May 29, 2023
Greetings & Thoughts
15-Minute neighborhoods, downtown hotel, and more
The coming seven days are a typically quiet end-of-the-month week, but other interesting and worthwhile opportunities are queuing up just beyond.
The subject of the June 14 Know Before You Grow forum has now been confirmed. The team that has been pushing the 15-minute neighborhood concept will make a presentation. It’s likely that 15-minute neighborhoods will be an essential element of a carbon neutral, financially sustainable future Petaluma, so this will be an opportunity to learn more about the opportunities and challenges. At the same time, we can be organizing to push the concept forward.
The evening will also represent the return of KBYG to in-person forums.
EKN Development, the applicant for the Appellation Petaluma hotel at the corner of Petaluma Boulevard South and B Street, has asked for a small meeting with Urban Chat members to discuss the project. The meeting would be on June 13 or 14. This will be an opportunity to reinforce the comments Urban Chat submitted for the Historical and Cultural Preservation Committee workshop in January.
This meeting hasn’t been placed on the Urban Chat calendar because it won’t be open to the general public, but Urban Chat participants are encouraged to email me if they wish to attend. My tentative plan is to hold our participation to ten people. If you’re interested, let me know as soon as possible.
Coming up this Wednesday will be the submittal deadline for Petaluma residents to apply for appointment to one of the City commissions, committees, or boards. If you’ve been considering applying, I encourage you to proceed. Cities work best when motivated residents devote their time and energy to good governance.
Lastly, I’ll be traveling for the next two weeks, including attending the annual gatherings of both StrongTowns and the Congress of the New Urbanism. These will be my first land-use conferences since the pandemic and I’m eager to feel the energy of like-minded folks discussing how to make our cities more productive and vibrant.
In my absence, Sharon Kirk, KBYG co-chair, will prepare these emails. I’m looking forward to seeing what new ideas she brings to the content.
Questions or comments? Let me know. – Dave Alden 707-338-8388
P.S. New folks can be added to this conversation here.
Calendar Notes
See our new monthly calendar here!
Upcoming Meetings
All events are open to the public and everyone is encouraged to participate in person or online.
Wednesday, May 31 (this week) - Petaluma City Clerk
This will be the application deadline for City commissions, committees, and boards.
The application deadline is 5:00pm. See additional information, including a link to the City webpage on submitting applications, on the Urban Chat calendar here.
Saturday, June 3 (this week) - Ride to Pride
An informal Petaluma group is organizing a shared ride on SMART to the 2023 Sonoma County Pride Parade and Festival.
The anticipated train departure time is 10:00am. Further information is provided on the Urban Chat calendar here.
Wednesday, June 14 – Know Before You Grow
The June 14 KBYG forum will be about the 15-minute neighborhood effort. It will also be the return of KBYG forums to in-person venues.
The local team that wrote the grant application to the American Institute of Architects, coordinated the visit by the AIA Sustainable Design Assessment Team, and is now advocating for the 15-minute neighborhood concept to be incorporated into the General Plan and associated zoning code updates will make the presentation. (Acknowledgment: I was part of the local team. Also, the team is in the process of becoming an Urban Chat committee.)
The team has been making this presentation to City commissions and committees. With the more open format of a KBYG forum, we are hoping for even more productive conversations.
We’re awaiting confirmation from our preferred venue. We have a backup plan if needed.
The forum will convene at 7pm. As soon as the venue is confirmed, information will be posted under upcoming events here.
Thursday, June 15 – Petaluma General Plan Advisory Committee
This is the standing time for the monthly GPAC meetings. However, Planning is considering moving this meeting to a Saturday, perhaps Saturday, June 17, to allow a more robust discussion, including greater public involvement, on an important subject, sea level rise and flooding risk. The decision about changing the date will likely not be made until early June.
Further information will be provided on the Urban Chat calendar when published by the City.
Saturday, June 17 – Petaluma General Plan Advisory Committee
See the note above about the possible alternative date for the June GPAC meeting.
Saturday, June 17 – Friends of SMART
Friends of SMART, a North Bay non-profit that advocates for the success of the SMART train, has organized a Rail & Sail outing. They’ll ride SMART to the Larkspur ferry, ride the ferry to the San Francisco Ferry Building, stop for a bag lunch, walk to the Salesforce Tower where they’ll ride to the top, and then reverse their path home. The outing will begin at the County Airport SMART Station, but Petalumans can join at the Downtown Petaluma station.
RSVPs are required and may be made by emailing the trip organizer at dsheehan@sonic.net. Participants are required to bring lunch and to secure their own train and ferry tickets, but there is no other cost.
The group will pass through Petaluma southbound at 10:08am and return to Petaluma at 4:49pm. Depending on what happens with the GPAC meeting, I may take part.
Thursday, June 22 – Petaluma Urban Chat
The monthly meeting of Urban Chat is almost always agenda-free, allowing an enjoyable and enlightening conversation to wander freely over the urbanist landscape.
The exchange of ideas will commence at noon. Other information is provided on the Urban Chat calendar here.
Tuesday, June 27 – Petaluma Health Care District
The PHCD has announced that their Petaluma Blue Zones program will be rolled out on June 27. Blue Zones is a program that largely aligns with the Urban Chat mission statement on land-use and transportation issues, although it also extends into healthy personal habits.
Registration will begin at 4:00pm, with the program beginning at 4:20pm. The presentation will be held in the Carole L. Ellis Auditorium on the Petaluma campus of Santa Rosa Junior College.
Wednesday, June 28 – Know Before You Grow
The 15-minute neighborhood concept that will be the subject of the June 14 KBYG forum has multiple aspects that will continue to be addressed in further KBYG forums. We’ve invited a retail consultant who formerly lived in Petaluma to talk about what it will take to establish neighborhood walkable/bikeable retail. If he’s unavailable, we have backup options.
The forum will convene at 7:00pm. More information, including venue, will be provided on the Urban Chat calendar here, when available.
