Like many California cities, Petaluma faces complex land-use and transportation challenges in the decades ahead. Finding solutions that are broadly supported by the community may require new approaches.
Fortunately, proven tools exist that allow for wide community input and help build strong consensus. This evening is about learning those tools.
Join us for a different kind of Know Before You Grow forum. Instead of reviewing specific land-use proposals or transportation policies, we’ll focus on how to collaborate more effectively and foster meaningful community agreement.
We’ll explore a real Petaluma challenge—one many will recognize as needing better solutions. (No spoilers—we want fresh perspectives!)
By evening’s end, we’ll also introduce future opportunities to put these new tools into practice. It will be a fun, engaging, and thought-provoking event—hopefully the first of many.
The evening will be coordinated and conducted by the Urban Chat board, with the aid of housing energy expert Ann Edminster and other Petalumans.
Note: This event will be shown on Zoom, but only as a viewing option—there will be no way to participate online. Because the interactive, problem-solving elements won’t translate well virtually, we strongly encourage attending in person if possible.
Meet the Coordinators!
Ann Edminster | City of Petaluma Climate Action Commission
Ann Edminster is a member of the City's Climate Action Commission, and a zero-energy/emissions consultant, educator, and author. She's also a resident of Keller Court Commons, the nearest development to a Petaluma pocket neighborhood.
After earning a B.S. in architecture at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, Ann started her own business, Design AVEnues. 100+ home remodels later, Ann decided to focus on environmental solutions before green building was even a thing. She returned to school and earned an M.Arch. at UC Berkeley, focusing on energy, materials, and housing – the same core passions that drive her today.
Dave Alden | Petaluma Urban Chat Founder
Dave Alden was the blogger whose scribblings led to the first Urban Chat meeting. Since that time, he has served as the de facto executive director, spearheading several Urban Chat initiatives while also working to bring in enough other people that Urban Chat will live on when he steps away into an urban retirement of downtown living, sidewalk dining, walking, and transit.
Kevin McDonnell | City of Petaluma Mayor
Kevin McDonnell was bothered by the lack of community engagement on developments being built in Petaluma. It seemed the only public meetings had to do with windows and paint color. Then Kevin found Dave and Urban Chat having discussions about all the other issues so important to the way a town develops. Together they believed that there was a public appetite for forums to help understand how the city was going to grow. Kevin helped lead the spin-off of Know Before You Grow as program driven event intended to help educate. Surprise, it turned out education led to being a selective advocacy forum. That led to Kevin's successful run for City Council and eventually Mayor
Dan Lyke | Co-Chair of Know Before You Grow
Dan Lyke serves as co-chair for the Know Before You Grow educational committee and is a frequent host of KBYG forums.