Calendar notes for the week of July 21, 2025.

Monday, July 21 (tonight!) - Petaluma City Council – Among other agenda items, the Council will consider an ordinance to reconcile an inconsistency between the General Plan and the Implementing Zoning Ordinance as related to the Downtown Overlay.

Tuesday, July 22 (tomorrow) – Petaluma Planning Commission - Among other agenda items, the Planning Commission will consider an ordinance to reconcile an inconsistency between the General Plan and the Implementing Zoning Ordinance related to the Downtown Overlay and will conduct a hearing on multiple issues related to the 180-unit multifamily Sid Commons project.

Thursday, July 24 (this week) – Petaluma Urban Chat - The monthly lunch meetings of Urban Chat are almost always agenda-free, allowing an enjoyable and enlightening conversation to wander freely over the urbanist landscape.

Saturday and Sunday, July 26 and 27 (this week) – San Francisco Bay Area Bench Collective – The SFBA Bench Collective is a semi-guerilla effort to build and place benches where people need them, whether or not the authorities have yet agreed.  A bench building weekend in Petaluma has been scheduled. 

Continue reading the weekly update here.

Calendar notes for the week of July 14, 2025.

Tuesday, July 15 (tomorrow) – Petaluma Transit Committee – The Transit Committee will receive  presentations on the Marin-Sonoma Coordinated Transit Service (MASCOTS) plan, bus stop ADA assessments, and a possible update to the shopping cart and stroller policy.  The committee will also consider proposed priority projects to be submitted to the Sonoma County Transportation and Climate Authority and a recommendation to the City Council about a Petaluma Transit Advertising Policy.

Thursday, July 17 (this week) - Petaluma General Plan Advisory Committee – The third Thursday of every month will remain the standing date for the General Plan Advisory Committee meetings.  However, the GPAC has been advised that future meetings will be held only on an as-needed basis.  No decision has yet been announced for the July 17 meeting.  It’s likely no meeting will be held.

Thursday, July 24 – Petaluma Urban Chat - The monthly lunch meetings of Urban Chat are almost always agenda-free, allowing an enjoyable and enlightening conversation to wander freely over the urbanist landscape.

Continue reading the weekly update here.

Calendar notes for the week of July 7, 2025.

Tuesday, July 8 (tomorrow) - Petaluma Planning Commission - Among other agenda items, the Planning Commission will receive an annual update on the current Housing Element.

Wednesday, July 9 (this week) – Know Before You Grow – Join KBYG for an evening of fun community brainstorming concluding with announcements about upcoming activities, one of them the biggest Urban Chat effort yet.  Final details, including location, are on the Urban Chat calendar (link above).

Thursday, July 17 - Petaluma General Plan Advisory Committee – The third Thursday of every month will remain the standing date for the General Plan Advisory Committee meetings.  However, the GPAC has been advised that future meetings will be held only on an as-needed basis.  No decision has yet been announced for the July 17 meeting.

Continue reading the weekly update here.

Calendar notes for the week of June 30, 2025.

Wednesday, July 9 – Know Before You Grow – Join KBYG for an evening of fun community brainstorming concluding with two announcements about upcoming activities, one of them the biggest Urban Chat effort yet.  Final details will be forthcoming next week.

Thursday, July 17 - Petaluma General Plan Advisory Committee – The third Thursday of every month will remain the standing date for the General Plan Advisory Committee meetings.  However, the GPAC has been advised that future meetings will be held only on an as-needed basis.  No decision has yet been announced for the July 17 meeting.

Thursday, July 24 – Petaluma Urban Chat - The monthly lunch meetings of Urban Chat are almost always agenda-free, allowing an enjoyable and enlightening conversation to wander freely over the urbanist landscape.

Continue reading the weekly update here.

Calendar notes for the week of June 23, 2025.

Thursday, June 26 (this week) – Petaluma Urban Chat - The monthly lunch meeting of Urban Chat is almost always agenda-free, allowing an enjoyable and enlightening conversation to wander freely over the urbanist landscape.

Wednesday, July 9 – Know Before You Grow – Join KBYG for an evening of fun community brainstorming concluding with two announcements about upcoming activities, one of them the biggest Urban Chat effort yet.  More details will be forthcoming in future weeks.

Thursday, July 17 - Petaluma General Plan Advisory Committee – The third Thursday of every month will remain the standing date for the General Plan Advisory Committee.  However, the GPAC has been advised that future meetings will be held only on an as-needed basis.  No decision has yet been announced for the July 17 meeting.

Continue reading the weekly update here.

Calendar notes for the week of June 16, 2025.

Monday, June 16 (tonight!) – Petaluma City Council – Among other agenda items, the Council will make CCB appointments, approve a grant for rezoning of the Station Area, and continue their discussion of Areas of Change, Land Use Designations, and Land Use Alternatives for the updated General Plan.

Wednesday, June 18 (this week) – Petaluma Urban Chat – The next Urban Chat board meeting has been moved to this Wednesday because of the number of opportunities that are opening for Urban Chat.  The board meetings are always open to the public.  They often feature spirited and insightful conversations about how to influence and to improve our land-use patterns.  Please join us for the June meeting.

Friday, June 20 (this week)– Petaluma Urban Chat – As not everyone was able to attend the June 13 grand opening of the SMART Windsor station, a group from Urban Chat will make their own trip to Windsor on June 20.  Join us for a train trip north, a walk around the Windsor Green, a convivial lunch, and a train trip south.  If you want to join the group, let me know.

Continue reading the weekly update here.

Calendar notes for the week of June 9, 2025.

Wednesday, June 11 (this week) – Know Before You Grow - Ali Gaylord, the Assistant Housing Director for the City of Oakland and a Petaluma resident, will talk about the future of affordable housing.  She'll wrap in pending state legislation, the increasingly constrained state budget, and the policy uncertainty in Washington, D.C.  She'll also be able to compare the affordable housing challenges in Oakland versus Petaluma.

Friday, June 13 (this week) – SMART – SMART will officially kickoff their service to Windsor with a midday party to which everyone is invited.  The grand opening of the Petaluma North station was great fun, so I encourage everyone to attend on Friday and regret that I’ll be away.

Monday, June 16 – Petaluma City Council – Among other tentative agenda items, the Council will make CCB appointments, approve a grant for rezoning of the Station Area, and continue their discussion of Areas of Change, Land Use Designations, and Land Use Alternatives for the updated General Plan.

Continue reading the weekly update here.

Calendar notes for the week of June 2, 2025.

Monday, June 2 (tonight!) – Petaluma City Council – Among other agenda items, the Council will consider acceptance of an MTC grant to revisit the zoning near the Petaluma Downtown SMART station.

Wednesday, June 11 – Know Before You Grow - Ali Gaylord, the Assistant Housing Director for the City of Oakland and a Petaluma resident, will talk about the future of affordable housing.  She'll wrap in pending state legislation, the increasingly constrained state budget, and the policy uncertainty in Washington, D.C.  She'll also be able to compare and contrast the affordable housing challenges in Oakland versus Petaluma.

Friday, June 13 – SMART – SMART will officially kickoff their service to Windsor with a midday party to which everyone is invited.  More details will be provided here and on the Urban Chat calendar (link above) as they become available.

Continue reading the weekly update here.

Calendar notes for the week of May 26, 2025.

Wednesday, May 28 (this week) – Petaluma Urban Chat – The next Urban Chat board meeting will be May 28.  These meetings are always open to the public.  The April meeting had spirited and insightful conversations about how to influence and to improve our land-use patterns.  Please join us for the May meeting.

Tuesday, May 20 (tomorrow) - Petaluma Planning - To provide a more complete understanding by the public of the proposed Downtown Overlay, Petaluma Planning will conduct a walking tour of the parcels impacted by the Overlay.

Thursday, May 29 (this week) – Petaluma City Clerk – Applications are now being accepted by the City Clerk to fill vacancies on the Petaluma Committees, Commissions, and Boards (CCBs).  Urban Chat has long advocated for readers to take advantage of this opportunity to play a role in the governance of our community.

Continue reading the weekly update here.

Calendar notes for the week of May 19, 2025.

Monday, May 19 (tonight!) – Petaluma City Council – The agenda for the Council includes a resolution on decorum, the annual Housing Element report, a workshop on the Petaluma River Trestle, and more.

Tuesday, May 20 (tomorrow) - Petaluma Planning - To provide a more complete understanding by the public of the proposed Downtown Overlay, Petaluma Planning will conduct a walking tour of the parcels impacted by the Overlay.

Wednesday, May 21 (this week) - Petaluma Planning - Petaluma Planning will conduct a second walk of the area impacted by the Downtown Overlay. It will be a repeat of the May 20 walk.

Continue reading the weekly update here.

Calendar notes for the week of May 12, 2025.

Monday, May 12 (tonight!) – Petaluma City Council – The Council will conduct a workshop on the municipal budget for fiscal year 2025-26.

Tuesday, May 13 (nope) – Petaluma Planning Commission – Despite the expectation that this Planning Commission meeting might include the SPAR hearing for the proposed Appellation Hotel, it was not to be.  Furthermore, there being no other agenda items, the meeting has been cancelled.  Next up as a possible SPAR hearing date is May 27, the next date on the standing Planning Commission calendar. 

Wednesday, May 14 (nope) - Know Before You Grow – The hope had been to begin a series of KBYG forums on housing this Wednesday.  Unfortunately, none of the targeted speakers were able to make this date work.  So, the room will remain dark and we’ll next target May 28.

Continue reading the weekly update here.

Calendar notes for the week of May 5, 2025.

Monday, May 5 (today!) – Petaluma City Council – Among other items on the agenda for this evening’s meeting, the City Council will hold a workshop on the fiscal and organizational sustainability of the City and conduct a hearing on goals and priorities for 2025-26.

Wednesday, May 7 (not this week) – Petaluma Transit Advisory Committee – The planned special meeting of the Transit Committee has been cancelled.  Instead, the making of a recommendation to the City Council about the selection of a new operator for the Petaluma Transit bus system, including fixed route, LumaGo, and paratransit, will be considered at the regularly scheduled May 20 meeting.

Monday, May 12 – Petaluma City Council – The Council is scheduled to conduct a workshop on the municipal budget for fiscal year 2025-26.

Continue reading the weekly update here.

Calendar notes for the week of April 21, 2025.

Monday, April 21 (tonight!) - Petaluma City Council – Among other agenda items, the Council will hold a workshop on the Active Transportation Plan and conduct a hearing on the second reading of the proposed Downtown Overlay Ordinance.

Thursday, April 24 (this week) – Petaluma Urban Chat - The monthly lunch meeting of Urban Chat is almost always agenda-free, allowing an enjoyable and enlightening conversation to wander freely over the urbanist landscape.

Wednesday, April 30 – Petaluma Urban Chat – The next Urban Chat board meeting will be conducted on April 30.

Continue reading the weekly update here.

Calendar notes for the week of April 7, 2025.

Monday, April 7 (today!) - Petaluma City Council – The second reading of the revised Downtown Overlay ordinance has been pushed back to April 21.  Instead, in addition to other items, the agenda includes potential action on two affordable housing projects, Meridian at Corona and Rovina Lane.

Wednesday, April 9 (this week) – Know Before You Grow – The intended developer and operator of the proposed Appellation Hotel will talk to Know Before You Grow about the upcoming site plan and architectural review (SPAR) by the Planning Commission in late April or early May.

Given the ongoing community debate about the Overlay and the hotel, this KBYG forum will likely be well-attended.  So we ask for three favors, (1) attend in person so you can gather the full flavor of the issues, (2) arrive early so the forum can begin on time and cover maximum ground, and (3) understand that the evening is about education more than advocacy, learning all you can about the factors that affect the design so your public comment to the Planning Commission can be impactful through its thorough understanding of the project.

Continue reading the weekly update here.

Calendar notes for the week of March 31, 2025.

Monday, April 7 - Petaluma City Council – With the Downtown Overlay ordinance having been revised at the March 17 Council meeting, a second reading of the revised ordinance is again required.  In addition to other items on the tentative agenda, the Council will conduct the second reading of the revised ordinance.

Wednesday, April 9 – Know Before You Grow – In the expectation that the Downtown Overlay will be approved by the City Council two evenings earlier, the proposed hotel developer and operator will talk to Know Before You Grow about the next step, the anticipated April 22 Planning Commission hearing on the site plan and architecture.

Thursday, April 17 - Petaluma General Plan Advisory Committee – The GPAC is scheduled to resume meeting.  As the meeting that had been scheduled for February was cancelled, followed by a similar cancellation in March, it’s possible the principal April topic will be the intended topic from February, the proposed organization of the updated General Plan.  But this is only speculation.  (For those willing to do homework, the General Plan of South San Francisco has been identified as a model for our General Plan.)

Continue reading the weekly update here.

Calendar notes for the week of March 24, 2025.

Thursday, March 27 – Petaluma Urban Chat - The monthly lunch meeting of Urban Chat is almost always agenda-free, allowing an enjoyable and enlightening conversation to wander freely over the urbanist landscape.

Monday, April 7 - Petaluma City Council – With the Downtown Overlay ordinance having been revised at the March 17 Council meeting, a second reading of the revised ordinance is again required.  In addition to other items on the tentative agenda, the Council will conduct the second reading of the revised ordinance.

Wednesday, April 9 – Know Before You Grow – In the expectation that the Downtown Overlay will be approved by the City Council two evenings earlier, the proposed hotel developer and operator will talk to Know Before You Grow about the next step, the anticipated April 22 Planning Commission hearing on the site plan and architecture.

Continue reading the weekly update here.

Calendar notes for the week of March 10, 2025.

Wednesday, March 12 (this week) – Know Before You Grow – Know Before You Grow 2025 will continue with a presentation about car-free living.  Anders Engnell, who has studied car-free projects in Europe and served as a member of the development team for the car-free Culdesac Tempe, will talk about his experiences, lessons learned, and thoughts for the future.

Monday, March 17 - Petaluma City Council - In addition to other items on the tentative agenda, the Council is expected to consider a resolution for the annual Housing Element update and to consider the second reading of the ordinance for the Downtown Overlay.

Continue reading the weekly update here.