Petaluma City Council members Monday night expressed multiple concerns with a draft environmental impact report for a controversial housing proposal, but asked staff members to forge ahead with the document that analyzes the largest housing subdivision in almost a decade.
During a 4 1/2-hour hearing for the Davidon Homes project on hilly land along the western outskirts of town, the council said it wanted more information in the final document on water drainage, potential landslides, noise, wildlife protection, traffic and preservation plans for a historic barn on the former Scott Ranch property.
Davidon Homes of Walnut Creek is seeking to build a luxury housing development on almost 60 acres at Windsor Drive and D Street near Helen Putnam Regional Park. It's the largest housing proposal to come before the city in 10 years.
The project, first proposed in 2004, calls for as many as 93 houses. But Davidon said it anticipates environmental concerns to limit the total to no more than 66 homes. Other environmental constraints could reduce it to as few as 28 homes, according to the draft EIR.
Councilman Gabe Kearney said the analysis should be started anew with a realistic baseline - not 93 homes, which even the developer recognizes is impossible.
"We really need to relook at this project from a more scaled-down point of view, relook at the mitigations and redo the EIR in that regard," Kearney said. Councilwoman Teresa Barrett agreed the report should be redone.
Nineteen speakers, each one critical of the environmental analysis or the project in general, asked the council to demand a more stringent review.
Members of Petalumans for Responsible Planning and their lawyer, Brian Gaffney, said the 600-plus page environmental document was confusing, outdated, formulaic and distorted. Gaffney said it was "wholly inadequate and should be sent back to be fixed."
Hours before Monday's hearing, Gaffney submitted a 60-page letter with 600 pages of supporting documentation critiquing the report.
Davidon Vice President Jeff Thayer said opponents have tried to cloud the issue and confuse decision-makers with misrepresentations of the facts. He stressed his company offered the 66-home alternative.
"You're only going to be confused to the extent that people want you to be confused," he said. "This is a simple proposition."
He said his project complies with the city's general plan, mitigates flood-water retention issues, safeguards red-legged frog habitat and saves the barn.
Opposition leader Greg Colvin proposed a 20-home subdivision with, among other things, no development south of a creek that bisects the property, no homes on steep slopes or near existing homes and a larger trail parking lot with a ranger residence.
He also said a $1 million anonymous donation the group received in 2006 remains in trust. He – along with Councilmen Mike Harris and Chris Albertson – suggested the involved parties discuss a possible deal to preserve some of the Davidon property as open space.
Comments from the public and council will be added to a final report, which the council will likely consider later this year. Certification of the final EIR is the primary hurdle before developers can seek approval of the overall project.
You can reach Staff Writer Lori A. Carter at 762-7297 or lori.carter@pressdemocrat.com
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