Commission hears update on Willow Grove; developer change shifts affordable units into baseline

Commissioners updated the Davis Social Services Commission on April 20 about recent changes to the Willow Grove development.

Commissioners who attended a special April 1 meeting said the project’s developer changed; staff said the new developer is primarily a for‑profit firm that includes a nonprofit component and has access to bonding strategies distinct from the prior applicant. A staff update slated for the city council the next evening, staff warned, may include further changes.

One commissioner said the new developer “shifted the affordable housing into baseline,” and commissioners emphasized they had pressed the project team to preserve contributions to the city’s housing trust fund and to consider for‑sale affordable units where feasible. Several commissioners expressed interest in clearer explanations of how the new funding approach would accelerate delivery of affordable units and asked staff and the developer to provide further detail.

The commission discussed the value of developers returning to the commission when significant project changes occur; staff said developers are not obligated to do so but that it is preferable when they do. No formal action was taken on the project at the commission meeting; the update was informational and commissioners said the full council would receive a further update the following night.