Demolition kicks off next week on downtown Davis’s most contentious development—and it’s not the building itself that’s fueling the debate. It’s the parking lot that isn’t there.
The Lumberyard project at Fifth and G streets will demolish the former Hibbert Lumber site starting July 13, clearing the way for a five-story mixed-use complex with 239 apartments, ground-floor retail, a rooftop deck, and 11 affordable housing units. Sounds good, right? Except the project includes zero required parking spaces—a move that has residents and business owners circling the block with legitimate concerns about an already tight parking situation in downtown Davis.
The city’s reasoning is straightforward: California law no longer mandates minimum parking for housing developments located near major transit. Since The Lumberyard sits close to Amtrak and local bus service, the developer isn’t required to build parking. Future residents who need a spot will supposedly have access to reserved spaces in the nearby Fourth Street parking garage. But for people like 11-year Davis resident Nancy Luft, the math doesn’t add up.“It’s getting tighter. It’s getting a little bit tougher,”she told KCRA 3. Business owner Steve Quesada, who owns Picasso Salon and will literally see the new building from his backyard, gets the appeal of adding housing—but he’s not convinced the parking solution is realistic.“More customers coming in is good…the only thing is parking for everybody, local residents and businesses,”he said.
The timing makes the tension worse. The city recently approved converting three downtown parking lots to metered parking, framed as demand management but landing as another squeeze on free spots. Add five weeks of demolition and subsequent construction to the mix, and downtown Davis is about to feel even more like a game of musical chairs. The hope is that the promised transit-first lifestyle catches on. The fear is that it won’t—at least not fast enough for people who still need to park their cars.
Construction begins July 13 and runs roughly five weeks before grading and building start.
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Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.
