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Woodland voters will decide in November whether to let the city extend water and sewer service beyond its borders, a policy shift that could pave the way for industrial expansion outside the growing Yolo County city.
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The measure stems from requests by Clark Pacific and Bayer U.S. Crop Science, which asked the city in February 2025 to provide potable water, wastewater and recycled water service to facilities outside the city limits.
The proposal would amend Woodland’s voter-approved Measure A, which generally prohibits the city from extending utilities beyond its Urban Limit Line. If approved, the city could consider utility service for existing commercial businesses within one mile of the city limits.
Any utility extensions would still require City Council approval on a case-by-case basis. An environmental impact report approved in May found the city’s water infrastructure can handle additional demand from Bayer and Clark Pacific. No other businesses have applied for service.
The city has made no commitments regarding extension agreements, but said the companies could be required to pay all associated costs. The measure applies only to existing commercial businesses, not residential development.
One of the companies seeking utility services, Clark Pacific, has been in Yolo County since 1963. Three generations of Clarks call Yolo County home, including co-CEOs Don and Bob Clark.
The West Sacramento-based company designs and manufactures precast concrete building components used in projects ranging from parking structures to skyscrapers and stadiums throughout the West Coast, including the 22-story courthouse in San Diego, Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara and Apple Park in Cupertino.
Clark Pacific has operated its plant near Woodland for more than 20 years. In addition to seeking access to the city’s water services, the company received county approval to expand its facility so it can pursue larger projects. The companies told city officials they are seeking municipal water because deteriorating groundwater quality and aging onsite utility systems have made their existing infrastructure less reliable.
The company’s application was approved by the Yolo County Planning Commission on a 5-0 vote during a July 2 meeting and was unanimously approved by the Yolo County Board of Supervisors on July 21.
Clark Pacific employs 180 people at its Woodland facility. The expansion could increase that number to about 360 while working on a large project. The company has permission to develop up to 500,000 square feet of additional manufacturing and storage space, but it has not finalized its development plans.
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“We’ll call it a little bit up in the air,” Don Clark said.
Clark Pacific asked the county for permission to develop up to 500,000 square feet, but the company could build a smaller facility. The final size will depend on whether it secures major contracts requiring additional production capacity.
“We have several different things in the hopper, and this won’t be something we’re going to do overnight,” Clark said. “But we want to have the ability to stay in Yolo County and expand that operation.”
The company has seen demand surge alongside growth in data center construction and alternative energy production.
Data centers have become a larger part of the company’s business over the past three years, Clark said. The company builds data centers at its two California facilities and ships them to states including Nevada, Arizona and Texas. “It’s keeping a lot of Californians employed,” he said.
Clark said the recently approved expansion application and upcoming water utility ballot measure happened at roughly the same time by coincidence. “We thought the water thing was going to go through a couple years ago.”
Environmental impact reports for the expansion and utility extension were conducted separately.
The expansion is not dependent on the outcome of the ballot measure, Clark said. While the expansion plans remain uncertain, the company said it remains committed to Yolo County.
For now, the company intends “to keep business as normal,” Clark said. “But we got a lot of big opportunities that are sitting out there.”
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