Proposed Petaluma Target faces hurdle

A proposed Target store in Petaluma faces a significant hurdle tonight in a review by the planning commission.

The seven-member commission, newly appointed by the slow-growth city council majority, is set to review the final environmental impact report and make recommendations to the council on the controversial proposal.

Regency Petaluma wants to build 362,000 square feet of retail space and 16,000 square feet of offices on a 34-acre site it bought in 2004. The largest parcel would include a 139,000-square-foot Target.

The site, currently vacant except for Little League fields, is along East Washington Street between the Sonoma-Marin County Fairgrounds and Highway 101. It was the former home of Kenilworth Junior High School.

A developer-funded economic impact report, the first of its kind required by the city, estimates the project would create more than 720 permanent jobs and provide the city with about $1.5 million in annual sales- and property-tax revenue.

The city is currently trying to decide how to cut $2.2 million from the current year's budget to meet reduced revenues. City leaders are considering laying off workers and negotiating employee pay cuts to balance the budget.

The report concluded the project may disrupt sales for some existing stores, particularly Kmart, but said it would also capture hundreds of thousands of dollars of "retail leakage," money Petaluma residents spend elsewhere because of a lack of retail opportunities at home.

The nearest Target stores are in Rohnert Park, Santa Rosa and Novato.

Planning commissioners are expected to comment on the EIR and decide whether to recommend its certification to the council.

The council will consider the project at a later date.

Developers anticipate the project will be occupied by 2011, pending city approvals.

The meeting begins at 6 p.m. at City Hall.

You can reach Staff Writer Lori A. Carter at 762-7297 or lori.carter@pressdemocrat.com.