By Tim Keller
Submitted to the Davis City Council
As you may be aware, there is a group of us in the community who are developing an approach to housing that calls for a modification of Measure J to adopt an urban limit line, and to allow for development of properties within that limit line if they meet strict guideline for sustainability, including moderate levels of housing density, energy efficiency standards the intentional development of this housing around a transit line so that this new housing does not require a proportional increase in the number of cars in our city.
The Village Farms property is a critical first link in these peripheral properties and I think that understanding the difference between the developer’s plan and what the same 
property would look like if developed per the proposed Measure J amendment would be incredibly useful in that process, so I would ask that an equal weight EIR be conducted on an alternative that has an equal number of units, but those units are medium density housing with limited parking all existing in the lower 1/3 of the property where they can be reliably served by the transit line.
This is the only kind of housing we can build which we can expect will actually be occupied by our local workforce who are currently commuting in.
If we build car-centric housing, we can expect that it will be significantly occupied by outbound commuters which makes for more vehicle miles in our community, not less.
In summary, my request for an alternative EIR would be:
- Same number of units, but of moderate density (Apartments / Condos / Townhomes and Co-Co-Ops) all located in the lower 1/3 of the property
- Assumption of a frequent transit line running from the Cannery through the southern part of the property (map attached)
- Leave the northern 2/3 of the property alone for now
Tim’s valuable maps make it so clear.
We cannot induce people to use transit unless there is more frequency of service and we cannot afford frequency of service unless we have paying volume.
More multi family buildings (low-income, market rate & co-ops)
All in the area adjacent to Covell and Pole Line
David J Thompson, my own opinions and not representative of Neighborhood Partners, LLC or Twin Pines Cooperative Foundation.
David J Thomopson