July 10, 2023
Greetings & Thoughts
This week! The Downtown Building Form Overlay forum and the Urban Chat mixer!
Dave is away this week, so I’m stepping in to provide this week’s update. (You’ll note that this email was sent from Dave’s Comcast email address. We’re still working to resolve the issue with emails to comcast.net recipients bouncing. In the meantime, the workaround is to have emails sent from Dave’s Comcast email address. Feel free to reach out to me directly at sharonkirk@urbanchat.org.)
We have a plan in place for the July 12 KBYG forum on the proposed Downtown Overlay! Brian Oh, Petaluma Community Development Director will speak via video (he’s out of town), and Andrew Trippel, Planning Director with the City of Petaluma (through M-Group) will present additional details on the proposal. There will be multiple opportunities for the public to ask questions and provide inputs in facilitated breakout groups.
Also, we have a great venue. The Petaluma Woman’s Club has graciously agreed to host the forum in their hall at 518 B Street.
We’re thrilled to be able to bring this important conversation forward.
As mentioned last week, planning for the Petaluma Urban Chat/Better Cities Film Festival is officially underway! The festival format will be different than what we typically think of when we think “film festival.” Instead of a menu of films to choose from, we’ll be screening an evening of short documentary films that tell inspiring stories about how people have made their cities, towns, and neighborhoods better. You won’t have to pick and choose between your favorites…you’ll get to see them all with the price of a single ticket! The downtown showing will be Wednesday, September 20, with the possibility of a second showing at a different venue the following week. More information, lots more information, will be provided in the coming weeks. But please put the date on your calendar now.
All these activities are great, and they show the need for building more connections between Urban Chat members. To address this need, we’re going to try something new…our first-ever Urban Chat Mixer!
On Friday, July 14, Dave will host a small, casual gathering in his backyard, starting at 5:00. Everyone who attends should bring an appetizer to share. Dave will provide chips, dip, and beverages. (Dave and his wife have a refrigerator full of beer and wine after a recent party.)
If you’re new to Urban Chat and would like to connect with other individuals with a passion for making Petaluma the strongest town it can be, please join us! Respond to this email if you’re interested in attending (or send an email to Dave directly at davealden53@comcast.net). Dave has graciously offered to open up Friday, July 28 for any “overflow” guests who cannot be accommodated this week.
We’re looking forward to meeting new people and having longer conversations with old friends.
And “yes,” Dave still owes us stories from his recent attendance at the StrongTowns and CNU annual conferences. Let’s hold his feet to the fire at this week’s mixer. :-)
Questions or comments? Feel free to reach out. And feel free to RSVP to the Urban Chat mixer. – Sharon Kirk, c: 707-775-5727 and Dave Alden, c: 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.
Monday, July 10 – Petaluma City Council
The full meeting agenda can be accessed in pdf format here and HTML format here.
The consent calendar includes the adoption (second reading) of an ordinance approving the City purchase of property at 1601 Petaluma Blvd. South.
Removed from the agenda is a report on 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 on configuration alternatives. It is not clear when this item will be discussed, but we’ll let you know when it is.
The public portion of the Council meeting will convene at 6:30. The public is welcome to attend in Council chambers or via Zoom at the link here. Members of the community can also dial-in via teleconference. Details are in the agenda here.
Wednesday, July 12 – Know Before You Grow
As described above in Greetings and Thoughts, KBYG will present a forum on the proposed Downtown Overlay, a proposal brought forth by Petaluma Planning to increase the allowed height, lot coverage, and floor area ratio in 14 blocks including the downtown historic district.
The upcoming General Plan update will likely include policies that support a sustainable, thriving, economically strong downtown area by encouraging new housing and commercial development to generate significant economic impacts. The Overlay has been brought forward now to align with a pending project. The City supports it because it advances current General Plan and policy goals for downtown.
The KBYG team met with Planning to discuss the format of the forum. The evening will include a presentation of the details and rationale for the overlay, and will include an opportunity for public input during breakout sessions.
The Petaluma Woman’s Club has made their building at 518 B Street available for the event. The downtown location and good capacity will be appropriate for the proximity to Overlay District and to accommodate the broad community interest in the topic. The hosting by the Woman’s Club is appreciated.
The forum will convene at 7:00pm. Further information is on the Urban Chat upcoming events page here.
Thursday, July 20 – Petaluma General Plan Advisory Committee
This month’s GPAC meeting has been canceled. City staff is working on a calendar to address the following topics in a series of strategic (potentially ad hoc) meetings with the full GPAC or targeted working groups.
Flood/SLR Resilience Strategies
Land Use Alternatives Concepts
Public Draft Climate Action Plan
Policy Framework Review (may include a GPAC recommendation to City Council)
Land Use Alternatives Analysis
Preferred Land Use Alternative (may include a GPAC recommendation to City Council)
Draft General Plan Review (may include a GPAC recommendation to City Council)
Saturday, July 22 (possible) – Petaluma General Plan Advisory Committee– Canceled pending further guidance from City staff. See note above.
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 forum. During that forum, we noted that 15-minute neighborhoods have multiple aspects to 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 and further forums.
The forum 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.
