Sacramento Bee Endorses Village Farms Project as Test of Davis Housing Future
- May 1
- 4 min read
By David Greenwald May 1, 2026
DAVIS, Calif. — The Sacramento Bee Editorial Board has endorsed Measure V, a “controversial housing” proposal in Davis, arguing that the project represents a necessary step toward addressing the city’s long-standing housing constraints and growth pressures tied to the University of California, Davis.
“Measure V would allow about 1,800 homes in Davis, easing long commutes and housing pressure from UC Davis growth,” the editorial board wrote, framing the proposal as a response to decades of constrained development and rising demand.
The endorsement situates Measure V within the historical context of Davis’ growth control policies.
“In 2000, voters in the City of Davis approved a measure requiring a public vote on any proposal to expand city development into neighboring farmland,” the editorial notes. “Ever since, voters have not approved a single project with new family housing.”
At the same time, the editorial points to substantial institutional growth.
“Enrollment at UC Davis, meanwhile, has grown by more than 50%,” it states, linking that expansion to broader housing pressures. “The lack of new local housing has led to long commutes, high housing prices and declining school enrollment.”
Measure V proposes development on roughly 400 acres near Covell Boulevard.
“Measure V on the Davis ballot calls for development of about 400 acres of land off Covell Boulevard with about 1,800 residences suited for varying income levels,” the editorial explains. “The project, called Village Farms, would be surrounded on three sides by existing neighborhoods. Where else should Davis possibly expand?”
The editorial board characterizes the proposal as consistent with the city’s planning framework.
“Measure V represents a logical expansion of the city’s urban footprint,” it writes, adding that “If passed, it would signal that Davis’ intense system of democracy can function in a modern California desperate for more housing.”
The board ultimately offers a clear recommendation: “The Bee recommends Davis voters approve Measure V.”
The current proposal is also compared to a previous effort on the same site.
“It is a smarter version of a housing proposal for the same land, known as Covell Village, that was put to a vote in 2005,” the editorial states. Reflecting on that earlier vote, the board recalled its prior position: “If voters reject this one, it may be a long time before they see anything — good, perfect or otherwise.”
The editorial suggests that prediction proved accurate.
“How right we sadly were,” it states. “It took the landowners nearly a generation to muster the courage to propose Village Farms.”
In the intervening years, “voters have approved only two expansions: a senior community that has already been constructed and a student housing complex that hasn’t.”
The board emphasizes the extent of the planning process behind Village Farms.
“Village Farms has gone through the wringer in the city’s exhaustive planning and public processes,” the editorial notes. “The project includes affordable housing, townhomes and small single-family residences.
Half the land is open space.” It adds that “after securing one concession after another, the Davis City Council unanimously approved the project before sending it to voters.”
Opposition to the project, the editorial argues, echoes earlier debates.
“Some of the same activists who opposed Covell Village 21 years ago oppose Village Farms today for many of the same reasons,” it states, citing concerns that “this intensely analyzed project did not identify risks from toxics, flooding and traffic.”
The editorial pushes back on those critiques, particularly around transportation impacts. “Village Farms won’t ruin Davis as we know it,” the board writes. “The concern about traffic is particularly backward.”
It argues that “the no-growth tradition in Davis for the last quarter-century has led to long commutes for thousands of people working at the university.”
The board frames the issue as one of aligning housing supply with employment centers.
“It makes all the sense in the world for this university community to accommodate its faculty, staff and students,” the editorial states. It further suggests the proposal could have gone further, adding, “If anything, Village Farms should have been more aggressive at ushering in denser and more affordable forms of housing.”
Beyond the immediate project, the editorial raises broader governance concerns.
“Residents should be [considering] the city losing control of its own housing destiny,” it warns, pointing to increased scrutiny from state regulators. “State housing officials have been watching Davis closely.”
The editorial links that oversight to local policy constraints.
“The dearth of adequate affordable housing has led the city council to pledge placing a measure on the ballot to exempt affordable housing from a public vote,” it notes. However, “the council has avoided placing this before voters twice. It clearly fears rejection by voters.”
Ultimately, the board frames Measure V as a pivotal moment for the city.
“Measure V is a test of whether the city can confront its self-created housing crisis with a sensible expansion that its leaders fully support,” the editorial concludes. “Voting Yes represents a much-needed shift in what is politically possible when it comes to new housing in Davis.”
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