Weekly Updates
Welcome to our new Weekly Updates page with information about land-use and urban planning activities underway or upcoming in Petaluma!
You can receive these updates via email by subscribing to Petaluma Urban Chat here.
If you like to share these updates with a friend, simply point them to this page at urbanchat.org/weekly-updates.
December 4, 2023
Calendar notes for the week of December 4, 2023.
The big event of this week was going to be the first hearing by the City Council on the ordinance to implement the proposed Downtown Overlay. However, that hearing has been postponed to an unknown date. Obviously, Urban Chat will share all new information as soon as it becomes known.
Otherwise, the Urban Chat event of the week will be consideration of proposed bylaws. Adding an organizational structure will better position Urban Chat to continue our role of helping to lead Petaluma into the best possible future. As noted last week, draft bylaws are available for advance review by anyone on this email list. If you’d like to receive a copy, please email me.
Lastly, I’ll again note that Petaluma Planning is rebooting the Working Groups organized under the General Plan Advisory Committee. The cores of the Working Groups are GPAC members, but all Petalumans are invited to offer their expertise and effort to help the Working Groups provide effective input into the General Plan update.
November 27, 2023
Calendar notes for the week of November 27, 2023.
I hope everyone had an enjoyable Thanksgiving. Although you’re receiving this email on the Monday after Thanksgiving, I’m writing it on Thanksgiving morning, about the time turkeys are going into the oven. I’m freeing up my schedule to be out of town for several days. (If a local urbanism story breaks over the weekend, I’ll pick it up next week.)
I expect to return refreshed and ready for the organizational tasks that will make for a productive 2024.
November 20, 2023
Calendar notes for the week of November 20, 2023.
After an unusually full calendar last week, a three-day week will be a welcome relief. The City Council will have a meeting this evening that will include consideration of a long-term Fire/Police/Emergency Operations Center master plan. After tonight, we can all coast toward Thanksgiving.
Last week featured the more than seven-hour hearing in front of the combined Planning Commission and Historical and Cultural Preservation Committee on the proposed Downtown Overlay. Although the HCPC voted against recommending City Council approval, the Planning Commission voted 7-0 in favor of the Overlay. As further noted below under Upcoming Meetings, the City Council will take up the matter at their December 4 meeting.
November 13, 2023
Calendar notes for the week of November 13, 2023.
The big event of the week will be the Tuesday joint meeting of the Planning Commission and Historical and Cultural Preservation Committee to consider the proposed Downtown Overlay. This won’t be the culminating meeting, with the Overlay likely proceeding to the December 4 City Council agenda, but it will move us closer to a conclusion. Further information is provided below under Upcoming Meetings.
Late yesterday, Urban Chat finalized its recommendations regarding the proposed Overlay. While we endorsed the Overlay, we also raised concerns about the Overlay public process and the further steps that should be followed if the Overlay is adopted. You can access the Urban Chat Downtown Overlay recommendations here…
November 6, 2023
Calendar notes for the week of November 6, 2023.
The contentious downtown decisions are soon to be decided. This evening, the City Council will consider imposing a story pole requirement on the Appellation Petaluma hotel applicant.
A week from tomorrow, the combined Planning Commission and Historical and Cultural Preservation Committee will consider their recommendation on the Downtown Overlay. And then, at a date not yet scheduled, the City Council will make their decision on the Overlay. After all those steps, the hotel applicant may be positioned for their project to move forward into the entitlement steps. It could be a busy end of 2023 and beginning of 2024 at City Hall…
October 30, 2023
Calendar notes for the week of October 30, 2023.
In response to my request of last week, several folks have raised their hands to be part of an Urban Chat team to establish a position on the Overlay. I expect us to work toward a nuanced stance with thoughts on the proposal itself, how the process has been handled, and what the next steps might be.
There’s still time to add another person or two to the policy group. Reach out to me today if you’d like to be included.
October 23, 2023
Calendar notes for the week of October 23, 2023.
As always, expanded information on upcoming events of urbanist interest is provided below under Upcoming Meetings. However, I’ll highlight this coming week.
On Wednesday, the topic of fifteen-minute neighborhoods will return to Know Before You Grow with a presentation by Arkansas architect Alli Quinlan. She has a national reputation for her creative use of traditional architecture on smaller lots, an approach that can be key to successful fifteen-minute neighborhoods…
October 16, 2023
Calendar notes for the week of October 16, 2023.
As someone who helps direct Know Before You Grow, I should try to remain dispassionate regarding the KBYG forums. However, last Wednesday’s forum was great! The speaker, an urban planner who lives in Fresno and who formerly served as Fresno’s Assistant Planning Director, went above and beyond in preparing his presentation and in his willingness to engage in the following Q&A. The link to the recording of the forum is here.
As a reminder, this presentation was a follow-on to “The Fresno Miracle” which was shown during the recent Better Cities Film Festival. If you missed the Film Festival and haven’t otherwise watched the film, you might benefit from watching it before the forum recording. A link is here.
Otherwise, there are several interesting meetings in the upcoming week. To pick one, this evening the City Council will select a Planning Commissioner to replace the recently-deceased Kevin Kelly. The Council has pushed an aggressive schedule to make this appointment given the items of broad community concern that will be coming before the Planning Commission in the near future. It should be an interesting vote.
October 9, 2023
Calendar notes for the week of October 9, 2023.
The big events of the coming week are fully described in the full calendar, so I needn’t repeat myself here. But please be sure to read about the extended Wednesday evening planned for Know Before You Grow, including a chance for those who missed the recent Film Festival to see “The Fresno Miracle”, and also about pickleball in a downtown street on Friday.
Also, the micro-grant program that will be the final effort of the Film Festival is now open for applications. Visit here to learn how to apply for the funds to bring to life your small but important idea. And if you’re trying to refine a thought but could use some constructive feedback, several of us are available to chat.
October 2, 2023
Calendar notes for the week of October 2, 2023.
Petaluma’s 2023 Better Cities Film Festival, as organized by Urban Chat, concluded last week. By any measure, it was a success. Between the two showings at the Boulevard 14 Cinemas and the SRJC Petaluma campus, 275 people viewed the 90-minute reel of short films on the best practices for contemporary urbanism. Even better, many attendees emerged from the theaters excited about putting new ideas into practice.
This coming Friday, there will be an early example of where the Film Festival may take us. Starting at 3:00pm, drop by 4th Street between B Street and the McNear Building for an example of tactical urbanism. It’ll be a fun event. It’ll also be a chance to exchange further insights from the films and to continue exploring the ideas that are arising. I hope to see you there…
September 25, 2023
Calendar notes for the week of September 25, 2023.
The first showing of the Better Cities Film Festival, organized by Petaluma Urban Chat, was a success. I could base that claim on the 175 attendees who nearly filled two theaters at the Boulevard 14 Cinemas, on the enthusiasm expressed by many of the attendees or by the nearly two hours that nearly half of the attendees spent at a nearby restaurant eating pizza, drinking beer, and talking about possibilities.
But I’ll instead point to a specific story. A woman who planned to attend both Film Festival showings asked whether I thought she should bring her 16-year-old son to the second showing. I of course told her it was a fine idea. We then happened to sit next to each other at the first showing. Halfway through, she whispered to me, “I’m not just bringing my son, I’m asking him to bring three or four of his friends. This is their future.” Nothing could have made me feel better about the Film Festival effort…
September 18, 2023
Calendar notes for the week of September 18, 2023.
I've been advised there were two misunderstandings regarding the GPAC meetings this week and next. Changes are noted below in Upcoming Meetings.
While there are other meetings this week on topics of great importance to Petaluma, including a Tuesday Blue Zones open house on the built environment and a Thursday General Plan Advisory Committee meeting on sea level rise, the only possible topic for this email is the Better Cities Film Festival. After months of planning, the first showing will be Wednesday, with the second and final showing a week from Thursday…
September 11, 2023
Calendar notes for the week of September 11, 2023.
Apparently a Know Before You Grow forum was never going to happen on September 13. Almost as soon as we announced a forum on the proposed Rovina Apartments as a replacement for an earlier speaker who had opted out, the Rovina Apartment speaker also opted out. With less than a week until the forum date, we decided to leave the evening open.
However, there is good scheduling news for KBYG. We’ve come up with a great speaker for October 11 for which information is provided below and we’re close to being able to announce a speaker for October 25. Meanwhile, we’re talking with the Rovina speaker about setting a new date and are talking to numerous other speakers that will carry us into 2024…
September 4, 2023
Calendar notes for the week of September 4, 2023.
As soon as we announced the topic of the September 13 KBYG forum, the speaker opted out. Such is the nature of public event planning.
However, a replacement speaker fell into our lap 24 hours later. Laura Alexander of The Armony Companies will speak about the proposed 32-unit deed-restricted affordable housing Rovina Lane Apartments at the corner of Jacqueline Lane and Rovina Lane. This project is proceeding under SB 330, another of the state legislative acts intended to expedite needed housing…
August 28, 2023
Calendar notes for the week of August 28, 2023.
Twenty-three days and counting until the first showing of the Better Cities Film Festival | Petaluma 2023. Much has been accomplished in recent weeks and much remains to be done.
As of the weekend, we had 24 sponsors in place with several more pending. Among the names many of you will recognize are the City of Petaluma, Generation Housing, the Eames Institute, Green Building Architects, Scannell Properties, LivXplore Realty, Safe Streets Petaluma, Jones Architecture, Foundry Wharf, and the Aqus Foundation. A complete list of the sponsors will be on full display on the nights of the showings and elsewhere. We’re thankful for the great support we’re receiving…
August 21, 2023
Calendar notes for the week of August 21, 2023.
I’ll start today with a reminder. If you haven’t yet reserved a spot for the Urban Chat Mixer this coming Friday, please RSVP to margot.rachel.thomas@gmail.com immediately. You don’t want to be left out.
For new readers, Urban Chat Mixers are an opportunity for a small group of Urban Chat members, including everyone reading this email, to meet in a small casual setting to become better acquainted and to exchange thoughts about land-use issues.
August 14, 2023
Calendar notes for the week of August 14, 2023.
Last week was as full and compelling as I’d expected. Although I departed early, which means after only four hours in the Council Chambers, I’m glad I didn’t miss the Planning Commission review of the proposed Overlay.
August 7, 2023
Calendar notes for the week of August 7, 2023.
Ahh, what a week this will be. As always, further details are below, but ponder this Monday through Thursday lineup: a City Council meeting that will include the proposed response to the Civil Grand Jury report, a Planning Commission workshop on the proposed Downtown Overlay District, a Know Before You Grow meeting on ADUs, and then a Transit Committee meeting conducted on a Petaluma Transit bus.
July 31, 2023
Calendar notes for the week of July 31, 2023
This week, only a Pedestrian Bicycle Advisory Committee meeting with wayfinding on the agenda is of urbanist interest. But buckle up for the weeks beyond.
Next week will begin with a Monday evening Council meeting that includes a response to a Civil Grand Jury report, a potentially controversial Police Department issue, and perhaps an Overlay item. The following night will be an Overlay workshop with the combined Planning Commission and Historical and Cultural Preservation Committee. And then we’ll conclude the packed three-day span with a KBYG forum on adding housing to future 15-minute neighborhoods. On the fourth day, we’ll rest.
July 24, 2023
Calendar notes for the week of July 24, 2023
Looking at the coming week, tomorrow’s combined Planning Commission/HCPC workshop on the proposed Downtown Overlay District seemed to be the highlight of the week, followed closely by the KBYG speaker the following evening. Well, stuff happens.
The Planning Commission/HCPC Overlay workshop has been moved to August 8. And neither intended KBYG speaker was available. However, there’s still much to pay attention to this week.
Tomorrow evening with their shortened agenda, the Planning Commission will conduct a hearing on the proposed Spirit Living senior residential project. The Spirit Living project would face the roundabout in the River Front project between Lakeville Street and the river, west of 101.
River Front has a history with lessons to impart to Urban Chat. Ten years before the phrase “15-minute neighborhood” was coined, River Front was conceived as a 15-minute neighborhood. Small lot single-family homes, condos, apartments, a playing field, and street front commercial were to provide a walkable/bike community that would show the way to a better future.