Council approves Riverfront project despite unions’ objections

Despite the opposition of several labor unions, the Petaluma City Council has approved the final Environmental Impact Report, zoning map amendment, mitigation program and 144-lot tentative subdivision map for Basin Street Properties’ Riverfront project, to be located on Hopper Street. On Monday, the council voted 5-2 in favor of approving the project’s final EIR, with Mayor David Glass and Councilmember Teresa Barrett dissenting.

Much of the discussion on the Riverfront project centered around California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) complaints filed by Adams Broadwell Joseph & Cardozo, a Sacramento firm representing a group of labor unions called the Petaluma People for Responsible Development.

One of their concerns was the amount of arsenic and lead found in the soil of the proposed site. City staff did further testing of the site after the complaints were filed in June, and found that both lead and arsenic were at naturally occurring concentrations, and reflect similar levels found throughout the Bay Area.

Even as the meeting stretched toward the midnight hour, the council chambers remained full of people waiting to comment. The council heard from almost 30 members of the public, about half of whom were Petaluma residents in favor of the development. Comments in opposition varied from environmental concerns to more off-topic complaints on fair hotel wages and labor jobs.

“I don’t know that there was ever a night that I heard so much public comment that was off the subject at hand,” Glass said. “It’s this document,” he said, holding the EIR, “that’s really what we’re here to weigh in on.”

Barrett voted against the project due to the applicant’s refusal to include an all-weather playing field, while Glass said his vote was directly related to traffic concerns. The council still needs to approve the project’s final design.