The California Department of Housing and Community Development has required the amendment of the measure to allow for more affordable housing
By MADELYN SEVIGNY — city@theaggie.org
Measure J/R/D, also known as the Citizens’ Right to Vote on Future Use of Open Space and Agricultural Lands, is an ordinance that requires a citizen vote on general plan amendments that redesignate land on the outskirts of the city from agricultural use or open space to urban use.
The measure was initially passed as Measure J in 2000, and was renewed in 2010 and 2020 as Measures R and D, respectively.
On Oct. 8, the City of Davis held a Joint Commissions Special Meeting to discuss amending Measure J/R/D. The meeting was held in response to a request to amend Measure J/R/D by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD).
Barbara Archer, public information officer for the City of Davis, explained why the state of California asked the city to amend this measure.
“In order to get our housing element passed, the state asked us to at least look at Measure J/R/D because we weren’t meeting housing goals, [which] most cities are not,” Archer said.
In order to get the housing element passed by the state, the City of Davis agreed to add Policy 2.6 in the 2021-2029 Housing Element, which said, in part, that Davis must revise the language in Measure J/R/D that would exempt it from a public vote, according to the staff report.
In a statement via email before the joint commissions meeting, Archer clarified that the City is looking to amend Measure J/R/D by expanding the scope of exemptions to the measure, intending to make building affordable housing more achievable.
City of Davis Director of Community Development and Sustainability Sherri Metzker started the meeting with an overview of the gathering’s purpose, along with details about Measure J/R/D.
Her presentation was followed by comments given by each commission in turn. The commissions in attendance were: the Climate and Environmental Justice Commission; Fiscal Commission; Open Space and Habitat Commission; Planning Commission; and Social Services Commission.
Vince McLaughlin of the Planning Commission provided his perspective on the public’s opinion on Measure J/R/D and how it would impact the ability to amend the measure.
“It seemed to me the electorate [during the original adaptation of the measure] fell generally into three categories,” McLaughlin said. “There were thoughtful and conscientious people that were pro [Measure J/R/D], there were thoughtful and conscientious people that had legitimate objections to the project, then there’s a large contingent in the population that are just [not in my backyard] (NIMBYs). We’re going to have a real uphill battle here trying to pass a J/R/D amendment, because it’s the same electorate.”
Judith Ennis of the Social Services Commission expressed support for an amendment to Measure J/R/D, stating that it would be necessary in order to meet the affordable housing needs of the city.
“Davis, along with the rest of California, is facing the dual housing and climate crisis, with poverty rates hovering around 20% right here in Davis,” Ennis said. “An amendment to the exemptions can help us build to meet both our housing needs and our climate reality.”
After comments from commissioners, the floor was opened up to the public.
Jean Jackman, a Davis resident and columnist for the Davis Enterprise, expressed her opinion on the amendment to Measure J/R/D.
“[The] measure already allows for exemptions for school sites, park sites and more essentials,” Jackman said. “I am not against development, but I want to be able to vote on good developments.”
Richard McCann, an environmental economics consultant and a member of the Davis Planning Group, shared his belief that the City Council should not allow for more expensive single-family homes to be built when amending Measure J/R/D.
“It is not in our economic or environmental benefit to produce expensive houses for citizens who will only end up commuting out of town,” McCann said. “If we amend Measure J/R/D and do so in a way where we permit more expensive housing to be built and ignore the population of inbound displaced workers, then we will have failed the entire point of this exercise.”
Stephen Wheeler, a professor emeritus in the Department of Human Ecology, described how Measure J/R/D has impacted the quality of housing developments in the city.
“We are not arriving, as a city, at the best possible development solution […] because of these measures,” Wheeler said. “There have been several projects in Davis that have been seriously worsened because of major JRD.”
When asked about how the city could strike a balance between building more housing for workers to live in Davis while also limiting sprawl, Wheeler gave two suggestions.
“One way is for the university to build housing, and the university started to do that with West Village,” Wheeler said. “Unfortunately, it stopped before it built a staff housing out there. […] Davis could also try to promote different types of housing. Staff at the university, which are one of our biggest markets for this kind of thing, and also 20-somethings, don’t necessarily need big single family houses. They are pretty good with smaller apartments and studios and even micro-units.”
Ultimately, Wheeler offered his views on the root problems with housing in Davis, and on a national scale.
“The biggest problem overall is that land development in the United States has been driven primarily by the private sector, by developers,” Wheeler said. “We are still, as a society, caught in the middle where we haven’t acknowledged that the public sector really does need to take control of a lot of basic things that people need in their lives.”
Housing development projects such as the Village Farms Davis and Willowgrove are slated for the 2026 ballot in the upcoming City of Davis elections, and a vote on Measure J/R/D will also be required after an amendment is determined.
To learn more about Measure J/R/D and the City of Davis Housing Element, visit the City of Davis website.
Written By: Madelyn Sevigny — city@theaggie.org
