Davis, CA – The Davis City Council took additional steps toward crafting a comprehensive economic development strategy. The meeting, held on Tuesday, focused on identifying the city’s economic direction amid challenges such as limited space for new businesses and the need for a cohesive identity.
The council overwhelmingly supported a hybrid approach to the development of the city’s economic strategy. This method combines immediate actionable steps with a long-term strategic framework. The hybrid model allows Davis to address current needs while laying the groundwork for future growth.
City Manager Mike Webb noted that this approach would enable the city to continue essential initiatives, such as process streamlining and business outreach, while developing a detailed economic plan.
Vice Mayor Donna Neville supported the hybrid approach as a starting point.
“My initial inclination is to a hybrid approach where we get started on some of the things I think we can do now, especially some of the downtown things we know we can do that are ready and waiting to happen while we develop a more comprehensive plan,” Neville said.
Councilmember Gloria Partida added, “I like this idea of this hybrid, let’s do something that we can do now and work on programs that will benefit us now because we have been coming out of COVID and waiting for this for such a long time that it feels like we need to move forward and get some things out there.”
In a move to streamline efforts, the council formed two subcommittees. The first will concentrate on retaining and supporting existing businesses, addressing the immediate needs and challenges faced by current enterprises. Councilmembers Gloria Partida and Linda Deos will lead this effort, focusing on nurturing the local economic landscape and ensuring viability.
The second subcommittee, comprising Councilmember Josh Chapman and Vice Mayor Donna Neville, will explore the city’s brand and identity, targeting future growth opportunities. This group aims to leverage Davis’s proximity to UC Davis and its strengths in sustainability and innovation to attract new businesses aligned with the city’s potential identity as a hub for sustainable innovation.
Throughout the meeting, councilmembers emphasized the importance of regional collaboration, particularly with organizations like Valley Vision and the Greater Sacramento Economic Council. Linda Deos stressed the need for Davis to maintain a strong presence in regional discussions to ensure the city is not overlooked in favor of neighboring areas.
Moreover, the council discussed the necessity of defining a cohesive identity for Davis, one that aligns with its unique characteristics and aspirations.
Mayor Bapu Vaitla highlighted sustainability as a potential focal point, suggesting that Davis could position itself as a leader in sustainable food, agriculture, and transportation systems.
“I think about the existing identity of Davis and our greatest asset, which is this our world-class university next door,” Vaitla said. “I think immediately about sustainability, I think about sustainable food and agriculture systems. I think about innovations and sustainable transportation, sustainable water systems, sustainable agriculture design building. That is where a lot of the research focus of the university is going in the economy as a whole.”
The session also addressed challenges such as limited zoning for new businesses and the political and economic uncertainty in the broader landscape. Councilmembers acknowledged the difficulties in expanding business opportunities in Davis, given past rejections of development measures and the city’s complex regulatory environment.
“We went through a DISC Measure J vote that failed,” Councilmember Chapman pointed out. “Then we went through a DISC-two and it failed. I think that’s part of that conversation… is when we’ve done some of these and put it to the voters, the community has voted them down and those were really based around economic development, the economic development task force—things that happened out of it.”
Linda Deos, the most recently-elected councilmember, noted, “I do like that we’re working with regional organization… because they’re already kind of doing some of this, it looks like doing some of the legwork for us in identifying what can work here.”
She added, “I just want to make sure we’re at the table with those organizations in that we’re not left behind saying, oh yeah, yeah, pat up, pat on the head. Thank you Davis. Just go away. Now that’s going to happen in West Sac. That’s going to happen in Woodland. I want to make sure that we’re there saying, oh no, no, no, no, it can happen here too.”
So, “it is important to me to engage in those regional efforts as to what’s happening here.”
Despite these challenges, the council’s proactive steps and collaborative spirit signal a commitment to fostering a vibrant economic future for Davis. By balancing immediate actions with strategic planning, the city aims to create a resilient economic ecosystem that supports both current businesses and future growth.
“I do think there’s somewhat more analysis that’s needed to really help us better understand which specific strategies or approaches are really going to work. And for me, I do want to know what is the actual deliverable we’re going to get from that strategy? What’s the timeline, what’s the cost? Who are the players that is going to really inform our decision making?” Vice Mayor Neville said.
She said, “There might be something really fantastic we’d love to do, and we realize it’s not feasible. And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention we are in a very volatile landscape right now where we don’t know from day to day what is or isn’t going to change in terms of various federal funding streams and what might help us develop economic stability.”
As Davis moves forward, the council’s approach reflects a nuanced understanding of the city’s needs and potential, setting the stage for a dynamic and sustainable economic transformation.
Mayor Vaitla noted, “As Mike (Webb) said, we’re not going to turn down businesses that we want to be here, even if they’re a little bit outside of our identity. And that’s great, that’s great. We should think about steps that will help all businesses at the same time, one of the few kind of bold game changing things that we can do in the face of all these macroeconomic forces is to create an identity that carves this out as an attractive place for certain kinds of businesses to come and then develop the incentives that go along with that.”
The next steps will come out of the work of the two subcommittees as well as the ongoing General Plan update.
