The City of Davis invites the community to provide its feedback on lighting options in downtown Davis through an online survey that is open now and closes on Jan. 31 at 5 p.m. The survey can be found at: www.surveymonkey.com/r/DowntownDavisLights. 

The survey includes three different lighting options for downtown Davis to replace the decorative “twinkle” lights that previously adorned trees along downtown sidewalks. These previous lights historically provided an enhanced downtown ambiance and improved lighting for safety, however were experiencing wear and tear. The City seeks to continue these lighting attributes, while reducing or eliminating impacts on downtown tree health. Each new option in the survey has a photo, a summary and some listed advantages and disadvantages. The three options, in no particular order, are: 

• A laser unit affixed to the ground projecting small, moving lights toward tree canopies
• LED lights strung between installed poles
• LED lights strung between trees

Community members can also view a test pilot of these three options in person before providing input. The three options are located downtown at three of the four corners at Second and E Streets. The three options focus on minimizing impacts to trees; lights will not be wrapped around trees/trunks and will not be affixed via staples or tightly wrapped ribbon nor will lighting power sources be permitted via extension cords. Any temporary attachments to trees during this pilot will be adhered in a way that follows industry standards and lessens long-term effects on the trees.  

In the summer/fall of 2023, the City of Davis assessed and pruned the 900+ trees in downtown Davis while also taking down the previous "twinkle” lights that adorned a number of these trees. The previous lights were experiencing wear and tear after a decade of use and using attachment methods that could be detrimental to the trees. Though the lights were removed, they provided ambiance, beauty and safety benefits to the downtown. 

The three different styles being piloted seek to balance the multiple goals for decorative lighting and optimal tree health in the downtown area. City staff developed these options after completing research on best practices and having robust discussions with tree health experts, the Tree Commission and the City Council. Staff also sought input from Tree Davis, the Davis Downtown Business Association and the Davis Chamber of Commerce. 

After the pilot, a permanent plan for installation and maintenance of the lighting downtown will be determined by the City Council after consideration of community input from this survey, as well as Tree Commission and staff recommendations.  

For additional information about this project, visit: www.cityofdavis.org/city-hall/improvement-projects/downtown-davis-lights-and-trees. 

Press contact: Barbara Archer, barcher@cityofdavis.org, 530-400-3418 

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Lights Shining Up.jpg
Pole to Pole (Street View).jpg
Tree to Tree (Street View).jpg