As a Davis parent, I’m really uncomfortable with how Measure V (Village Farms) is being pitched in parent spaces.
We keep hearing: “We have to pass this or schools will close.” But:
– This is not a near‑term “save our schools” fix. Village Farms wouldn’t be built out and occupied until around 2035 at the earliest because they have to move roughly a million cubic yards of dirt to fill in a floodplain. Most of our kids won’t even be in the school district at that point. DJUSD is selling it as an answer to closures that are happening now, long before any of those homes exist. The idea that this would “save” Birch Lane and/or Patwin is unconvincing.
– Even the Davis Enterprise has published an article recently titled, “This won’t keep schools open,” saying the supposed enrollment bump from Village Farms is being oversold and that the schools issue should be handled separately.
– A Planning Commissioner has laid out his NO votes on Village Farms — this isn’t just a handful of NIMBYs; people inside the process have serious concerns.
– The project itself is 1,800 units with a product mix heavy on “small homes,” townhomes, and higher‑end units, not a ton of true, family‑sized, actually affordable 3–4 bedroom homes that would bring and keep middle‑class families here. On top of that, we’re talking major traffic, toxics, floodplain issues and big infrastructure bills.
– The developer is not responsible for building the affordable housing units — except possibly 100 affordable units in the last phase, in 10+ years, and only if the City doesn’t first build affordable units.
– The No on V flyer lays out what this really is: a huge 1,800‑unit subdivision in a FEMA flood hazard zone, with toxic contamination questions, massive traffic impacts, and big infrastructure costs the city (and ultimately taxpayers) will be stuck with.
So to me, Measure V is not a realistic, near‑term solution for keeping schools open. It’s a risky, developer‑driven project that’s being wrapped in “for the kids” branding to get parents to look past the fine print. I am hoping that Davis parents are analytical enough to detect the misleading claims in the “save the kids” branding, and not respond emotionally to the manipulative marketing.
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