[OldNorth] Fwd: Housing Element Workshop January 24th

[sheryl lynn gerety]

For anyone interested in the continuing efforts to build new housing in 
Davis:  some of the message is quite editorial in nature (opinions 
galore) and I respectfully decline any responsibility for expressional 
prose.

Sheryl


> From: "Pam Nieberg" <pnieberg at dcn.org>
> Date: January 7, 2008 2:38:10 PM PST
> To: <Undisclosed-Recipient:;>
> Subject: Fw: Housing Element Workshop January 24th
>
> I have been attending General Plan Housing Element Update Committee 
> meetings and want to give you an update on that process. One of the 
> most importanta meetings addressing our future growth is coming up in 
> about 3 weeks.  Attached and below are an announcement about the 
> workshop time and location and a map. 
>  
> The City is conducting its second Community Workshop on January 24th 
> from 7pm until 9:30pm at Holmes Junior High School related to the 
> current Housing Element Update of the General Plan. The workshop will 
> use the same "drop-in" method as the first Workshop. This method will 
> allow participants to come and go throughout the workshop's two and 
> one-half hour period. This workshop is to get feedback on:
> •          The Committee’s initial ranking of future potential sites 
> for housing.
> •          Principles and tradeoffs related to ranking potential 
> housing sites.
>  
> A workshop flier and map are attached. For more information about the 
> update to the Housing Element, please visit the following website:
> http://www.cityofdavis.org/cdd/gpupdate/meetings.cfm
>  
> Staff hopes to post more information regarding the workshop, including 
> the workshop's comment form within the next 1-2 weeks, please check 
> back.
>  
> Please contact Danielle Foster (dfoster at cityofdavis.org or ph. 
> 757-5691) or Bob Wolcott (rwolcott at cityofdavis.org or ph. 757-5610) if 
> you have any questions regarding this email and the upcoming workshop.
>  
> At this public workshop the residents of Davis will have an 
> opportunity for input related to future growth in Davis and specific 
> sites will be addressed.   Believe it or not, the Covell Village site 
> is being considered again, despite our landslide vote against the last 
> proposal. The Council majority of Asmundson, Sailor, and Sousa backed 
> Covell Village project, despite their original City Council campaign 
> promises for slow growth. We can expect more of the same from them 
> this time despite the overwhelming "NO" vote from the voters on 
> Measure X.
>  
> The Covell Village developers are back with a new spin--senior 
> housing.  The new project would eventually be about the same size as 
> the old Covell Village project, but is being proposed as a 
> phased development.  The first proposal is for  800 units on the 
> southern 1/3 of the site.  That would be followed by phasing in 
> another approximately 400 units on another portion to the north.  
> These two phases would cover roughly 1/2 of the current site. When 
> asked about leaving the northern half as open space mitigation for the 
> development, the developers declined to put an easement on that 
> property meaning they want to eventually develop that also.  So, we 
> end up with the same old Covell Village project we so overwhelmingly 
> defeated in November 2005 on a 60%-40% vote, with the same massive 
> problems with traffic, infrastructure costs, huge negative fiscal 
> impacts on the city, and large, expensive homes unaffordable to most 
> middle income and below residents in Davis.
>  
> These developers are using the new "carrot" everyone seems to be 
> waving now, and that is senior housing.  This despite the fact that 
> the past chair of the Senior Commission wrote a letter to the editor 
> and spoke at council stating the facts about senior housing in 
> Davis--the bottom line being that we don't need it and especially not 
> what these and other developers are proposing.  Senior housing should 
> not be huge, expensive homes, isolated from the rest of the community 
> and far from the city center and all its amenities.
>  
> It is clear from what has been discussed at length at the committee 
> meetings, that we do not need any peripheral developments for this 
> housing cycle. We can more than fulfill our state recommended growth 
> for this housing cycle (498 units) with infill on several open sites 
> through out the city.  We should not even be talking about any new 
> massive peripheral developments at this time.  However, the gang of 
> three on the council is still trying to impose their arbitrarily 
> chosen figure for growth of 1% per year which would require us to add 
> roughly 2500 units in the next 5 years.  This is a new Mace Ranch 
> every 5 years!  Is this slow growth?
>  
> This workshop will give you an opportunity to let the council majority 
> know that you do not want more huge, peripheral developments in Davis. 
> You do not want to see Davis continue to sprawl like so many other 
> valley towns have done and lose its special qualities that make it 
> unique.
>  
> See you there!
>  
> Pam
>  
>  
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