The Davis City Council took up three housing items on July 22, headlined by changes to the city’s rules for backyard homes that could make it easier and cheaper for homeowners to add a rental or family unit on their property.
The council held a public hearing on the 2026 Accessory Dwelling Unit Ordinance, an update to Chapter 40 of the city’s zoning code. An Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) — a smaller secondary home on the same lot, like a backyard cottage or a converted garage — has become one of the most common ways for California homeowners to add housing without buying new land. The amendment brings Davis’s local rules in line with state law and clears away some of the extra hurdles the city had imposed. For homeowners, that means a more predictable, faster path to building a backyard unit — a way to house an aging parent or adult child, or to earn rental income. For renters and would-be buyers, each new ADU adds a modestly priced home to a tight local market, though these units are added one at a time rather than in large batches.
The council also got its first substantive look at where Davis could grow over the next quarter-century. Consultants from Alta Planning and Design presented an update on the 2050 General Plan Update — the General Plan being the city’s long-range blueprint for how land gets used over the coming decades. The centerpiece was the Draft Preferred Land Use Alternative and Map, a working draft that shows which areas the city is leaning toward for new housing, jobs, and open space. For residents, this map is the early signal of where future apartments, subdivisions, or commercial growth might land, and whether the city plans to build up within its existing footprint or expand outward. Because Davis has long favored compact growth and protecting surrounding farmland, decisions captured on this map will shape both home prices and the character of neighborhoods for years.
Both General Plan items were presented as informational and for discussion — meaning the council reviewed the material and gave direction, but did not take a binding vote to lock in the map. That leaves room for residents to weigh in before any of the draft land-use choices become official policy. Nothing on the map changes what can be built today; it reflects the city’s current thinking as the plan continues to take shape.
What’s coming up: The 2050 General Plan Update will return for further public review and refinement before the council adopts a final version, giving residents multiple chances to comment on the preferred land-use map. Homeowners interested in the new ADU rules should check with the city’s planning department on when the updated Chapter 40 standards take effect and what permits will be required.