Approximately 498 acres on the northern edge of Davis, off Covell Boulevard
Proposed 1,800-unit master-planned community on approximately 498 acres on the northern edge of Davis off Covell Boulevard. 15-year buildout. Would be surrounded on three sides by existing neighborhoods. Requires rezoning from Agriculture to Urban Agriculture Transition Area and Residential Low, Medium, and High Density. Davis's Measure J-R-D (first adopted 2000) requires citywide voter approval for any such rezoning. The Davis City Council unanimously placed the project on the June 2, 2026 ballot as Measure V. The project Environmental Impact Report is over 5,000 pages and was unanimously certified by the city. Davis voters rejected Measure V on June 2, 2026, 11,690 to 11,414, a margin of 276 votes. The project's housing plan designated 20 percent of the homes, 360 units, as affordable, and the developer pledged 16 acres of land and $6 million toward affordable housing; opponents disputed whether those commitments were binding.
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Davis City Council certified the 5,000+ page EIR and unanimously voted to place Village Farms on the June 2, 2026 ballot as Measure V (Resolution No. 26-006).
Yolo County ACE Department — Local MeasuresOfficial ballot arguments and rebuttals released, formally documenting the divide. Opponents emphasized scale of earthwork (one million cubic yards of soil) and impacts on environment and infrastructure. Supporters emphasized 5,000+ page EIR, flood engineering to 200-year standards, and findings of no contamination risk.
Davis Vanguard, March 11, 2026Sacramento Bee Editorial Board formally endorses Yes on Measure V.
Davis Vanguard reporting on Sacramento Bee endorsementDavis voters rejected Measure V, 11,690 to 11,414 (50.6 to 49.4 percent), a margin of 276 votes. Yolo County certified the results in June.
Davis VanguardProject complies with city's planning framework and has a 5,000+ page environmental impact report unanimously certified by the city. Engineered to 200-year flood protection standards. No contamination risk per regulators.
Has raised and spent over $302,000 in support of Measure V per campaign finance disclosures. Argues Village Farms is a logical and necessary expansion of Davis's urban footprint to address housing affordability and UC Davis growth pressure.
Unanimously certified the 5,000+ page environmental impact report and unanimously voted to place Village Farms on the June 2, 2026 ballot. The council itself supports the project; the obstruction is the Measure J-R-D voter approval requirement, not the council.
Endorsed Yes on Measure V. Argued: "Measure V represents a logical expansion of the city's urban footprint. Where else should Davis possibly expand? If passed, it would signal that Davis's intense system of democracy can function in a modern California desperate for more housing."
Has spent just over $13,000 supporting Measure V per public campaign finance disclosures.
"Our market rate housing is attainable by design. That's the crux of our whole concept." (June 1, 2026.) On contamination: "The state regulatory authority formally stated that the groundwater at the site poses no risk to future residents."
"It's an infill project in Davis, California near shopping, existing infrastructure, urban uses." (June 1, 2026.) On the landfill: "We are not developing a site that was a former dump site."
Told the city council in January 2026 the project was "long overdue." "Our schools' problems reflect that very missing generation."
"I definitely believe that we definitely need housing, but we need housing for our workforce, housing that is affordable, housing that cost between $500,000-$600,000 and in this town the only way you get that is building smaller houses." Argues the project will primarily attract Bay Area transplants rather than addressing local workforce needs.
"Our group is not against growth. It's not against having more housing. We're against bad planning." (June 1, 2026.) Called the affordable housing plan "more of a scam than a plan" and said of PFAS near the site: "Those toxics are leaking onto the site."
Rejected Measure V on June 2, 2026, 11,690 to 11,414 in the certified count. A simple majority was required to approve it.
Davis's Measure J-R-D, first adopted in 2000, requires citywide voter approval for any rezoning of agricultural land for urban use. Even with full city council and staff approval, no major housing project on Davis's edge can proceed without a majority of voters approving it at the ballot. Village Farms underwent years of planning, environmental review, and council deliberation before being placed on the June 2, 2026 ballot as Measure V. Voters rejected it, 11,690 to 11,414.
Each row is a dated action by a deciding body, taken from the minutes, agenda packet, video, or ruling linked in the source column.
| Date | Body | Action | Vote | Staff recommendation | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2, 2026 | Voters | referendum failed Measure V. Certified result. | 11414–11690 | Unknown | Davis Vanguard |
General overview of both Measure V (Village Farms, June) and the WillowGrove project (November ballot). Includes Matt Williams quotes.
Includes campaign finance disclosures for the Yes on Measure V campaign and Realtor association spending.
Davis Vanguard reporting on Sacramento Bee endorsement of Measure V.
Detailed coverage of the official ballot arguments and rebuttals, with quoted statements from both sides.
Official county ballot information including the exact text of Measure V (Resolution No. 26-006).