Davis Municipal Code Art. 27.01 In General

For the purposes of this chapter, the following terms, phrases, words, and their derivations shall have the meanings respectively ascribed to them by this section:

City

means the City of Davis.

Civic space

refers to land that is improved for civic gathering purposes and is located solely in the district designated as the Downtown Specific Plan Area (being all the land within the plan area boundary shown on Exhibit A of Ordinance 2637). These spaces are publicly-owned and used by the public and non-profits for community events or for outdoor dining by restaurants or bars that are authorized under the City's Downtown Outdoor Dining Program. Civic spaces typically include characteristics of a public realm throughfare and open space areas. They are designated as a both a park and open space by the City in the district designated as the Downtown Specific Plan Area (being all the land within the plan area boundary shown on Exhibit A of Ordinance 2637).

Director

refers to the director of community services, or designee.

Open space area

means a natural, open space area owned, used or maintained by the city, and devoted to habitat, agriculture or passive recreation and not designated a park by the city.

Park

means a park, reservation, playground, golf course, swimming pool, recreation center, greenbelts, greenways, or any other area in the city, owned or used by the city and devoted to active or passive recreation.

Parklet

refers to a sidewalk extension that provides more space and amenities for pedestrians to utilize the street. Usually, parklets are installed on parking lanes and use several parking spaces and may include a small seating area, sidewalk extension, or green space created as a public amenity intended for people to stop, to sit, and to rest or dine. Parklets located in the Downtown Specific Plan Area (being all the land within the plan area boundary shown on Exhibit A of Ordinance 2637) are civic spaces. Parklets can also be constructed for exclusive, private use. Parklets are a type of pocket park if they are publicly accessible.

Person

means any person, firm, partnership, association, corporation, company, or organization of any kind.

Posted agricultural buffer area

means an area adjacent to actively farmed agricultural fields designated to protect normal and lawful agricultural practices from impacts of adjacent land uses and posted for that purpose. Public access may or may not be occasionally allowed in posted agricultural buffer areas by special permit (see Section 27.03.190).

Urban open space

means a civic space located solely in the Downtown Specific Plan Area (being all the land within the plan area boundary shown on Exhibit A of Ordinance 2637) that is publicly-owned and can used for outdoor dining, as defined in Chapter 40, by restaurants or bars that are authorized under the City's Downtown Outdoor Dining Program. Urban open space areas are separate and distinct from open space areas.

Use

means the presence by any person at or upon any park or open space area for any reason whatsoever, regardless of the length or brevity of any such presence.

Vehicle

means any wheeled conveyance, whether motor-powered, animal-drawn, self-propelled, or pushed.

(Ord. 1011 § 2; Ord. 1877 § 1; Ord. 2390 § 3, 2012; Ord. 2668, 11/12/2024)

The purpose of this chapter is to establish regulations governing the management of parks and natural open space areas. The director shall be responsible for implementing and interpreting these regulations and issuing any special permits or permission required under this chapter. The director shall have the authority to close or limit access to certain parks and/or open space areas, or any portion thereof, for protection or other management purposes.

(Ord. 1877 § 1)