DAVIS, Calif. — Traffic has been a central factor in nearly every major Measure J housing debate over the last 25 years in Davis. But as the battle over Village Farms intensifies ahead of the Measure V vote, supporters of the project argue that many of the city’s current congestion problems are not simply the product of growth itself, but of decades of housing constraints that have pushed workers and families into longer regional commutes.
Opponents warn the development will overwhelm already congested intersections near Covell Boulevard and Pole Line Road, while supporters argue the traffic impacts are being overstated and fail to account for both major mitigation improvements and the growing regional commuter traffic already flowing into Davis each day.
The dispute reflects a broader question facing Davis and much of California: whether refusing to build housing inside job-rich communities ultimately worsens traffic by forcing workers and families into longer regional commutes.
Project opponents have repeatedly argued that Village Farms would generate unacceptable congestion impacts, particularly around East Covell Boulevard, Pole Line Road and surrounding neighborhoods.
In the rebuttal argument against Measure V, opponents warned the project “would bring over 15,000 more car trips DAILY near Covell Blvd. and Pole Line Road causing gridlock and Level of Service ‘F.’”
But supporters of the project argue those claims present an incomplete picture because they omit the extensive transportation improvements required as conditions of approval for the development.
Alan Pryor, writing in support of the project, sharply criticized what he described as exaggerated claims about the transportation impacts.
“Claims of Extreme Adverse Traffic Impacts of the Project on Surrounding Streets – Project opponents also speak of a traffic Armageddon resulting from the Project,” Pryor wrote.
“In their REBUTTAL TO ARGUMENT IN FAVOR OF MEASURE V that will be on the June ballot, they claim, ‘It would bring over 15,000 more car trips DAILY near Covell Blvd. and Pole Line Road causing gridlock and Level of Service “F.”’”
Pryor continued, “But this statement is knowingly misleading because their claim does not account for the improvements in traffic conditions brought about by mandatory traffic and street improvements that are required for the Project.”
“These will cost tens of millions of dollars and are more fully described below,” he added.
Pryor also pointed to findings from the Local Transportation Analysis associated with the project’s Environmental Impact Report.
“According to the Local Transportation Analysis provided with the Environmental Impact Report, ‘Overall, the improvements would substantially reduce delays and queuing throughout the study area. The implementation of the recommended improvements would improve peak hour operations to acceptable levels at all study intersections under Existing Plus Project conditions,’” Pryor wrote.
The EIR includes a lengthy list of required transportation mitigation measures tied directly to Village Farms. Those improvements include interchange modifications, additional turn lanes, signal coordination, bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure improvements and transit-related upgrades.
Among the planned improvements are modifications to the West Covell Boulevard and State Route 113 ramps, coordination of traffic signals along Covell Boulevard and Mace Boulevard, modifications at the Mace Boulevard and Chiles Road interchange area and additional bicycle and pedestrian facility improvements.
The project also includes transit-related mitigation measures intended to support expanded bus service and transportation alternatives. The mitigation program calls for the establishment of funding mechanisms to support ongoing transit service and infrastructure improvements associated with future project demand.
During public discussions before the Davis Transportation Commission and Planning Commission, concerns about traffic nevertheless dominated much of the testimony.
Public commenters raised concerns about congestion, emergency access, greenhouse gas emissions, project funding responsibilities and neighborhood cut-through traffic.
Mary Ann Hernandez cited “increased traffic and greenhouse gas emissions,” while Susan Rainier raised “fire safety concerns related to ingress/egress” and opposed “the added car trips.”
Marjorie Longo warned about “cut-through traffic in Wildhorse and concerns about emergency response times north of the channel.”
Other speakers argued the project underestimated future car trips and questioned whether enough transit infrastructure and mitigation planning had been included in the project analysis.
At the same time, supporters argue that the current congestion patterns near Covell Boulevard and Pole Line Road cannot be understood solely through the lens of future Village Farms residents because the corridor is already heavily impacted by regional commuting patterns tied to Davis’ longstanding housing shortage.
Morning traffic entering Davis from County Road 102 and evening traffic exiting toward Interstate 80 have become familiar realities for residents traveling through the area during peak commute periods.
In fact, morning commutes along this corridor show that most traffic is not entering and existing from local neighborhoods, but rather is cutting through the corridor itself as part of their commute.
Supporters contend that much of the traffic pressure surrounding Davis stems not from new housing construction itself, but from decades of insufficient housing production that has forced workers to live outside the city and commute into Davis each day.
Davis City Councilmember Bapu Vaitla directly connected housing shortages, commuter traffic and climate impacts in a public statement supporting the project.
“For those of us who feel that climate change is the world’s most pressing challenge, supporting compact, transit-linked, net-zero housing is the most powerful step we can take to leave a better future for the generations to come,” Vaitla wrote.
“Measure J/R/D was born from a legitimate impulse to stop sprawl, which is a real harm to both people and the environment. But pushing families out of Davis means more commuters, more emissions and more traffic. There is a reasonable middle way: supporting well-designed developments like Village Farms.”
Vaitla also pointed to the scale of Davis’ commuter imbalance.
“Eleven thousand UC Davis employees commute into town, in part because Davis lacks housing,” he wrote.
Supporters argue that the city’s current traffic conditions already reflect the consequences of limited housing supply inside Davis.
Over the last two decades, Davis has added large amounts of student-oriented apartment housing but relatively little workforce or ownership housing for families, teachers, healthcare workers, city employees and UC Davis staff. As housing costs increased, many workers increasingly relocated to Woodland, Dixon, West Sacramento and Sacramento while continuing to commute into Davis daily.
As a result, supporters argue that roads like Pole Line Road, Covell Boulevard, County Road 102 and Interstate 80 are already carrying large regional commuter volumes that would exist regardless of whether Village Farms is ultimately approved.
Some project advocates contend that building additional local housing could partially reduce those commuting pressures over time by allowing more workers to live closer to their jobs rather than traveling into Davis from surrounding communities every day.
The Village Farms proposal has therefore become about more than a single housing development. It has evolved into a broader argument over how Davis should respond to rising housing demand, increasing regional commuting patterns and worsening affordability pressures.
For opponents, the project represents a significant intensification of traffic impacts in already congested corridors.
For supporters, however, the existing congestion itself reflects the consequences of failing to build enough housing near employment centers for decades — a pattern they argue has shifted traffic burdens outward onto regional roadways and intensified commuting into Davis from surrounding communities.
The disagreement has become one of the defining political and planning debates facing Davis as voters prepare to decide the future of Measure V.
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Because Android Auto and Waze redirect traffic around congestion on I-80, Covell Blvd becomes a traffic mess. Adding homes along this corridor will only increase this problem. The argument that adding this development will resolve the traffic issue is a fools errand.
“The argument that adding this development will resolve the traffic issue is a fools errand.”
I know, somehow Davisites are supposed to believe that adding thousands of housing units is going to decrease traffic.
So we shouldn’t build homes because of Waze?