Residents Plead for Housing Amid Declining School Enrollment

• Davis residents urge city council to expedite housing projects.
• Housing shortage is driving families out of Davis, causing school declines.
• Declining enrollment in Davis schools threatens property values and tax revenue.

DAVIS, CA — Parents, educators, and longtime residents urged the Davis City Council this week to move swiftly on the Village Farms and Willowgrove housing projects, warning that delays are driving families out of Davis, hurting schools, and pricing out teachers and staff.

During Tuesday’s meeting, speaker after speaker described the impact of the city’s housing shortage on children, families, and the broader community.

Chris Beg, a Davis parent, said, “Davis truly needs more affordable housing so that young families can live here and people who work here can afford to live here as well. So I’m encouraging the city council and the development teams for Village Farms and Willow Grove to work together to put the strongest possible housing proposals on the ballot as soon as possible.”

Jessica Gure, a mother of three and former special education teacher, told the council, “I want to call to speak on agenda items four and voice my support for Willow Grove and this project that’s ready to move forward to bring critical housing to Davis. Specifically, I wanted to touch on the importance of their willingness to propose certified housing for vulnerable populations such as developmentally delayed adults. As a former special education teacher and advocate, I believe that is necessary for a city and I don’t want to delay Willowgrove any further.”

Nora, a UC Davis educator and longtime resident, said she has watched families leave town. “Both my kids the past two years have had multiple friends both at school and just in the community have to leave, basically just get priced out of Davis. Most moved to Woodland, and that’s really a loss for our community, a loss for Davis. These are great families, really good friends of my kids, and they all want to stay in Davis schools. They want to stay in our neighborhoods and use our beautiful parks, but unfortunately they can’t because we don’t have enough housing being built to keep up with the demand. We have declining enrollment in school because people can’t afford to stay here and nothing is really being done about that.”

Heather Jones tied the housing shortage to school closures. “With the declining enrollment in Davis schools, the city cannot afford to wait any longer on Willow Grove. I urge the city to not delay Willow Grove any further.”

Sarah Osh highlighted the project’s inclusion of housing for people with disabilities. “Please not delay Willowgrove any further. Please support it housing specifically for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It does not exist in Davis and Willowgrove is proposing set aside housing for this vulnerable population, which already has a difficult time securing affordable housing.”

Molly DeSantis spoke about the effect on teachers. “A lot of my kids’ teachers can’t afford to actually live in Davis due to the housing shortage. And so if we keep putting off more housing projects, it’s going to impact not only our schools, but the people who work there and that’s not sustainable for our economy.”

Educator Christina Buffs told the council that Willowgrove was the most thoughtful project she had seen in decades. “We need growth in Davis. There is a lack of housing, there’s a lack of affordable housing, and because of that school enrollment is declining, we cannot afford to wait and hope that something will magically work out. We’re behind on the state requirements for city growth and for providing affordable housing. And Willowgrove is the project I’ve seen so far… out of many proposals over the years I’ve lived in Davis over 20 years. It is thoughtful, it is designed with affordability and different populations in mind, such as their attention to the disabled population and providing housing for disabled adults, and they really care about the impact that’s going to have on the community.”

New parent Joshua Cote warned of financial consequences if schools decline. “My family chose to move to the city one year ago for its schools, but as you know, the district has warned it will decline without new housing. If that happens, property values will fall and families like mine will move our tax dollars elsewhere. We support developments like Willowgrove so we can keep our schools strong, protect property values, and ensure Davis keeps control of its future instead of leaving it to the state.”

Real estate professional Jill with Max Gold said the shortage was reshaping the city’s demographics. “So many of my clients who are young families have been unable to enter the Davis real estate market because price points for them were below a million dollars. They really want your school. They want a future in your community. They believe the community is one of well-educated and usually benevolent folks, but your resistance to allowing new houses, especially in more affordable price points, is diminishing a vital demographic that keeps your schools full and thriving. People with young families increasingly find themselves gravitating to outlying areas like Woodland, for example.”

Alyssa Seger echoed the call. “As a family with a young child, it’s very hard for us to find affordable housing. So something like Willowgrove would be wonderful for our community. This would mean meeting enrollment standards for schools and keeping public schools opened, which I am very, very passionate about. As a former educator, I think that the more young families that we can bring into our community, the more it will thrive.”

Her husband, Cole Seger, added, “I think Davis needs more affordable housing, more housing in general. Enrollments in schools need to be high, keep everything good for our students, our family, and I hope that this project is approved.”

Longtime resident Krista Hoffman warned against adding new hurdles. “I am commenting to voice my strong support for the Village Farms Davis Development Project and to urge this council to avoid taking any actions tonight that would slow down or add new requirements to its progress. The Village Farms Davis project is already moving through the established review process. I urge you to not attach new requirements that trigger additional environmental review. This would create only years of delay and push back much needed housing and revenue for our city.”

The testimony painted a clear picture: families, educators, and professionals believe Davis cannot afford further delays. With enrollment dropping and affordability shrinking, residents say Willowgrove and Village Farms represent an opportunity to keep young families, teachers, and vulnerable populations in the community.

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