The Davis Joint Unified School District has imposed an additional $1 million fee on the homeowners of Palomino Place, which the developer believes is legally indefensible and unsupported by the District’s Nexus study.
The School District has invited 1,200 children to attend Davis schools daily for the past few years, while Springlake developers had no influence on whether homebuyers could bring their children to Davis.
The Davis City Council received overwhelming public support for the proposed Village Farms Davis project, which would bring 1,800 homes and other amenities to the city, and staff recommended adopting Schedule A to move the project forward to a Measure J/R/D election in June 2026.
Davis developer Dave Taormino is challenging the Davis Joint Unified School District’s decision to increase developer fees on his Palomino Place project, alleging the district violated state law and reneged on a written agreement, with the dispute now headed to court.
The Davis City Council is considering two schedules for the Village Farms Davis development, a 497.5-acre project that would add 1,800 market-rate and affordable homes, parks, greenbelts, and a range of community amenities, with voter approval required under the city’s Measure J/R/D ordinance in June 2026.
The Davis Joint Unified School District is being sued for imposing a fee on new development that exceeds the legal limit of what can be charged to help fund school facilities, and for using the fee to fund salaries, enrichment, and maintenance of existing structures, rather than for construction or reconstruction of new facilities.
Davis, California has seen a decrease in student housing demand due to an increase in student housing, changes in enrollment demand, and rising inventory in the for-sale market, resulting in a decrease in rents and an increase in incentives for tenants.
The City of Davis must make urgent and far-reaching decisions in its general plan update to address housing shortages, job and transportation mismatches, and the growing effects of climate change, while balancing growth with the protection of agricultural land and open space.
The City of Davis Social Services Commission is considering the Village Farms Davis affordable housing plan, which includes a proposal to dedicate roughly half the amount of land normally mandated, and a package of alternative contributions to offset the reduction.
The Keystone Policy Center’s report reveals that Colorado educators are being forced out of the profession due to unaffordable housing costs, while the Davis Joint Unified School District is also facing similar challenges, leading to increased pressure on district resources and enrollment.
The City Council of Davis is preparing to update its long-term vision with a General Plan Update that will integrate environmental justice and establish a new General Plan Committee to ensure broad representation from city commissions.
The state of California is taking a more aggressive approach to ensuring cities meet their housing targets, and Davis must take this into account as it makes decisions today to avoid potential state intervention in the future.
The City of Davis has begun the process of updating its General Plan, which will involve workshops, surveys, and other activities to shape the city’s future in terms of land use, transportation, climate change, equity, and more.
The Davis City Council should prioritize educating residents about existing state programs for downpayment assistance, rather than creating a new city-funded program, due to the city’s current financial constraints.
The housing crisis is a complex issue that requires a multi-faceted approach, including deregulation, funding for affordable housing, and rethinking the financial system’s role in driving prices.
The City of Davis has launched a multi-year effort to update its General Plan, with the goal of creating a modern, equitable, and sustainable roadmap for the city’s future.
The housing crisis in California is causing large numbers of people to be priced out of the communities where they work, resulting in systemic failures such as increased traffic congestion, greenhouse gas emissions, and regional strain on both infrastructure and affordability.
Homeownership is becoming unaffordable for many, including full-time professionals, due to a housing affordability crisis caused by a systemic failure in housing policy, not personal financial mismanagement, and the mismatch between housing supply and economic opportunity.
CEQA reforms are a necessary step in streamlining housing development, but they will not solve the entire housing crisis in California, which is a national problem requiring political courage, financial tools, and federal leadership.
Interim City Manager Kelly Stachowicz is focused on managing Davis’ complex development proposals, addressing homelessness, and managing the city’s structural budget challenges, while navigating the university relationship and addressing rising construction costs.