Measure P: Pro and Con

Community Members Present Arguments on Measure P

Yesterday we presented the ballot text of Measure P, the full text of the Resolution 09-132 passed by the Davis City Council on July 28, 2009, and the impartial analysis of Measure P by Davis City Attorney Harriet Steiner.

Today we present the arguments offered in favor and against Measure P, and the rebuttals to those arguments.  All were prepared for the Yolo County Elections Voters Guide, available online and mailed to the homes of registered voters.  The arguments appear after the jump, in the same order in which they appear in the Voters Guide.

This debate continued in today’s Davis Enterprise.  (Please note: Davis Enterprise subscribers may access the newspaper online for free, non-subscribers pay a user fee.)

• Innovative infill project deserves our support by Stan Forbes, Tansey Thomas, Mike Harrington, Maynard Skinner, Denise Hoffner, Ceclia Escamilla-Greenwald and Bill Ritter
• Davis just doesn’t need Wildhorse Ranch by Philip King, Nora Oldwin and Mark Siegler

The Enterprise also ran Measure P articles in the Sunday,
October 2, 2009 edition:

• Project doesn’t pay its own way
  by Sue Greenwald
• Sierra Club loves green features of neighborhood
  by Pam Nieberg and Carolyn Hinshaw

As noted by Jeff Shaw of Davis Media Access in an earlier post to the Voice, the Slide Hill Neighborhood Association sponsored debate on Measure P can be viewed online.  If you prefer to watch it on television, look for the schedule at davismedia.org.

Those new to Davis politics may feel they want a scorecard, or at least a little context.  We refer you to the Davis Wiki for some background reading on the Davis political scene.

Finally, a reminder of our offer to you: we’ll provide space for Davis residents to weigh-in, either in the comments section or with their own post.  Do you want your voice heard about Measure P?  Send your article (400-800 words in length) to kemble@davisvoice.com.  We’ll print an equal number of articles from both perspectives.

And now, the arguments for and against Measure P.

ARGUMENT IN FAVOR OF MEASURE P

Not every new affordable home in Wildhorse Ranch will be painted green. But each home is thoroughly green.

Measure P will bring to Davis a neighborhood of 191 affordable, environmentally responsible homes.

The neighborhood is designed to be affordable so those who work in Davis including our teachers, police and families with children can live in Davis.

Because this project will be a model for sustainable development, not just in Davis but also across the state, our area’s leading environmentalists support Measure P.

Davis can take pride in this project, like the eco-friendly Village Homes 30 years ago.

Measure P’s Wildhorse Ranch neighborhood uses environmentally responsible design and green building practices. Solar panels on every unit will provide nearly all of the project’s power, and the project will exceed by 50% the State’s goals for reducing energy use.

Wildhorse Ranch has designed its solar energy systems to reduce energy consumption to the point that fully 90% of its green house gas emissions are eliminated.

Measure P and the Wildhorse Ranch neighborhood:

• Ensures the majority of the homes are affordable for working families.

• Dedicates nearly 40% of the neighborhood to open space, including an urban forest.

• Preserves 67 acres of agricultural land around Davis, helping to create more open space.

• Provides 100% accessibility apartments for our mobility challenged residents.

This is a community plan. It is the result of a five-year collaboration between the City Council, residents who live near the site, and leaders and activists in Davis.

Davis is a great community in which to live and raise a family. Measure P and Wildhorse Ranch allow us to keep our small-town character while providing much needed affordable and environmentally responsible homes.

Please join in supporting Measure P.

/s/ Tansey Thomas, Community Activist
/s/ Stan Forbes, Bookstore Owner/former Davis City Councilmember
/s/ Jay Gerber, Business Owner/former President Davis Chamber of Commerce
/s/ Pamela S. Nieberg, Environmental Activist
/s/ Ken Wagstaff, former Davis Mayor

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REBUTTAL TO ARGUMENT IN FAVOR OF MEASURE P

We stand behind the statements that we made in the Argument against Measure P. We’ve provided verification, documentation, and explanation at www.2000homesareenough.org.

Wildhorse Ranch prices are NOT affordable.

• According to City staff, the least expensive units are 73 townhouses which will sell for $451,000 on average if built in three years.
• Is $451,000 for an attached townhouse really “affordable” housing?

The project that you are voting on does not pay for itself.

• City costs exceed tax revenues each and every year.

“Green” and “sustainable” claims are overstated.

• Sustainable developments are generally close to jobs, transportation hubs, neighborhood shopping and/or downtown.
• This project is located on the periphery, far from Davis jobs, shopping, and transportation hubs.

A deeply flawed process.

• This project was rushed onto the ballot in the wee hours of the morning, without a completed development agreement, without adequate Council discussion, and without review by key citizen-based Commissions.

We should not approve more housing now.

• Davis has already satisfied our current State growth target and the more housing we approve now, the more pressure we will have to grow faster in the future since future targets are based on past growth.

The development agreement can be changed after election day by future City Council votes.

• But passage of Measure P ensures that the land designation from agricultural to residential will remain.

PLEASE HELP US SLOW PERIPHERAL SPRAWL.  2000 UNITS ARE ENOUGH FOR NOW. VOTE NO ON MEASURE P

www.2000homesareenough.org

/s/ Nora Oldwin, Attorney/Spanish Tutor
/s/ Fred Buderi, City Planner
/s/ Michelle S. Rasmussen, Registered Nurse – Sutter Davis Hospital
/s/ Dennis J. Dingemans, Retired UCD Faculty in Geography
/s/ Fraser Shilling, Environmental Science and Policy Researcher at UC Davis

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ARGUMENT AGAINST MEASURE P

Davis Has Enough Approved Housing For Now:

2,000 units are entitled and unbuilt in Davis and adjacent University property.

• According to City staff, Davis has over 500 unbuilt units. UC Davis approved 475 houses and 3,000 student beds (1,000 dwelling-unit equivalents) in its massive West Village development.

The City has exceeded its current state-issued growth targets.

• Counting West Village and City-approved housing, Davis will have grown almost 70% since 1988 — hardly slow growth!

This project is not needed to address school enrollment.

• We have 1,000 non-student unbuilt units, most able to accommodate families with children.

This project is not unique.

• West Village is a zero net energy plan, is closer to campus and downtown, while Wildhorse Ranch is located on Davis’ periphery.
• Most greenhouse gases come from auto emissions, which the developer’s analysis ignored.

This project provides no student housing or owner-occupied affordable housing.

• The least expensive ownership units are $425,000 townhouses.

Disgracefully rushed to the ballot by Council after midnight without sufficient analysis.

This Project Will Drain City Finances:

According to City staff, Wildhorse Ranch will cost more to service than it will generate in tax revenue each year because the City’s share of property taxes for this project is 11.8%, significantly below the citywide average of 17.5%.

• The deficit will increase over time, even with the additional $300 CFD fees.

According to staff, this project will bring no additional net revenue to the City except for the standard, modest, onetime construction tax.

• The Impact and Quimby fees only pay for the development’s share of infrastructure costs.
• Wildhorse Ranch compares unfavorably to the recently-approved Verona and Chiles Ranch projects. Verona contributed $12,000 per marketrate unit, plus standard fees; Wildhorse Ranch requires no such contributions.

www.2000HomesAreEnough.org.

HELP SLOW PERIPHERAL SPRAWL. 2000 UNBUILT UNITS ARE ENOUGH FOR NOW!!
Vote No.

/s/ Philip G. King, Chair, Economics, SFSU 2003-6
/s/ Mark Siegler, Chair, Finance and Budge Commission, 2003 – 2006
/s/ Bob Hagedorn. Chair, Planning Commission 2003
/s/ Pamela Gunnell, Former Chair, Planning Commission
/s/ Sue Greenwald, Davis City Councilmember,Mayor 2006-2008

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REBUTTAL TO ARGUMENT AGAINST MEASURE P

Wildhorse Ranch: Green and Affordable.

Davis needs affordable housing so that people who work in Davis can live in Davis. Wildhorse Ranch is designed to yield maximum benefits to Davis workers who want environmentally-friendly housing.

There are 191 homes at Wildhorse Ranch.

• 40 apartment homes, affordable to low-income families.
• 78 townhomes from $350,000 to $450,000.
• 73 single-family homes from $450,000 to $550,000.
• The more expensive homes are similar to housing offered only to University employees at West Village.

The claim that 2000 units are entitled and unbuilt in Davis is misleading. 1,025 of those “units” are University on-campus student housing proposed for West Village. The 475 homes the University plans on campus are restricted solely to University employees. Of the alleged 500 units approved in the city, the only project currently moving forward is Chiles Ranch at 108 units.

The project pays for itself. According to an independent fiscal analysis and confirmed by staff, the project results in net fiscal benefits of approximately $4 million over the 15-year analysis period, providing a reliable annual source of funding for city services — something no other Davis project has done.

Wildhorse Ranch is the only project with 90% GHG reductions and energy savings that are a guaranteed part of the baseline features contained in Measure P that cannot be changed without voter approval.

Please join leading environmentalists, community activists, your friends and neighbors in voting for Yes on Measure P.

Visit: www.yesonpdavis.com

/s/ Mark Braly, Chair, Davis Planning Commission
/s/ Carolyn Hinshaw, Neighborhood Activist
/s/ Eric Nelson, Neighborhood Activist
/s/ Alan Pryor, Environmental Activist/Director,Yolo Clean Air
/s/ Maynard Skinner, former Davis Mayor