Comments on the environmental impact review will be open until Feb. 21
By RORY CONLON — city@theaggie.org
The city of Davis released the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for the proposed Village Farms housing development on Jan. 8. The public can submit comments on the DEIR until Feb. 21.
The Village Farms Davis Project is a proposed 497.6-acre project that will be located north of East Covell Boulevard, east of F Street and west of Pole Line Road. The project’s developer, North Davis Land Company LLC, said it would add 1,800 housing units to help alleviate the housing crisis in Davis.
“A lack of housing options, in addition to an overall housing shortage, continues to make homeownership further out of reach for many in our community,” the project’s description reads. “Case in point, at least 47% of all permanent [Davis Joint Unified School District] employees do not currently live in Davis. This simple fact demonstrates how the housing crisis is weakening the very fabric of our community.”
North Davis Land Company LLC also argued that the development would help the city of Davis meet state requirements for providing housing to its residents.
“The regulatory consequences for not meeting State [Regional Housing Needs Allocation] demands could have serious implications to state funding and local control over new housing,” the description reads. “Village Farms Davis will provide 20% of its residential units as affordable housing, exceeding the requirements of the City of Davis inclusionary housing ordinance. An additional 5% of residential units will offer a downpayment assistance program to first-time homebuyers.”
Developers submitted an initial plan to the city in 2023. Under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the city must analyze any significant environmental impacts the project can have, find ways to mitigate those impacts and provide project alternatives.
The CEQA document for the Village Farms project was first released in November of 2024. The City Council was provided an update during their meeting on the development on Nov. 19, 2024, according to the city of Davis webpage.
“The update included the analysis of the project as submitted in 2023 under CEQA, along with five reasonable alternatives, that are part of the Environmental Impact Report,” the webpage reads. “The alternatives that are provided must be considered feasible and capable of meeting the project’s objectives while avoiding or reducing the project’s significant environmental impacts.”
The five project alternatives considered were: no project (no build), lower number of units, agricultural resource preservation, higher number of units and an off-site project, according to the DEIR.
The city and the developer favor the Biological Resources Preservation Alternative (BRPA), which would keep the same number of units while setting aside acreage to preserve wetlands. A summary of the city’s CEQA documents described how the land would be used.
“The Draft EIR also evaluates an equal-weight alternative, known as the Biological Resources Prevention Alternative,” the document reads. “The BRPA would preserve a 47.1-acre Natural Habitat Area comprised of the Alkali Prairie Yolo Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP/ NCCP) land cover that occurs south of Channel A.”
The DEIR also lists and addresses concerns expressed by community members earlier in the process. Most concerns lay in three main areas: air quality, greenhouse gas emissions and energy; hydrology and water quality; and transportation.
To address transportation challenges, the developers will be required to install high-visibility bicycle and pedestrian crossing improvements at several intersections around the development. The DEIR also outlined how developers will fund a plan to accommodate transit in the area.
“The project applicant shall fund a Transit Service and Facilities Plan for the area encompassing the project site and other development along the north side of the Covell Boulevard and Mace Boulevard corridor between the westerly city limits and the I-80 interchange,” the DEIR reads. “The Transit Services and Facilities Plan shall identify transit service and facility improvements required in accordance with Unitrans and Yolobus policies related to unmet transit needs, timing for improvements, transit service warrants and performance standards.”
Members of the public can submit written comments by mail or email to Dara Dungworth, the principal planner for the city of Davis. While community members can also attend a city of Davis Planning Commission meeting on Feb. 12 to express concerns, only written comments will be recorded and responded to in the final draft of the EIR.
Residents of Davis will vote for the Village Farms development in November 2025 under Measure J/R/D.
Written By: Rory Conlon — city@theaggie.org
