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 24, 2024
Calendar notes for the week of June 24, 2024.
On Wednesday, Know Before You Grow will bring the pocket neighborhood conversation to a close, at least until zoning code revisions get underway later this year. We’ll build on Ross Chapin’s July 12 telling of the recent history of pocket neighborhoods. (Chapin’s forum remains well worth a viewing. The link is here with Chapin starting at 7 minutes.)
To follow-up, we'll have two representatives of North Bay pocket neighborhoods, one as a developer and one as an owner, share their stories.
Jim Heid and Ann Edminster, both of whom many of you may already know, should be great speakers, providing useful content and opening the door to a spirited Q&A.
Continue reading the weekly update here.
June 17, 2024
Calendar notes for the week of June 17, 2024.
June has become Pocket Neighborhood Month for Urban Chat. Let me count the ways.
One, we had an enjoyable and enlightening Know Before You Grow forum last week with architect and urban planner Ross Chapin. Not only was the background and philosophy offered by Chapin of interest, but the presentation sparked the most engaged Q&A in months.
For anyone who might have missed the forum, the recording is now on the Urban Chat website here. Chapin's presentation begins at the seven-minute mark.
Continue reading the weekly update here.
June 10, 2024
Calendar notes for the week of June 10, 2024.
We’re making a change this week in the Know Before You Grow format. Recognizing that creating community change is aided by good personal relationships, we’re adding a social half-hour to KBYG forums. Beginning Wednesday, attendees can begin gathering at 6:30 for casual conversation and light snacks.
Also, to encourage more folks to join us in person, at least the next two forums will be at the Cavanagh Center, 426 8th Street. I look forward to seeing many of you in person on Wednesday. However, for those who can’t gather in person, there will still be a Zoom feed.
Continue reading the weekly update here.
June 3, 2024
Calendar notes for the week of June 3, 2024.
I'm back in Petaluma! I appreciate Sharon Kirk writing this email for the past two weeks. I'm now ready to resume the role, at least until the road beckons again. (By the way, congratulations to Sharon for her second grandchild.)
The time spent at the StrongTowns Gathering, at the CNU Congress, and exploring Cincinnati was energizing and productive. I have stories to share but not this week. Instead, I’m still playing a game of catch-up. Maybe next week.
For now, please take a long look at the list of upcoming events listed below. It’s good to return home to a community that provides this many opportunities to be engaged.
Continue reading the weekly update here.
May 27, 2024
Calendar notes for the week of May 27, 2024.
Happy Memorial Day Monday, all!
This holiday week is a quiet one. Following are two meetings you may want to add to your calendar. Otherwise, take a breather and get ready for things to heat up again next week.
The Planning Commission, in its study session on Tuesday, will consider several of the policy frameworks that will inform the corresponding elements of the General Plan.
On Wednesday Urban Chat will host its regular monthly board meeting.
Continue reading the weekly update here.
May 20, 2024
Calendar notes for the week of May 20, 2024.
Happy Monday, all!
After several false starts, Dave has finally flown the coop! I’ll be providing weekly updates this week and next. During Dave’s absence feel free to reach out to me with any questions. My contact details can be found below.
This week, as is often the case, there are too many opportunities to participate in civic-minded activities. You’ll have to pick and choose.
Continue reading the weekly update here.
July 10, 2023
Calendar notes for the week of July 10, 2023
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.
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.