Land Use/Open Space

City of Davis Acknowledges Use of Pesticide in Sewers

City of Davis Acknowledges Use of Pesticide in Sewers

By David GreenwaldMarch 24, 200912 comments

IPM Coordinator Calls For Cessation of Usage

During the Integrated Pest Management program’s 2008 annual report at the Natural Resources Commission meeting Monday night, IPM Coordinator Martin Guerena acknowledged that the city had been using the product vaporooter containing metam sodium to remove root intrusion in the sewer lines.  At the time, the chemical was not recognized as a pesticide but has since been reclassified.  According to the report, the city has been using this for at least five years.  John McNerney, the city’s wildlife resource specialist, told the commission that it was not reportable as a pesticide.
Lewis Withdraws Application to Develop Cannery Park

Lewis Withdraws Application to Develop Cannery Park

By David GreenwaldMarch 18, 200958 comments

The Vanguard learned yesterday evening that Lewis Properties has withdrawn their application to re-zone the 100-acre empty site that used to occupy the Hunt Wesson Cannery in Davis as well as to the sale of an additional 60-acre site located next to the land fill in Yolo County.  Citing increasing costs and lack of clear opportunity for success, the developers have dropped their application to change the zoning from light industrial to residential for the purposes of developing a mixed-use site that would support 610 residential units and additional business.

In a letter that Mayor Pro Tem Saylor read aloud at last night’s council meeting, Lewis Properties told the city:

City Pares Down Costs of Proposed General Plan, But Still Doesn’t Get it

City Pares Down Costs of Proposed General Plan, But Still Doesn’t Get it

By David GreenwaldMarch 17, 200910 comments
After criticism at the last workshop on the General Plan the city staff has pared down the costs of the proposed projects.  The concern was expressed during the last meeting that a traditional general plan update would cost between $1 and $3 million.  Concern focused on what city priorities ought to be during difficult fiscal times.  Moreover, this would necessitate “a commitment to the multi-year process would need to be made at the beginning as it would be potentially wasteful and costly to stop after the process begin.”

So the staff is looking at creating a general plan update program that can adapt the tasks to the current fiscal situation.

Noise Ordinance Exemption Aimed At Political Favoritism

Noise Ordinance Exemption Aimed At Political Favoritism

By David GreenwaldMarch 16, 200915 comments

Neighbors Have Long Battled Friend of Mayor Pro Tem To Abate Noise From Montessori Day Care Center

At last week’s City Council meeting, Mayor Pro Tem Don Saylor placed an item on the agenda that would exempt from the City’s Noise Ordinance, Schools and Day Care centers.  It seemed like a strange item at the time.  Mayor Pro Tem Saylor described the noise as the natural and delightful noise of children.  He openly wondered who could object to the sounds of children, implying that those who did were simply being selfish and insensitive.

However, what Mr. Saylor did not discuss was the ongoing problems that a specific group of neighbors have had with a specific facility whose noise and other problems has been anything but delightful.

Grocer Backs Out of Westlake Project

Grocer Backs Out of Westlake Project

By David GreenwaldMarch 10, 200934 comments
In a communication to the owners of the Westlake Plaza Shopping Center, Davis Advocates for Neighborhood Groceries (DANG) strongly admonished the owners of the Westlake Shopping Center for reneging on a previous agreement which has resulted in their failure to secure the Delanos in an effort to bring a viable Grocery Store to West Davis.

As the Vanguard reported two weeks ago, DANG along with consultants for the owners had found a grocer willing to move a grocery store into the spot vacated by Food Fair in May of 2006.  However, when the majority owner, Farrokh Hosseinyoun pulled his promised $250,000 in capital, the deal fell through.

Design Workshop Shows Possibilities for Safer and More Complete Fifth Street Corridor

Design Workshop Shows Possibilities for Safer and More Complete Fifth Street Corridor

By David GreenwaldMarch 8, 200915 comments

It was 11:30 am on a Friday, and Community Chambers was packed full of members of the public.  It was standing room only as over 100 people came to see Dan Burden show us the possibilities for how Fifth Street can go from a four lane thoroughfare to a two lane road and yet still serve the same vehicle flow in a slower but safer manner.

Not everyone is or was convinced by the show.  The residents from Old North Davis Neighborhoods who have to deal with the congestion and dangers on a regular basis certainly would like to see the change.  The business community however is not convinced that the changes would not impact the ability of people to get to downtown.

 

Westlake Grocery Deal in Doubt As Owner Allegedly Reneges on Handshake Deal

Westlake Grocery Deal in Doubt As Owner Allegedly Reneges on Handshake Deal

By David GreenwaldFebruary 25, 200951 comments
imageWestlake Plaza

In an interview with the Vanguard, the Davis Advocates for Neighborhood Groceries (DANG) say they thought they had a deal. Consultants for Farrokh Hosseinyoun, the majority owner of the Westlake Plaza Shopping Center on Lake Boulevard in West Davis had found a suitor for the Westlake Plaza’s empty grocery store spot.

Enter the Delano Family, owners of eight Bay Area Grocery stores bearing the same name. They operate Delano’s Markets in San Francisco, Mill Valley, Tiburon, Fairfax and Novato, many of them very upscale in appearance. Adding to the intrigue is the versatility of their product and the vast experience of the Delanos in the grocery business and their genuine interest in coming to Davis and Westlake Plaza.

Guest Commentary: Addressing Safety Concerns and Design Changes to Fifth St Corridor

Guest Commentary: Addressing Safety Concerns and Design Changes to Fifth St Corridor

By David GreenwaldFebruary 19, 200925 comments
imageCity of Davis

by Steve Tracy
This past Tuesday evening the City Council considered changes to the design of the 5th/Russell corridor, between A and L Streets. Opportunities to put missing bike lanes on the street and deal with ongoing safety issues have been missed in the past. We hope this time the community can learn from the experience in other similar situations, set aside fear and emotion, and support a decision to create a safer street that will serve everyone better.

In February of 2005, the timing of the traffic signals was modified at the intersections where F and G Streets meet 5th Street. The new timing, called “split-phase” in traffic engineer vernacular, allows only one direction of traffic on 5th Street (eastbound or westbound) to flow at a time.

Why Do We Need a New General Plan?

Why Do We Need a New General Plan?

By David GreenwaldFebruary 11, 200916 comments
imageGeneral Plan

The Davis City Council last night began to embark upon their discussion of how the General Plan update process should proceed. There was considerable discussion as to whether it should even go forward at this point given the current economic situation, given the costs of proceeding, and given the uncertainty of our times.

The consistent question that arises and is never really answered by those councilmembers who support going forward with an update is why we need to do so now, rather than take the Housing Element that has already been adopted and perhaps modifying the plan with more modern and general principles of sustainability.

General Plan Updating Process Begins

General Plan Updating Process Begins

By David GreenwaldFebruary 6, 200920 comments
imageGeneral Plan

On Tuesday night, the Davis City Council will start take steps towards developing a plan of attack for the next General Plan Update. According to the staff report:

A General Plan update would potentially address all of the Council goal categories of: Infrastructure; Fiscal stability; Downtown Davis; Housing; Sustainability; Safety and Health; Organizational Strength; Civic Engagement; and Long-Term Visioning.

Vanguard Analysis: Enterprise Obscures Where It Should Shine A Light

Vanguard Analysis: Enterprise Obscures Where It Should Shine A Light

By David GreenwaldFebruary 1, 200914 comments
imageCity of Davis
The vote on Tuesday night on the B Street project was admittedly a bit confusing in its conception. However, the Davis Enterprise article made it more so, not less so.

The title of the article was “Project will get another chance.”

In a technical sense, that may be true. Council by a 3-1 vote passed a motion that would allow the applicant Marie Ogrydziak to bring her project back without having to pay additional fees. However, the motion directed her to work with the neighbors (who were overwhelmingly against the current project) and change her plans.

Councilmember Souza and the Council Put a Stop to a Rehearing on 233 B

Councilmember Souza and the Council Put a Stop to a Rehearing on 233 B

By David GreenwaldJanuary 28, 200922 comments
imageCity of Davis

As we reported on Saturday, the City Attorney Harriet Steiner suggested that she erred in her assessment that Councilmember Sue Greenwald was not conflicted out of a vote cast on November 4, 2008 against a redesign of the 233 B Street property. Therefore the city staff determined that the applicant could request a rehearing without going through the normal reconsideration process.

The council will meet at a later point to modify and correct conflict of interest policies. We have discussed this at length already.

EPA Reluctantly Agrees to Further Testing of the Superfund Site

EPA Reluctantly Agrees to Further Testing of the Superfund Site

By David GreenwaldJanuary 25, 20098 comments
imageCity of Davis

The city-county two by two met on Friday at the Davis County Offices for the Board of Supervisors. The two by two is comprised of two members of the Davis City Council, Mayor Ruth Asmundson and Mayor Pro Tem Don Saylor, and two members of the County Board of Superivisors, the two Davis representatives, Helen Thomson and Jim Provenza.

One item that was discussed was the issue of the Frontier Chemical Superfund Site and the recent discovery of TCP that has been covered extensively not only on this blog but in this community.