stop a competitor’s project–doesn’t sound like a logical approach from a respected, longtime businessman. And, it would be such a transparent effort that it couldn’t be convincing to people as smart as Davis city councilors and other citizens.
I kind of figured that Bill Streng probably had gotten to a point in his life where he’d be offering up good suggestions based on his experience, say, as a member of a seniors advocate group, for example.