By David M. Greenwald
Executive Editor
Davis, CA – This week, the Senior Citizen Commission will receive an informational presentation on the Bretton Woods Senior Affordable Housing Project.
In 2018, Bretton Woods, known to the voters as West Davis Active Adult Community (WDAAC), was approved by the council and ratified by the voters in a Measure J vote. The voters approved up to 580 housing units including 150 affordable senior apartments—80 percent of the units will be age restricted.
While this will be an informational item, “Staff is requesting comments that that Senior Citizen Commission may have on the project based on these guidelines or other issues and features that may be of import to its future senior residents.”
According to the staff report, the project includes two 75-unit residential buildings. These will be four stories each and will also have a freestanding single-story community building.
The buildings will be serviced with elevators so that all units can be accessed.
According to the applicant, “a minimum of 5% of the units are required to meet full 
mobility requirements by code. The rest will be adaptable. All units will have access on the ground floor or the elevators and the geometry and dimensions within the units will be the same to easily allow for adaptable improvements and universal design features.”
The affordable project is on a 5.64 acre site, which is part of the over 70-acre housing project.
To the east of the site will be the future University Retirement Community or other senior housing provider.
To the north, there will be future single-family homes on a residential medium density use lot.
To the west, there will be a transition buffer corridor followed by agricultural land.
To the south, across W. Covell Blvd. there is an apartment complex called Saratoga West as well as the University Retirement Community existing senior community in residential medium high density use lots.
“The proposed project will support the City’s affordable housing requirements and will provide 150 residential units with a combination of studios, 1, and 2-bedroom units appealing to a variety of household sizes,” the project narrative notes.
Under the conditions passed by the voters, the housing plan “requires that one-third of the affordable units be provided to individuals with incomes at or below thirty percent (30%) of area median income (extremely low income) and an additional one-third of the units for individuals with incomes at or below fifty percent (50%) of area median income (very low income). The remaining one-third would be for individuals at or below eighty percent (80%) area median income (low income).”
Staff notes, “Construction documents are not complete and details of the units and their design are still being developed.”
However, in the project narrative it describes the current design.
As they describe it: “All buildings are finished in stucco using a light color palette containing light grays and greens consistent with the Bretton Woods design guidelines. The overall massing of the two 4-story residential buildings is broken into smaller volumes to maximize articulation and to enhance visual interest.”
The narrative continues: “There is a clear language on the configuration size and of the windows used to reflect the different levels of privacy of the interior spaces. Living rooms of the larger units are placed on building corners which both provide more natural light as well as a higher level of articulation to the areas that define the building edges. Metal sunshades are placed over the south and west facing residential windows to enhance climate and shading control.”
The community building, according to the project narrative, “is a one-story volume with a sloping roof with overhangs on all sides of the building. A large trellis extends south toward the central lawn area to both protect and emphasize the main circulation between all three buildings.”
The applicant states, “This proposed project provides a high-quality residential community that will serve a variety of senior household sizes. Strong community support is expected to continue for the affordable component of the master development that has been widely lauded as meeting a growing need in Davis.”
The whole project and especially this part of it should have never been approved at this location. What an awful place to park elders especially those with mobility challenges. A community building which will offer very little age diversity; I realize there’s another community space that serves all of BW.
Sure, it may be closer to some activities and features of Davis than comparable housing in other cities, but the bar is so low this is irrelevant. At least some grandkids in West Davis can find this place bikeable but that’s about it.
All of this would have fit nicely into the block between 5th and 6th and B and C plus across the street next to the church. That would be much more advantageous to overall health than having an emergency room close by.
It’s a ghetto and should be illegal.
Isn’t the block between 5th and 6th and B and C Streets the Davis Joint Unified School District offices? And what’s the value of being across the street from a church? I’m sorry, but if your response is meant to be a joke, I’m too dense to “get it”.