City of Davis Planning Commission Meeting - September 11, 2024: Palomino Place Draft SEIR Review
City of Davis Planning Commission Meeting: September 11, 2024
The meeting focused on the Draft Subsequent Environmental Impact Report (SEIR) for the Palomino Place project, a 175-unit residential subdivision on 25.8 acres at the southeast corner of Wildhorse Ranch. No formal action was taken; the commission received public and commissioner comments for inclusion in the Final SEIR.
Consent Calendar
- Minutes from April 24, 2024: Approved unanimously with minor corrections.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Caravaggio Drive residents (Al Lynn, Brent Meyer, Phil Wiles): Expressed concerns about privacy, noise, light pollution, and the proposed 20-foot tree buffer. They requested a green belt or transfer of buffer to existing homeowners. Meyer noted the developer offered a 15-foot deed with condition allowing two-story homes. Wiles raised concerns about enforcement of use restrictions due to ag zoning and urged exploration of traditional zoning.
- Albert Lynn (earlier public comment on non-agenda items): Spoke in Spanish and English about his experience as a construction worker, advocating for medical insurance and fair wages for workers.
- Alexander Hampton (NorthCal Carpenters): Shared positive experiences working in Davis and emphasized the importance of local hire, health care, and apprenticeship standards.
Discussion Items
- Staff Presentation: Principal Planner Eric Lee and Nick Papani (Rainey Management) presented background on the project, builder's remedy status, and the Draft SEIR process. The SEIR identified new significant impacts in biological resources (mitigable via Yolo HCP) and unavoidable significant impacts in aesthetics, construction noise, VMT, agricultural zoning, and land use conflicts.
- VMT Analysis (Greg Barons, Fehr & Peers): The project’s residential VMT per capita is 33, exceeding the city threshold of 25.6 (15% below city average of 30.1) and regional threshold of 18.4 (15% below SACOG average of 21.7). Mitigation measures (subsidized transit passes for up to 45 affordable units, car-share, and e-bike-share) were estimated to reduce VMT only to 32.1, leaving a significant and unavoidable impact. The non-residential pentathlon facility would reduce regional VMT by over 1,000 miles.
- Alternatives: Four alternatives were evaluated: no project, increased density (260 units), reduced density (98 units), and no pentathlon. The increased density alternative was identified as environmentally superior because it would reduce residential VMT per capita below both thresholds. Chair Rowe expressed skepticism about the VMT model and requested a financial feasibility analysis for the pentathlon center, citing past failed sports complexes in Davis.
- Builder’s Remedy and Zoning: City Attorney Indra Calsa clarified that the project does not require a general plan amendment or rezoning, so Measure J/R does not apply. Residential design will be regulated through conditions of approval and CC&Rs; design review is limited to the pentathlon facility.
- Commissioner Comments: Commissioner Brinkley noted trust in the VMT model and self-selection benefits; Commissioner McLaughlin said builder’s remedy is “bad law” but workable; Commissioner Deos appreciated staff’s extensive public noticing. Commissioner Rowe emphasized the need for financial clarity on the pentathlon before project approval.
Key Outcomes
- No vote taken on the Draft SEIR. The public comment period ends September 23, 2024 at 5:00 PM; written comments may be submitted to Senior Planner Eric Lee (elee@cityofdavis.org).
- Next Steps: Staff will prepare responses to all comments in a Final SEIR, which will include a mitigation monitoring and reporting program. The project (vesting tentative map and affordable housing plan) will return to the Planning Commission for a decision, likely in winter 2024. The developer has waived deadlines under the settlement agreement due to delays.
- Upcoming Meetings: Next regular meeting September 25, 2024 will feature economic development items (G Street Plaza, outdoor dining). October 9 and 23, November 13 and 27 (November 27 is Thanksgiving Eve, likely canceled) are potential meeting dates.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening, everybody. It's 7 02, I believe, and I will call to order the Wednesday, September 11th, 2024 meeting of the City of Davis Planning Commission. Let the record reflect that we have two absences tonight. Jan Troust and Georgina Valencia are out of town. And we've been informed that Catherine Brinkley will be joining us later, perhaps uh about 745 or so. She has another conflict right now. So with that, uh, if I could have a motion to approve the agenda. Any objections? Okay, approved by unanimous assent. We are now on item number three, brief announcements of staff commissioners and council liaisons, and as usual, I will go first to our council liaison, Councilmember Neville. Thank you, Chair Rowe, but I don't have any updates. Thank you for asking. Thank you. Um staff, do you have anything? Good evening, Chair Rowe. Good evening, Commissioners Dara Dunworth. Um, I just have a few quick updates for you. Um the general plan update is continuing. Um we have solicited proposals from the top four firms. You may have uh be aware of that from the city council meeting that was a month or so ago. Um we do have a meeting set with our top choice, and we'll be interviewing them and helping working with them to help put together a scope for them to present to us. So that's coming along. That meeting is happening next week, very soon. Um, and then just briefly some updates on our two large projects, village farms. Um, the draft EIR is well underway, and um staff is even getting some preliminary chapters to start reviewing. So we've had some progress there. Um similarly with Shriners, we're working through some of the technical information, and we're having almost weekly meetings on that project as well. So moving forward with that, and then finally, I just wanted to give you uh some follow-up on the form-based code amendment that we brought to you last meeting. Um staff has taken your recommendation seriously, and so we are looking at the timing of when we can bring that back to or bring it forward to city council. Um we've reached out to the DDBA. Um, we're looking at other ways of doing some notification and working through what that timing all looks like, and we'll be bringing that forward to council as soon as we've got some of those details worked out. Thank you. That's all I have. Are there any other staff announcements from Sherry or anyone else? No. Do any commissioners have any announcements? I have a few. Um, I want to uh thank staff. We had some discussions a few weeks ago about um the main topic for tonight, the uh subsequent draft EIR for the panel meeting place uh project. And and I I had a concern that for many of us on the planning commission, this is the first time we've actually discussed and taken public comment on an EIR. So I thought if there was any materials they could provide on that, plus we're dealing with something tonight that's kind of new and unusual in the state of California. That's the builder's remedy approach to implementing projects. So they came up with some documents and also a recording of a podcast. I think it was conducted by uh Cal Matters that they sent out. So I hope all of you found that useful. But they from my perspective, they found some things that were um I think basic educational things to help guide us through this process. Um I just have a reminder, I think it's particularly pertinent tonight since we have two commissioners uh absent that if any commissioner ever finds out that they're not going to be able to make a meeting. If you could let staff and myself know as soon as you know, that would be very um helpful. In the case of uh Mr. Troost and and Georgina, we know knew about these absences at least a week or two ago.
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