June 26, 2023
Greetings & Thoughts
Help needed, controversies of the week, Downtown Overlay forum
I’ll open this week with a frank, and moderately desperate, ask for help.
During the pandemic, the recorded KBYG Zoom forums were well received, with the YouTube viewership often exceeding the initial on-line attendance. As KBYG returns to an in-person format, we want to continue recording the forums for those who became accustomed to them.
However, we need more hands to make those recordings as viewable as possible. To free up Dan Lyke to work his magic at the control board, we need folks to help with the mics during the Q&A portions of the evenings. If you’re willing to assist, beginning with the July 12 forum, please reply to me as soon as possible. Thanks.
Back to our regularly scheduled programming. I’ve been back in Petaluma for two weeks. The first week was the Downtown Overlay controversy. The second week was the Grand Jury controversy. I was afraid to open my emails this morning.
While Urban Chat will likely avoid the Grand Jury issue, the Downtown Overlay is very much a topic which Urban Chat must explore deeply. (To be clear, I have nuanced personal thoughts regarding the Grand Jury report, but don’t know the extent to which I share them with other Urban Chat members, nor do I have an interest in spending time learning.)
On the Downtown Overlay, KBYG asked Planning about hosting our next forum on the topic. They agreed. The forum will be held on Wednesday, July 12. We’ll meet with Planning later this week to discuss the format. And we’re engaging in parallel conversations regarding a venue. More information will be provided as soon as possible.
To give us time to prepare fully for the Downtown Overlay forum, we postponed the June 28 KBYG forum to July 26.
When I first returned to Petaluma, I was eager to share stories and insights from the StrongTowns and Congress for the New Urbanism conferences I attended while away. Two of these weekly updates later, I’m still awaiting that opportunity. Maybe next week.
Thanks for reading. I’ll eagerly await volunteers to help with mic management on July 12. Unless volunteers come forward, arm twisting will commence tomorrow.
Questions or comments? Dave will be back later this week. Feel free to reach out to either of us, Sharon Kirk, @ 707-775-5727 or Dave Alden @ 707-338-8388.
P.S. New folks can sign up for this email through the Urban Chat website.
Upcoming Meetings
All events are open to the public. Everyone is encouraged to participate in person or on-line. The link to the Urban Chat calendar, as frequently referenced below, is here.
Tuesday, June 27 (tomorrow) – 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. Preregistration is required, the link is here.
Tuesday, June 27 (Tomorrow) – Petaluma Planning Commission
The Planning Commission will have two agenda items of urbanist interest. First, they’ll receive a presentation by the local SDAT (Sustainable Design Assessment Team) committee on the proposed integration of the 15-minute neighborhood concept into the General Plan, zoning codes, and ultimately our community. This is the same presentation that has already been made to other City commissions and committees.
Next, the Commission will conduct a workshop on the next iteration of the 500 Hopper Street project. This is the project on Hopper Street between Shamrock Materials and the River Front project. Previously, Urban Chat has expressed concern about the project because it is within easy walking and biking distance of transit without functioning as transit-oriented development, instead being more car-dependent. Urban Chat has also expressed a concern about whether sea level rise has been adequately considered.
As a member of the SDAT committee, I’ll be present to assist in the Q&A as needed on the presentation and then will linger to observe the workshop.
The meeting will convene at 6:00 pm. More information, including a link to the agenda, is provided on the Urban Chat calendar, link above.
Wednesday, June 28 (postponed) – Know Before You Grow
As noted above, the previously announced KBYG forum, which would have continued the topic of 15-minute neighborhoods, has been postponed to Wednesday, July 26. The delay will accommodate the additional preparation time required for the Wednesday, July 12 KBYG forum on the proposed Downtown Overlay.
Monday, July 10 – Petaluma City Council – Among other items on the tentative agenda, the Council will receive a report regarding the configuration of N. McDowell Boulevard. This roadway is currently under reconstruction. Many folks in the community, including Urban Chat members, pushed for a configuration that would be more welcoming to bicyclists and pedestrians. As a condition of approving the reconstruction contract, the Council required further information regarding configuration alternatives.
Also on the agenda is initial consideration of the General Plan amendments and other changes to City documents that would be required for the Oyster Cove project.
The public portion of the Council meeting will convene at 6:30. Other information, including links to the agenda and Zoom, will be provided on the Urban Chat calendar when published by the City.
Wednesday, July 12 – Know Before You Grow
As described above in Greetings and Thoughts, KBYG will host a forum on the proposed Downtown Overlay, a proposal by Petaluma Planning to increase the allowed height, lot coverage, and floor area ratio within 14 blocks adjoining the downtown historic district.
The KBYG team will meet with Planning this week to discuss the conduct of the forum. Also, we’re working to secure a venue appropriate to the broad community interest in the subject. More information on both will be provided as soon as possible.
Also, we understand that Planning will update the City website to present the proposal more effectively. The link to the updated description will be provided when available.
The forum will convene at 7:00pm. Information on the venue and other forum details, when available, will be added to the Urban Chat calendar, link above.
Thursday, July 20 – Petaluma General Plan Advisory Committee
Planning has tentatively designated the subject of this meeting as sea level rise/flooding risk. The topic likely won’t be finalized until closer to the meeting date. Also, it was previously proposed that this meeting be moved to a Saturday and be conducted in a hybrid format to allow greater community participation. It’s not known if this alternative remains under consideration.
If the meeting remains on July 20, it would convene at 6:30pm, presumably on Zoom. When updates are provided by the City, they’ll be noted on the Urban Chat calendar, link above.
Saturday, July 22 (possible) – Petaluma General Plan Advisory Committee
As noted above, the GPAC meeting currently scheduled for Thursday, July 20 may be moved to this date. Please check the Urban Chat calendar, link above, for information regarding this possible rescheduling, including a meeting time.
Wednesday, July 26 – Know Before You Grow
KBYG will continue to explore the 15-minute neighborhood concept that was the subject of the June 14 KBYG forum. During that forum, we note that 15-minute neighborhoods have multiple aspects that we’ll examine in future forums. We’ve invited a retail consultant who formerly lived in Petaluma to talk about establishing neighborhood walkable/bikeable retail. In case that speaker is unavailable, we’re also pursuing other options for this date or later.
Whatever forum is the result, it will convene at 7:00pm. More information, including venue, will be provided on the Urban Chat calendar, link above, as soon as available.
Thursday, July 27 – 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 including location is provided on the Urban Chat calendar, link above.
