by Judy Corbett
Numbers Demonstrate That We Have Room to Grow Within Our Current Boundaries
It appears that there are already enough opportunities for the City to provide the 7,036 more units that we need to meet State housing mandates. Many of them are already underway as approved projects or projects in the approval process.
To continue our focus on meeting greenhouse gas reduction goals by focusing on walkable, bike friendly land use patterns, we need to first prioritize high density downtown development; second, single family work force houses and town house units; and third, units that are close to jobs, schools, and services such as grocery stores, and pharmacies so Davis can become more pedestrian oriented and families can avoid the cost of owning a car.
Rather than giving into the pressures of developers controlling properties to the East, 
the City should rely on its ability to promote development within the City’s boundaries. To expedite development, the City should redirect the economic development staff to interview parcel owners to find out what the city can do to help them move forward with development proposals. This could be particularly helpful with properties in the Downtown Specific Plan where the City has, to date, not done enough to expedite the plan and encourage and support project applicants.
The charts below show the City’s list of multiple development opportunities, with some additional opportunities highlighted. The charts, based on Davis’ Housing Element 2021 to 2029, indicate the number and type of units. (*shows newly added parcels.) More individual site detail is available in the Housing Element.
PROPOSED OR UNDERGOING PLANNING REVIEW
Olive Drive Mixed-Use, East Olive Drive Apartments 47
Plaza 2555 Apartments, 2555 Research Park Drive Apartments 200
University Commons, Russell Boulevard, Student Apartments 264
West Davis Active Adult 39660 W Covell Boulevard Senior Apartments 560
1,071 Units
COMPLETED PLANNING REVIEW AND PENDING CONSTRUCTION
3820 Chiles Road, 3820 Chiles Road Apartments 225
Cannery Market Place Apartments 84
Chiles Ranch Subdivision 2411 E 8th Street Single Family 96
D Street Gardens 717 D Street Single Family 9
Davis Live 525 Oxford Circle Apartments Students 71
Nishi Student Housing West Olive Drive Apartment 700
Paul’s Place 1111 H Street Homeless Services Homeless 18
715 East Subdivision 715 Pole Line Road Single Family* 30
Research Park Mixed-Use 1770 Research Park Apartments 160
Trackside Center 901-919 3rd Street Apartments 27
University View Townhomes 335 Russell Boulevard Town Homes 4
Zelkova Court Subdivision 1021 5th Street Single Family Students 5
1,429 Units
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
216 W 8th Street 216 W 8th Street Single Family 2
525 Oak Avenue 525 Oak Avenue Single Family Rental 4
Cannery Subdivision 1111 E Covell Single Family 633
Cassel Lane Subdivision Cassell Lane Single Family 23
Grande Subdivision Grande Avenue Single Family 41
Lincoln 40 East Olive Drive Apartments Students 130
Mutual on 5th 2100 5th Street Apartments 38
871 Units
Total to this point 3,371 Units
CANDATE INFILL LARGE SCALE RESIDENTAL
Covell & Pole Line Road across from Nugget Market Single Family 1,400
Apartments 200
CANDATE REZONE SITES
1100 KENNEDY PLACE SingleFamily 20
1021 OLIVE DRIVE Apartments 16
3300 CHILES ROAD Apartments 146
3425 CHILES ROAD SingleFamily 21
315 MACE BLVD Apartments 97
4600 FERMI PLACE Apartments 98
480 MACE BLVD Apartments 34
1000 MONTGOMERY AVENUE Apartments 106
Shopping Center, 1400 East Eighth Street Apartments* 200
2,338 Units
CANDATE REZONE SITES on City or School property requiring
relocation of existing facilities
School District Admin. Site, Fifth & B Streets Town Houses* 7
School District Admin. Site, Fifth & B Streets Apartments* 30
City Corp Yard 530 L Street Town houses* 40
City Corp Yard, 1813 Fifth Street Apartments* 150
City Corp Yard, 1818 Fifth Street Apartments* !00
327 Units
Total to this point 6,036 Units
DOWNTOWN SPECIFIC PLAN 1,000 Units
Total Potential Units for Davis 7,036
I totally agree with Judy Corbett. Over and Out.
You agree with what exactly, Keith? You clearly didn’t look at how she got to her numbers. This is extraordinarily dated. She clearly didn’t look at which projects have been approved and which have been built. And she didn’t compare these to the Housing Element. (Honestly almost didn’t run this).
She’s counting, University Commons for example. That got killed. Davis live is built. Paul’s Place is built. Research Park was approved, but might not get built. 3820 opened last month. Lincoln 40 opened last year. Cannery opened last year.
NONE OF THIS except a few speculative ones is going to count for future housing.
Almost none of it is family or single family housing. Where is the affordable housing going to come from?
And the city hasn’t even gotten this RHNA approved. Which of these units will count for the next one?
I totally agree with her statement that I referenced above. Is that hard for you to understand David?
Yes – given that you clearly didn’t look at the list, I don’t see how you can agree with her statement.
She’s saying the city should look inward before it looks outward. I totally agree.
Fine. We looked in. Now we have to look out. Her list is out of date.
The only thing that’s “speculative” is future housing RHNA housing targets, given that the current round will fail spectacularly – statewide.
By the way, perhaps this should have been considered when approving megadorms – which apparently don’t count (as some warned).
Have you looked around the city? Lots of single-family housing – which eventually turns over, as well.
It won’t, for the most part. Then again, how “much” should Davis have in the first place? And what is the fiscal impact resulting in pursuing “as much as possible”?
And again, every government dollar for Affordable housing that’s used in Davis is (then) not available to use elsewhere.
Again, ask the massive population centers along the coast about this. Do what THEY do.
“Again, ask the massive population centers along the coast about this. Do what THEY do.”
Ron’s continued recommendation that other cities won’t meet their needs, so we don’t need to meet ours.
Not what I said.
I’d suggest that the city address its current RHNA targets, which is exactly what it’s doing.
I’d also suggest that the city address future RHNA targets, in the same manner in which cities along the coast will be doing – in the future.
All of which will fail – in terms of actually meeting those targets – as you’ve acknowledged, as well.
“I’d also suggest that the city address future RHNA targets, in the same manner in which cities along the coast will be doing – in the future.”
That is where your approach fails.
How so?
Also, it’s not “my” approach. It’s the approach of the massive population centers along the coast – which are actually the focus of the state’s targets.
Or more accurately, it will be the approach, since it’s several years down the line. Assuming that all of those communities even address their current targets.
Do you have some kind of evidence that the state would view Davis any differently than they do the massive population centers along the coast? Or any other town which also isn’t expanding outward?
In fact, do you have any evidence AT ALL regarding a city which decided to expand outward as a result of the RHNA targets?
And if not, why are you stating that Davis uniquely needs to do so? Unless you can answer this question, your entire premise and your daily advocacy “fails”.
This is a complete wishful thinking list. The City can do little about this list. I wish everything was free, but that will never happen too!
Village Farms?
If Judy Corbett is saying that the Village Farms housing proposal is infill and should count for the city’s RHNA numbers, that is big news.
Mike worked on the original Covell Village project, so it’s not totally shocking, but good point, Don.
Yes, that jumped out for me on this list. It represents a large share of the prospective new housing. If Judy agrees that we should annex that property in a Measure J/R/D vote, that would be very helpful towards meeting our RHNA target.
And yes, I was also struck by the fact that her list was dated.
At least she took PG&E off the list. She has missed some key opportunities in the Downtown:
The old Ace Hardward building -7 story.
The now vacant Regal Movie building -7 story.
The Newman Center property across from the Farmers Market -5 story.
That’s included in the 1000 downtown units (which is never going to be close to that).
Newman and Regal are included? That is news I hadn’t heard. Are you sure?
But look, likely we come up short, but at least its doing something. As long as Measure J, an ordinance you refuse to renounce your support for, is on the books infill is going to to be easier to build in the short term.