This has been a banner year for the Vanguard as two of our long stated city goals have come to fruition. Last fall, we came up a list of council goals. Included on that list was the top issue of bringing a grocery store to West Davis. That was ranked as the top goal. Also listed at No.3 was the Road Diet for Fifth Street.
The issue of a Grocer at West Lake has of course been a frequent topic of discussion on the Vanguard for some time. But what was interesting to me is how much momentum seemed to be generated from that article last year. People at the time almost scoffed at the notion that a Grocer would even be willing to come to that location. And yet within a short period of time, a number of Grocers had expressed interest in the site including the DeLanos. It would take us into the summer, but the deal was sealed and the shopping center, now vacant for nearly three and a half years should have a grand opening come this November.
The one item in my top three that remains is a four-way stop on the corner of Fourth and D. This is a bad intersection for several different reasons. First, if you drive all along Fourth, it is the only intersection that is not a four way stop. Second, people driving on D do not know it is not a four way stop (even with the sign that says cross-traffic does not stop). Third, there is an obstructed view due to the angled parking meaning that it is difficult to see if there is on-coming traffic that does not stop. Given the risks, the dangers, and the presumed very low cost, why has public works been so reluctant to put in a four-way stop. I have had the conversation at a council meeting and they seemed to agree. I have had the conversation with public works. And yet there has been very little movement by the city on that issue.
So that remains one of my top issues to continue to push in 2009-10. What I would like to do is compile a top 5 list of priorities. And I’d like to solicit the help of Vanguard readers.
I don’t know if we need basic guidelines. Really it could be any number of things. For instance, it could be a move to save the teen center and find an alternative location for the bycicle Hall of Fame. It could be a move to find a grocer for Davis Manor. It could be a safety issue, we need a bike crossing somewhere, or a traffic light, or some other issue of that sort.
This is your chance to weigh in, tell us your concerns, what should be a priority, and we will go over the list and create a top 5 that will be presented to the Davis City Council in October.
This is your chance perhaps to impact city policy in a small but measurable way. So post your thoughts in the comment section. If this works well, maybe we’ll do the same for other governmental bodies in Yolo County.
—David M. Greenwald reporting
One for me is to resolve the stalled construction at the old Abe’s restaurant next to the Howard Johnsons in South Davis, Ensenada and Chiles. It is blight and has been that way for a long time. I wish we could at least get the status of the project.
Here is the number one priority that I would suggest:
Both the university and the city have excellent bicycling plans. They have adopted the rod-shaped lightning bolt racks as the new standard for bicycle parking. The university has installed thousands of these new racks, and the city has many of them too. Both have also put a lot of work into traffic separation, i.e., keeping bicycles separate from cars.
By contrast, DJUSD has essentially no bicycle plan except when it builds a new school. It uses shoddy grill racks, and many of its bicycle lots are overcrowded. (They also shouldn’t be fenced.) Traffic separation is minimal at most sites. At the beginning and end of school, the key area of 14th street is outright unsafe for bicyclists.
DJUSD gets millions of dollars of facilities money every year from Mello-Roos fees. It is using this money for an $8 million stadium renovation. If it spent $50K or $100K per year on a bicycle plan — a drop in the bucket compared to the stadium — it could significantly boost bicycle usage among children in Davis. It would benefit both the district and the city.
1) One of my top priorities would be to have the City Council pass a resolution that directs City Staff to make sure all commissions receive information on proposed development projects in sufficient time to adequately deliberate and advise the City Council.
2) I also would like to see some sort of emergency subsidy fund set up for those low income individuals who are going to need assistance with massive water/sewer rate increases, so they are not forced out of their homes because of an inability to pay.
3) It is also going to be important to continue funding for the transit mobility training program, to encourage more senior citizens in Davis to learn how to use public transit BEFORE they have to give up the keys to the car.
4) I would like to see the City Council adopt the Senior Housing Guidelines promulgated by the Davis Senior Citizens Commission, as a valuable guide to help all concerned in assessing the viability of future senior housing projects.
5) I want Measure J to survive intact, as is, in perpetuity.
Methinks you mistake this blog for something which leads the drive on these issues, rather as a place one guy with a computer posts his opinions. Things that happened in this comunity are the result of hard work on the behalf of interested citizens, not because they were listed as a priority on this b-log.
Please pass a winter air quality ordinance that is enforceable for the sake of many of our citizens’ health.
Please get rid of the City Council, the California Legislature, and the Davis Planning Department. Don’t replace them with anything.
“Methinks you mistake this blog for something which leads the drive on these issues, rather as a place one guy with a computer posts his opinions. Things that happened in this comunity are the result of hard work on the behalf of interested citizens, not because they were listed as a priority on this b-log.”
Methinks you are a newcomer to this community, or an apologist for the CC majority. Up until the Davis Vanguard, the CC majority flew a lot of things under the radar screen, and squelched public commment by putting things on the consent calendar that should not have been there. DPD has managed almost single handedly to bring into the sunshine a lot of ugly issues. It has made a huge difference. Now things are not flying under the radar screen nearly as much, meaning John Q. Public is better informed, and can mobilize forces to effect change. Never underestimate the power of the people.