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.
June 26, 2023
Calendar notes for the week of June 26, 2023.
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.
June 19, 2023
Calendar notes for the week of June 19, 2023.
Ahh, it’s great to be back in Petaluma, at least for a couple of weeks. Much appreciation to Sharon Kirk for stepping into this role during the two weeks I was traveling. And I’ve asked her to jump back into the saddle when I take an unexpected trip in early July. I really appreciate people who can be so willing to help wherever needed.
There’s so much to say this week but not much time, so this will be a quick once-over. Hopefully, next Monday will allow me to dig in more deeply, including sharing insights from the two land-use conferences I attended while away.
While I was gone, the proposed Downtown Overlay District unexpectedly appeared. Like most people, I’m still learning the nuances of the proposal, including the aspects still to be refined. I’m sure this will be a continuing topic of community education and discussion.
June 12, 2023
Calendar notes for the week of June 12, 2023.
Happy June 12th! We’re nearly halfway through the month and still waiting for our summer weather. With all the smoke impacting the upper Midwest, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, I’m especially grateful for the clear air in Petaluma, despite the relative gloom. Dave is still traveling, so I’m reporting out again this week on upcoming events.
We’re excited to present the June 14th Know Before You Grow forum on 15-Minute Neighborhoods! And we’re thrilled to be back in person. While we’ll miss the convenience of logging in from a comfortable chair in our offices or living rooms, we’ve missed the free exchange of ideas that face-to-face meetings bring.
June 5, 2023
Calendar notes for the week of June 5, 2023.
As promised last week, there are a number of interesting activities in the hopper for June.
At the June 14 Know Before You Grow forum we’ll hear from the team that has been pushing the 15-minute neighborhood concept. With this event we’ll return 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 is now confirmed for June 14. This will be an opportunity to reinforce the comments Urban Chat submitted for the Historical and Cultural Preservation Committee workshop in January.
May 29, 2023
Calendar notes for the week of May 29, 2023.
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 fifteen-minute neighborhood concept will make a presentation. It’s likely that fifteen-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.
May 22, 2023
Calendar notes for the week of May 22, 2023.
I’ll again encourage Petaluma residents to apply for appointment to one of the many City commissions, committees, and boards. Serving productively on a CCB takes work and study but offers rewards commensurate with the effort. Plus, appointees have a chance to make positive changes in our community. The deadline for application is May 31. The link to the City application webpage is on the Urban Chat calendar…
Read mroeRead more
May 15, 2023
Calendar notes for the week of May 15, 2023.
There’s much happening in Petaluma, with a full City Council agenda this evening, a public presentation of the proposed Appellation Petaluma hotel and a session on parking at the western edge of downtown tomorrow, and a GPAC meeting on Thursday. And that’s only this week.
May 8, 2023
Calendar notes for the week of May 8, 2023.
After suggesting last week that readers consider applying for a Petaluma commission, committee, or board as a way of making a difference in our shared community (information repeated under May 31 below), I found that “making a difference” became the continuing theme of my week.
On Friday, I attended a gathering organized by Cool Cities to introduce the various groups active in local climate initiatives and to exchange ideas. Each table was encouraged to synthesize a theme about how their group viewed climate action.
My table settled on “EEI”, standing for Education, Engagement, and Implementation. Our shared concept was that the most effective climate action, or any community advocacy, comes from first understanding the issues, then becoming engaged in the process of change, and finally making a difference…
May 1, 2023
Calendar notes for the week of May 1, 2023.
There are so many things I could write about the meetings and events that have popped up on the Urban Chat calendar. But I specifically want to talk about the City commissions, committees, and boards, or CCBs, for which applications are due by the end of the month.
As a veteran of seven different City bodies, I’ve had many experiences with the system. I’ve seen it work well. And I’ve seen it work poorly.
My top lessons:
Appointment to a CCB doesn’t mean you’re an expert. It means you should now be motivated to become an expert. No one is appointed to a CCB with sufficient knowledge to be an effective participant. Instead, it’s an opportunity to become more aware of how the City works and to dig more deeply into the subject matter that will come before the CCB.
You can make a difference and make Petaluma the best possible place if you make yourself an expert and put yourself forward in meetings. Indeed, because the Council has so many City functions to oversee, you can make a greater difference than a Councilmember in your specific area of purview.
April 24, 2023
Calendar notes for the week of April 24, 2023.
As the readers here are hopefully already aware, the Wednesday Know Before You Grow forum has been canceled due to family health issues among the KBYG leadership. However, we now have two or three potential KBYG forums planned and ready to proceed, with the next forum on May 10.
In the absence of Wednesday’s KBYG forum, which would’ve been on an approach to traffic calming that greatly intrigues me, there are other options this week for urbanist participation.
On Thursday, the Public Art Committee will hear a presentation about possible collaboration with traffic calming. This topic allows me to share a favorite story…
April 17, 2023
Calendar notes for the week of April 17, 2023.
The Urban Chat calendar remains well-filled with subjects from alleys to historic preservation. Please look for an opportunity, of which there are many, to be involved.
For anyone who has thought about joining StrongTowns, this would be a good week to follow through. There will be a Thursday breakfast among the local members, and perhaps one from Napa, to discuss how to disseminate the StrongTowns philosophies of traffic safety and financially sustainable municipal planning. If you’ve recently joined StrongTowns, or do so this week, let me know. I’ll share the breakfast time and place.
April 10, 2023
Calendar notes for the week of April 10, 2023.
This week abruptly filled up. Below, look for details on meetings that will touch upon downtown bicycle racks, the proposed downtown hotel, possible east-side bicycle improvements, annual goals for transit, and fifteen-minute neighborhoods. For those who want to stay well-informed, there will be a surfeit of opportunities.
Urban Chat has also been busy, looking at more ways to improve our community and to bring more people into the effort. As further explained on our Committees page, three new groups are on their way to joining Know Before You Grow as Urban Chat committees.
April 3, 2023
Calendar notes for the week of April 3, 2023.
As anticipated, the Urban Chat calendar is better filled for this email as April begins, with a Council meeting tonight, a PBAC meeting on Wednesday, and more in the coming weeks.
Also, Public Works has asked for responses to a survey on the Rainier Avenue road diet between N. McDowell Boulevard and Sonoma Mountain Parkway.
Next week, look for information about newly formed Urban Chat committees, as we work in more ways toward a better Petaluma.
March 27, 2023
Calendar notes for the week of March 27, 2023.
As sometimes happens with the last week of the month, there won’t be a single local meeting of urbanist interest this week. And few City agendas have not yet been published for April. Also, we postponed the April 8 Know Before You Grow forum because the selected topic wasn’t yet ripe for discussion.
Read on for a brief on Dave’s transit field trip last week.
(Photo by K. Mitch Hodge on Unsplash.)
March 20, 2023
Calendar notes for the week of March 20, 2023.
Know Before You Grow will be Wednesday evening. As is our new standard, information can be found on the Urban Chat calendar.
From Dave’s post this week…
I’m excited about the topic. I like the rigor the authors bring to their analysis of the causes behind rates of homelessness and the earnestness of the author who will speak to us via a video recording.
However, I’m aware this will be the second straight KBYG forum to touch on homelessness, and wonder if some might be wondering about the connection between Urban Chat and homelessness. Well, the Urban Chat mission statement includes “Housing to meet community needs” and community needs certainly include paths out of homelessness.
February 27, 2023
Calendar notes for the week of February 27, 2023.
Our weekly update has a new format! And we have a new calendar to support it. You can find the calendar here.
This evening may be the long-awaited (15 years!) resolution of the Scott Ranch project at D and Windsor Streets at the City Council meeting as well as a workshop on the updated draft Housing Element.
On March 13th, the City will hold a goals-setting workshop. Let us know if you are unable to attend but would like to join a discussion to arrive at a consolidated set of ideas from Urban Chat. (Email davealden@urbanchat.org)
February 20, 2023
Calendar notes for the week of February 20, 2023.
Our weekly update has a new format! And we have a new calendar to support it. You can find the calendar here.
We’ve had to cancel our tentatively scheduled February 22nd KBYG forum. Look for an update on our planned March 8th forum coming soon. Once posted, you can find a listing of upcoming events on our events page here.
On the agenda this week:
Rain!
Petaluma Technical Advisory Committee (2/22/23)
Urban Chat monthly meeting (2/23/23)
GPAC monthly meeting (3/16/23)
Rainy day photo by Max Bender on Unsplash.
February 13, 2023
Calendar notes for the week of February 13, 2023.
The Planning Commission and GPAC will review the updated Housing Element (edited to address comments raised by state HCD). The City Council to include hearing on Scott Ranch and the City/SMART agreement for the Corona Station.
February 6, 2023
Calendar notes for the week of February 6, 2023.
At City Council, 5 new GPAC members to be appointed; decision on whether to pursue design grant for Corona SMART station on the agenda.
January 30, 2023
Calendar notes for the week of January 30, 2023.
PBAC will meet on Wednesday 2/1 this week. Agenda items for the meeting will include Vision Zero, the goal of eliminating traffic deaths primarily by rebalancing the equation between cars and other modes, and a progress update on the Fifth Street Bike Boulevard, a long proposed alternative for bicyclists not comfortable with Petaluma Boulevard South.