Woodland council certifies SEIR and approves narrow plan change to let Clark Pacific and Bayer seek city utility connections

The Woodland City Council on May 19 unanimously certified a supplemental environmental impact report and approved a narrowly tailored amendment to the city's general plan that would allow city water, sewer and recycled-water service to two long-standing businesses located just outside the urban limit line, contingent on voter approval.

Council certified the SEIR after staff summarized the analysis and said the report found no new or substantially more severe environmental impacts than those previously disclosed in the 2035 General Plan EIR. Erica, a city planning staff member, told the council the amendment would not change the urban limit line boundary; instead it would permit service extensions only to existing commercial facilities within a one-mile buffer and operating on or before the election day specified in the amendment.

Supporters at the public hearing included long-time resident and former city staff member Chris Christiansen and representatives of the applicant companies. George Gough of Bayer Crop Science and Doug Becker of Clark Pacific said their operations face water-quality and septic-capacity constraints and that connecting to city utilities would improve operational reliability and reduce reliance on groundwater and on-site septic systems. Both applicants told the council they would pay for design, construction and connection costs and that service agreements would be structured to be cost-neutral to existing Woodland ratepayers.

Council member Landsberg moved to certify the SEIR; the motion was seconded by Council member Garcia Cadena and passed by voice vote. Council then approved the proposed amendment to policy 2A-1 (motion moved by Council member Garcia Cadena, seconded by Council member Moreno). By consensus, council directed staff to prepare and return, at the June 2 meeting, a ballot measure for placement on the November 2026 ballot to permit the proposed exceptions to the utilities prohibition should voters approve them.

The SEIR and staff report addressed public comments received during the draft review period. Staff said the city received two substantive written comment letters (from Yolo LAFCO and the Yolo County Farm Bureau); Yolo LAFCO said it would consider the SEIR in its own deliberations while the Farm Bureau argued the draft did not fully analyze the relationship between the city's proposal and a separate Clark Pacific county expansion project. Staff responded that the county project is a separate, independently reviewed action and that the city treated it as a reasonably foreseeable cumulative project in the SEIR.

Next steps: staff will return to council June 2 with a draft ballot measure consistent with the council direction. If voters approve the ballot measure in November, council would then consider individual service agreements and connection terms for eligible applicants; staff said those agreements would require applicants to cover all connection and infrastructure costs.

Quotes in context: "I would encourage you very much to take the actions recommended this evening," said Chris Christiansen, a longtime Woodland resident who supported the proposal as a form of economic development. "We as Bayer are seeking to connect to city services," George Gough said, noting the company would pay for the work if voters permit the change.

The council's actions on May 19 were procedural and contingent on voter approval; no utility connections will be constructed until the city completes subsequent service agreements and project approvals.