Big plans for downtown Petaluma Seed Bank building

The new tenants, backed by a cannabis industry titan, are seeking feedback on a proposal for the iconic Petaluma space.|

With community input a priority, the new tenants of the historic building on the corner of Petaluma Boulevard and East Washington Street, which used to house the Petaluma Seed Bank, are crowdsourcing suggestions on what to do with the space.

One of the tenants is Nick Papadopoulos, founder of Cropmobster, which is a digital exchange platform for community agriculture. Last year he partnered with CannaCraft co-founder Ned Fussell, signing a 10-year lease backed primarily by optimism and enthusiasm.

When the leaseholders initially met with the building’s owner, their pitch was to create a community hub that embodied Petaluma’s culture by combining agriculture, food, drink, art and retail in one place.

This week that vision began to take shape as Papadopoulos made another call to action, seeking feedback on three artist renderings for the adaptive reuse coming to one of the city’s most iconic buildings.

“It’s just a real gift to have the chance to work on this project,” he said. “It’s a leap to go out and talk about plans when you’re still honing them, but our philosophy that guides this effort … is we want to listen to the community and also factor in our ideas. That’s the best way to develop a win-win for everyone.”

The drawings show a bustling indoor market filled with shops, food vendors and a bar. Visitors will seemingly have a chance to buy locally-sourced products from local farmers and artisans, with opportunities to eat and drink in-between.

In the corner of the inside rendering is a stage where Papadopoulos said he hopes to feature local musicians or actors performing variety shows.

Perhaps the most notable revelation is the rooftop space, which features a garden, bar and 360-degree views of Petaluma.

On the southeastern face of the building is a mural of a beaming chicken and overhanging vines from the roof. Papadopoulos is hopeful they can commission an artist to bring some life to the side of the building that’s perpendicular to Washington Street.

“Keep in mind these are just visions – they’re not plans,” Papadopoulos said. “That’s really important (to stress).”

The connection to CannaCraft, the largest cannabis business in the North Bay, prompted speculation that the leaseholders would do something related to marijuana, but Petaluma has strict policies limiting cannabis manufacturing and retail sales.

The city has refined its cannabis policy since Proposition 64 was passed in November 2016, legalizing adult recreational use. Multiple ordinances have successfully passed through city council over the last year, allowing strictly-defined manufacturing and two delivery services to be permitted in designated business zones.

Economic Development Manager Ingrid Alverde said they were still vetting finalists for the delivery services last week, and the announcement on which two will be setting up shop in Petaluma “should be soon.”

Regardless, Papadopoulos and his partner aren’t playing cat-and-mouse with local cannabis, and want to move forward on a project more representative of the overall culture.

“Down the road, should the community alter policies and laws around cannabis, would we look at it? … Absolutely,” he said. “But at the same time, there’s so much opportunity to do something that really is a showcase of Petaluma and Sonoma County.”

(Contact News Editor Yousef Baig at yousef.baig@arguscourier.com or 776-8461, and on Twitter @YousefBaig.)

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