Cedar Grove housing development proposed

Plans for a proposed housing development at Petaluma’s Cedar Grove are taking shape, potentially signaling a new beginning for a once-blighted riverfront property with a storied history while adding a sizable cache of homes to the city during a mounting housing crunch.

Preliminary plans submitted to the city by San Francisco-based developer Urban Green Investments outline a 117-unit residential development dubbed the “Riverbend Crossing,” with 87 attached single-family homes envisioned at 1 and 16 Cedar Grove Park and an additional 30 homes on the opposite side of the Petaluma River at 529 Madison St. A new vehicular bridge with a sidewalk and bike lanes is proposed to span the river, connecting the two sites.

An initial application submitted to the city in December was deemed incomplete, though Urban Green Investments Principal Kevin Skiles said he’s preparing to resubmit the materials within two weeks, incorporating feedback from city planners and from two recent public meetings.

“This is a project that I would describe as still in the preliminary stages,” he said.

Cedar Grove is thought to have been home a hunting camp established by Petaluma’s first European settlers in the 1850s. An amusement park and other amenities were developed on the property in subsequent years. The land, which is zoned for a medium and low-density residential neighborhood, has long been eyed for potential development, though Petaluma’s Deputy Planning Manager Kevin Colin said various plans, including affordable units proposed by Workforce Housing Associates at both sites in 2006, never materialized.

The 3.36 acres of land owned by Clover Stornetta on the opposite side of the river is also zoned as residential, but both parcels would required to be rezoned for planned unit development to accommodate the Riverbend Crossing project, Colin said.

After a deal brokered last year with SMART train officials and Cedar Grove property owner John Barella, the only road that provided access to the 8-acre west Petaluma property was closed for safety reasons, sealing off the lot.

To resolve the access issue, developers have purchased and plan to demolish a home at 75 Rocca Drive along the north end of the property, making way for a “greenway” for cyclists and pedestrians to enter the development, which will also provide emergency vehicle access, Skiles said.

Though Skiles said specifics plans for affordable housing have yet to be determined, the for-sale homes on the collective 12.05-acre lots in close proximity to a planned SMART station are slated to range from 1,914 to 2,936 square feet.

Two acres of public parks are also envisioned, with the 1800s-era Bloom-Tunstall house that still stands on the property to be renovated and relocated to one of the parks. Skiles said he plans to ask the public to help devise ideas for the historic home, which he said could be used as a museum highlighting the history of the site or as a public meeting space. He also envisions building a sound wall to dull the noise from the nearby SMART tracks, and plans to seek public help to paint a mural on the barrier.

“There’s an opportunity for the public to kind of help make this project something they can be proud of and happy with,” he said.

Skiles said his investment firm is in escrow to buy the two parcels, which are planned to be developed in two phases, beginning with the 529 Madison St. lot. If the project is approved, construction of the entire project would take about four years, he said.

Neighbors reached by phone voiced concerns about the documented Native American artifacts at the historic site. Colin said developers are working with the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, though the process of navigating a web of regulations governing the handling of those resources will be at the forefront of discussions about the project.

“It’s going to play a very important role in the review of this project,” he said.

As plans come together for the proposed development, Petaluma Police Department Homeless Outreach Services Team Officer Ryan DeBaeke said his department is working with SMART and local homeless service agencies to set a date t orchestrate a large-scale cleanup of an unoccupied encampment on SMART-owned land near the tracks at the south end of Cedar Grove. The camp, which has been vacated for more than year, is choked with brush and filled with more than 100 yards of trash and was “one of the worst spots” in downtown, he said.

Cedar Grove, which was once a magnet for crime and transient activity, has been “pretty quiet” in recent months, DeBaeke said, crediting the decrease in criminal activity to various cleanup efforts, including the demolition of several derelict structures on the property and a clearing of brush and encampments along the river.

Despite potential hurdles, Skiles said he hopes his first proposed project in the city will be a success.

“(Petaluma) is this small town that’s retained its historical character at core of everything, even while it’s grown into a larger town,” he said. “That’s an admirable thing about Petaluma, and I’m delighted to be part of that fabric and contributing to that with these homes.”

(Contact Beausang at hannah.beausang@arguscourier.com.)