Amid dry year, neighbors next to closed golf course concerned about overgrowth

As drought-like conditions persist and warmer months draw near, some east Petaluma homeowners are voicing concern that a neighboring property, the abandoned Adobe Creek Golf Course, presents a potential fire risk.

And it’s not the first time.

Located at the upper edge of Petaluma city limits, the 320-home development abutting the shuttered golf course is an annual source of complaints for Petaluma Fire Marshal Jessica Power. Like clockwork, she receives the same types of calls and emails, she said, as residents contend the minimally-maintained property is a hazard.

“Somebody calls every year (from the community), so we go out to look at the grass and make sure it’s not all dead,” Power said. “We’re trying to work with the residents as much as we can.”

Operators closed the 18-hole course in early 2017, citing insurmountable financial losses reaching $200,000 annually. Since the closure, landowner Adobe Investments has presented various options for repurposing the land, most recently proposing the former golf course’s 100 acres be used for a 100-megawatt battery storage facility along with a nine-hole golf course and 51 new homes.

But those plans remain in flux as discussions between the landowner and homeowners association continue. Additionally, questions loom for the property that straddles the city-county line, marking a potentially complex approval process that could take years to resolve.

Alice Dransfield, who is in her 90s, said she’s one of the original homeowners in the development. A lifelong golfer, she bought her home more than 20 years ago, choosing the property that overlooks the 18th hole.

“I’m right on the edge of the golf course, so when I look out, from a personal point of view, I see everything on the golf course,” she said Tuesday. “That was always kept neat and mowed through these many years I’ve lived here, but it’s different now that the course closed.”

Power said she’s keeping an eye on the situation, working with her partners at the Rancho Adobe Fire District. Just last week a fire official surveyed the property in response to complaints, finding the grass’ color and height was not yet a concern.

But even after the fire official took a look, Dransfield says she’s planning to take the issue up with the homeowners association, and is considering legal action after what she says has been years of neglect.

Current board president of the homeowner’s association Jennifer Anderson said she understands the frustration, and says that the board works closely with the landowners to address complaints, including potential fire hazards.

“It is discouraging to see the conditions. It is what it is, though. It’s open space now,” she said. “People are very sensitive to this because of the drought and because of recent fires, and we completely understand that sensitivity.”

Similar complaints about weed overgrowth led to several complaints filed with Power in 2019, and Anderson said there have been more recent complaints filed with the homeowner’s association as well.

Adding a layer of complexity, the portion of the course outside of the city is within the Rancho Adobe Fire Protection District, the other within city control. As a result, Power said difference in weed abatement timelines can sometimes result in a stark difference between the city-managed residential side and the county-managed former golf course.

Richard Coombs, managing member of landowner Adobe Investments LLC said he works closely with homeowners to ensure the land near the homes is safe.

“We currently are mowing the 55 acres behind each of the homes that are in the city of Petaluma, and we mow and water them to keep it in non-fire hazard condition,” he said.

Resident and former Board President Sally Hanson said she understands why some residents may be more worried about the weeds than others, recalling the fear and uncertainty in 2017 when the community was told to prepare for a possible evacuation if the fires moved closer.

“Some of it may be warranted, some of it may not,” she said, referring to heightened alarm. “Everyone is on edge now after the 2017 fires. Right now the grasses are green, but it will get to be that dried wheat grass color soon.”

As the spring season begins to wind down, Power said the city’s annual process to assess and ameliorate potential fire hazards across the city is slated to begin late May.

“We definitely have fielded more calls with concerns about weeds or vegetation management recently, but that’s been the reality since the fires in 2017,” she said. “And so, at this point this year, if we don’t receive any more rain, it looks like it’s going to be a drought year. Now is the time for every property owner to think about what they have done, can do, should do to improve their lots and homes for their defensible space.”

(Contact Kathryn Palmer at kathryn.palmer@arguscourier.com, on Twitter @KathrynPlmr.)