By Bob Dunning
Although The Cannery has been playing to mixed reviews ever since it was first proposed as a residential replacement for the old Hunt’s tomato plant, this recent fight was nowhere near as intense as when the original cannery attempted to come to town.
But there’s no use crying over spilled tomatoes. The current Cannery has cut through all the red tape this town can provide and patiently crossed every “t” and dotted every “i.” And now it’s open for business.
Obviously, any time you propose to build 547 homes in a town resistant to growth, there’s going to be controversy. Some folks oppose pounding even one more nail, ever, anywhere in Davis, while others have legitimate concerns about traffic issues, overcrowded schools, bicycle safety, and horror of horrors, eventually merging with Woodland.
Most of the opposition to growth, predictably, comes from those who already own a home in Davis and see absolutely no reason to increase the population, conveniently ignoring the fact that they themselves increased the population when they decided to move to town.
Generally, those residents who wish to stay in Davis for the long haul but have been unable to own their own home are in favor of increasing the housing stock. It has always been so.
While the eventual impact of the project, both positive and negative, remains to be seen, we’ve grown before and certainly survived. And, no doubt, those folks who were able to take advantage of that growth by moving here are for the most part happy that growth was approved.
From my standpoint, I’ve seen the town grow 10- or 15-fold since I moved here as a kindergartner attending Central Davis School, but that growth brought substantial amenities that didn’t exist in our once-sleepy valley town.
All that said, The New Home Company has put together a stunning project that will be a compelling draw for Davisites and non-Davisites alike. Many, many folks will like what they see.
For the most part, it won’t be cheap, but nothing is when it comes to housing in Davis these days. All in all, the pricing is comparable to what you’d see for similar square footage and amenities elsewhere in town.
Except that everything is new, state-of-the-art and part of a neighborhood that has been meticulously planned.
For example, homes in the “Sage” community will run from the “high $700,000s to the low $1 millions,” which means even though The Cannery is indeed on the east side of the railroad tracks, it’s hard to define it as part of East Davis with all that the designation implies.
On the other end, “Heirloom” offers three-story townhomes starting in the mid-$400,000s and heading upward from there. (Note to current East Davis residents who may soon be touring The Cannery just to see how the other half plans to live: You don’t pronounce the “H” in “Heirloom.”)
If you’re interested in outdoor square footage, you’ll be disappointed. Large or even moderate-sized front or back yards just don’t exist here.
Be forewarned that visiting The Cannery for “just a look around” might have you unexpectedly salivating about the possibilities, no matter how happy you believe you are in your current situation.
It’s a bit like showing up on a new car lot for a test drive. It’s subtle seduction, to be sure, that always makes you a bit reluctant to climb back into your old car for the ride back home.
