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.
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.
January 23, 2023
Calendar notes for the week of January 23, 2023.
The most interesting urbanist meeting of this week will be tomorrow evening’s Planning Commission workshop on the 500 Hopper Street project.
The site is bounded by the River Front project, the Petaluma River, Shamrock Materials, and Hopper Street. With its location on the rarely traveled Hopper Street, it’s a site of nearly 40 acres that is often overlooked but is close enough to the SMART station and Transit Mall to be considered appropriate for transit-oriented development and only slightly further from downtown.
January 16, 2023
Calendar notes for the week of January 16, 2023.
The General Plan Advisory Committee (GPAC) application window closes 1/16/23. GPAC meeting this week. Other committees open for applications, including SMART Citizens’ Oversight Committee opening (the application window closes this week).
January 9, 2023
Calendar notes for the week of January 9, 2023.
Next steps on the proposed Hotel Weaver at B St and Petaluma Blvd, and General Plan Advisory Committee openings, SMART Citizens’ Oversight Committee openings.
January 2, 2023
Calendar notes for the week of January 2, 2023.
Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee, next steps on the proposed Hotel Weaver at B St and Petaluma Blvd, and General Plan Advisory Committee openings.