A proposed 118-acre mixed-use innovation campus east of Mace Boulevard and north of Interstate 80 in unincorporated Yolo County adjacent to the eastern edge of the City of Davis. Developers: Ramco Enterprises (Dan Ramos) and The Buzz Oates Group (Troy Estacio). The project required annexation of prime agricultural land into the City of Davis — triggering the voter approval requirement of Measure J/R/D (passed 2000, renewed 2010 and 2020). The DiSC 2022 proposal (Measure H) included: approximately 1.1 million square feet of office, laboratory, R&D, and advanced manufacturing space; 460 residential units (at least 74 affordable, primarily for UC Davis employees, faculty, researchers, and graduates); a hotel and conference center; parks, plazas, and community sports fields; and a carbon neutrality commitment by 2040. An earlier version (DISC / Measure B) was put to voters in November 2020 and failed 52-48% by ~1,269 votes. Developers revised the proposal — reducing the site from 187 acres to 118 acres, cutting traffic projections by 55%, and increasing housing and sustainability components — and returned with DiSC 2022. In June 2022, Davis voters rejected Measure H by 63.5% to 36.5% — a wider margin than the first defeat, with approximately 3,000 votes separating YES and NO. Analysts attributed the wider margin partly to a lawsuit filed by Councilmember Dan Carson against opponents' ballot argument language, which generated major backlash. Developers have not returned with a third proposal. The site remains agricultural farmland as of May 2026.
| Date | Event | What the record shows |
|---|---|---|
| November 7, 2000 | Measure J Passed — Voter Approval Required for Peripheral Development | Davis voters pass Measure J — the "Citizens' Right to Vote on Future Use of Open Space and Agricultural Lands" — establishing a requirement that any annexation of agricultural or open space land at the edge of Davis for urban development must receive citywide voter approval. This mechanism creates the structure that will ultimately kill DiSC twice. Davis Vanguard: https://davisvanguard.org/2025/05/davis-measure-j-housing-constraints/ |
| January 1, 2014 | City Issues Request for Innovation Park Expressions of Interest | The City of Davis issues a Request for Expressions of Interest for a private-sector innovation park. Three firms respond; two eventually drop out. The Ramco/Buzz Oates consortium begins planning what will become DISC. Davisite: https://davisite.org/2020/10/17/lwv-davis-area-pros-and-cons-for-measure-b/ |
| November 3, 2020 | Measure B Fails — DISC Rejected First Time (52-48%) | Davis voters reject Measure B — the first version of the Davis Innovation & Sustainability Campus — by approximately 52-48%, a margin of ~1,269 votes. The 2020 proposal was for 187 acres east of Mace Boulevard. Opponents focused on traffic on Mace Boulevard and the car-dependence of the campus design. Note: many UC Davis students were absent from Davis during COVID, suppressing turnout among the demographic most supportive of the project. The Aggie: https://theaggie.org/2021/01/11/davis-measure-b-failed-by-1269-votes-last-november |
| November 3, 2020 | Measure D Passes — Measure J/R/D Renewed for Another Decade (83-17%) | On the same ballot as the DISC defeat, Davis voters renew Measure J/R/D for another decade by an 83-17% margin. This decisive vote to keep the voter-approval requirement signals that the growth control mechanism itself has overwhelming support independent of any individual project. Davis Vanguard: https://davisvanguard.org/2020/11/analysis-not-a-huge-amount-of-surprises-locally/ |
| July 1, 2021 | Developers Return With DiSC 2022 — Revised, Smaller, More Housing | Ramco Enterprises and Buzz Oates (without Reynolds & Brown, who withdrew) submit a revised application. DiSC 2022 is reduced from 187 acres to 118 acres, traffic is cut by 55%, housing is increased to 460 units (74+ affordable), and a carbon neutrality target of 2040 is added. The developers believe the improvements will address the concerns that killed Measure B. Davis Enterprise: https://www.davisenterprise.com/news/slimmed-down-disc-proposal-likely-headed-back-to-ballot/ |
| February 1, 2022 | City Council Approves DiSC 2022 and Places Measure H on June Ballot | The Davis City Council approves the DiSC 2022 proposal and votes to place it on the June 7, 2022 primary ballot as Measure H. Councilmember Dan Carson and Mayor Gloria Partida lead the council majority in support. Davis Vanguard: https://davisvanguard.org/2022/02/davis-city-council-votes-to-include-disc-2022-on-june-ballot-public-expresses-support/ |
| April 1, 2022 | Councilmember Carson Files Lawsuit Against No on H Ballot Language | Councilmember Dan Carson files a writ petition in Yolo Superior Court seeking changes to the ballot argument submitted by the No on H campaign, arguing certain statements are false or misleading. A judge orders two minor changes but leaves the bulk of opponents' arguments intact. Former Davis Mayor Ann Evans writes: "Dan Carson has set a low bar for conduct of an elected official in Davis." Analysts credit the lawsuit as a significant factor in the 2022 defeat being wider than 2020. The Aggie: https://theaggie.org/2022/04/15/lawsuit-filed-to-change-misleading-ballot-statements-written-by-opponents-of-the-disc-2022-development-project/ |
| June 7, 2022 | Measure H Fails — DiSC 2022 Rejected 63.5-36.5% | Davis voters reject Measure H — DiSC 2022 — by 63.5% to 36.5%. Out of approximately 11,166 votes cast, the NO margin is approximately 3,000 votes. The defeat is significantly worse than the 2020 result despite a smaller project and more housing. The Davis Vanguard: "Despite being a smaller project with a seemingly more favorable environment than in 2020, DiSC has apparently gone down to an overwhelming loss." Analysts attribute the worse result partly to backlash from Carson's ballot argument lawsuit and partly to the Yes campaign's messaging. Davis Vanguard: https://davisvanguard.org/2022/06/measure-h-goes-down-to-resounding-loss/ |
| January 1, 2024 | Developers Do Not Return — Project Definitively Dead | After the 63.5-36.5% defeat of Measure H in June 2022, Ramco Enterprises and Buzz Oates do not submit a third application for the Mace Boulevard/I-80 site. The site remains in agricultural production. The 460 housing units DiSC 2022 would have contributed to Davis's housing stock were never built. Davis begins preliminary discussions about amending Measure J/R/D, prompted by HCD pressure. Davis Vanguard: https://davisvanguard.org/2022/08/my-view-the-recent-history-of-housing-in-davis-is-not-all-that-robust/ |
Rating 3 of 5. Multiple sources, including at least one primary record. Corrections: https://whokilledthebuilding.com/corrections.