Group works to preserve Petaluma’s La Cresta Ridge

A coalition of residents who have long sought to preserve the rolling, 14-acre swath of land between Petaluma’s West Haven and Victoria subdivisions are expressing concern over the looming possibility of development for an eight-acre parcel next door.|

A resident of Petaluma for two years, Laura Schneider said she was elated when a friend introduced her to the westside open space known as La Cresta Ridge. The area where generations of Petalumans have soaked in unparalleled views quickly became a favorite, a bucolic oasis nestled conveniently within city limits.

Then, she said, the bulldozer appeared.

A coalition of residents who have long sought to preserve the rolling, 14-acre swath of land between Petaluma’s West Haven and Victoria subdivisions are expressing concern over the looming possibility of development for an eight-acre parcel next door.

Signals of impending construction – including “no trespassing” signs and heavy construction equipment – appeared in the area last month, alerting users to the specter of development that could take a bite out of a contiguous open space that for decades has served as something of an unofficial public park, said Michael Sunday, a leader in the Save La Cresta Ridge & Ravine Coalition.

Construction at the site could impact the ability to access La Cresta Ridge, where Sunday said property owner California Water Service Co. has long been tolerant of public recreation on the land. Development could also alter the pastoral character of the area, which is a stone’s throw from the unincorporated Helen Putnam Regional Park.

At stake is one of a precious few areas of open space left in Petaluma, Sunday said.

“There’s a very limited amount of open space left. There’s Helen Putnam park, which thank god, got secured. But other than that, there’s just not much,” he said.

Marked prominently by a duo of water towers, the La Cresta area encompasses an undeveloped ridgeline spanning west of La Cresta Drive and north of Windsor Drive. The property that Sunday said has recently seen early construction activity sits on the north side of the ridge at 910 English St., south of Melvin Street.

The property in question has long served as an entry point to La Cresta, Sunday said.

“His property is really central to the whole neighborhood, and it just happens to be right next door to the La Cresta property,” said Sunday, who lives outside of city limits and described himself as a frequent user of the land. “For generations, people have walked across the property … to get to La Cresta.”

While the property has long served as an entry point to La Cresta, it remains privately owned, meaning those traversing the land without permission are trespassing, said Casey Goltermann, a Petaluma-based homebuilder who purchased the land from a family friend. Not all users are well meaning, and incidents of activity like underage drinking, homeless encampments, fires and, as Goltermann described it, “everything you can imagine” have been frequent over the years.

A third-generation Petaluma resident, Goltermann said he was sensitive to the strong feelings that others have for his property and the hilly swath of land including La Cresta Ridge. He said he was still early in the process of considering possibilities for the property, which features zoning allowing for multiple homes.

Goltermann said any plans would seek to find harmony with the neighborhood, and that a sale that would preserve the site as open space was among the possibilities on the table.

“If the neighbors want to keep it as open space, maybe somebody can make us an offer. But for us, we need to capitalize on the property,” he said, adding that “at this time, I just know it’s a special property. There are a lot of decisions to be made as to how to properly capitalize on what this is.”

A resident of the nearby Hill Drive, Dustin O’Brien recalled frequenting the La Cresta area and what was then the undeveloped lands of the future Victoria subdivision while growing up in Petaluma. Today, he said, he, his wife and two children are regular visitors to the ridge.

Recounting how his own parents lobbied years ago to preserve open space related to the Victoria development, O’Brien said the recent signs of construction have drawn new attention from users of La Cresta. He daughter, Ella, has recently become one of the latest generation to take an interest, joining with a friend to raise $135 for the coalition during a lemonade sale in Walnut Park.

“It’s a treasure for Petaluma,” he said of the area. “It’s just growing and growing up there, and this is the last little thread.”

Organized efforts to formally secure the La Cresta land as public open space span back at least 15 years, when area residents and users began to organize around the issue. Plans were submitted to build 16 homes at the property about a decade ago, but the vision never materialized, according to a historic list of major development projects in the city.

Working with the city, the coalition secured a grant from the Sonoma County Open Space District in 2008 in order to buy the property. Yet that sale never occurred, and the money went toward other sources like a preserve on Paula Lane and the Petaluma Community Sports Fields off East Washington Street, Sunday said.

La Cresta has been the recreational stomping grounds for generations of Petalumans - one historic photo from the Sonoma County Library’s online collection depicts a group of young people posing atop the ridge in approximately 1932, with Petaluma High School gleaming in the distant background and, farther still, the undeveloped lands destined to become the city’s eastside neighborhoods.

Sunday said his group has a good working dialogue with California Water over the property, but that money remains an issue. The most recent rough estimates priced the land at around $2.3 million, he said.

For Schneider, the sight of construction equipment clearing blackberry brambles in the area was a stark contrast to the scenery she had grown accustomed to over the past few years. The area is often peaceful but rarely desolate, she said, attracting an all-ages crowd of hikers, dog walkers, cyclists and others.

“There’s this gorgeous open space in Petaluma, where you can go up to this hill, see everything and kind of disappear a little bit. It’s an amazing feeling to be able to do that in the middle of town.” said Schneider, who lives within walking distance from the ridge. “When I started walking up the hill, seeing all these survey markers and the bulldozing of the land, the reaction was very visceral.”

The signs of future construction have reinvigorated the coalition’s efforts, Sunday said, and work is underway to research funding sources in order to purchase the La Cresta property. He said is group was hoping to open a dialogue with the developer, with the hope of explaining their stake in the land next door.

“The bottom line is - this community has been walking that property for, conservatively, 50 years, and probably more like 100. It’s an amazing space,” he said.

(Contact Eric Gneckow at eric.gneckow@arguscourier.com. On Twitter @Eric_Reports.)

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