New Petaluma Corona Station plans unveiled

Members of the public caught their first glimpse of the new affordable housing project proposed to replace the besieged Corona Station residential development at the Planning Commission meeting Tuesday, less than two weeks after the parcel’s landowner finalized the dramatic change of course.

This new, 131-unit development, called Meridian at Corona Station, is led by Arcata-based Danco Group. Initial plans appear to offer many of the features that critics of the original Corona Station development have routinely demanded, namely, higher density, space for retail and fewer parking spaces.

The original project has been one of the most contentious issues in local development and political circles for more than a year, punctuated with hours-long public meetings that drew dozens of impassioned critics and an organized group of community-led challengers.

“I know we still have a ways to go, but it’s great to be here versus where we were earlier this year with the original project, which a lot of the commissioners here – including me – voted down,” said Commissioner Scott Alonso.

All commissioners expressed similar enthusiasm for the proposed Meridian at Corona Station, drawing a clear line between the original single-family project that failed to appease the group and a large group of residents.

The parcel’s connection with the second SMART station, running adjacent to the property, also fused the housing development with a complicated web of agreements and housing projects that included several stakeholders and hundreds of units of proposed housing.

Landowner Lomas Partners entered into a partnership with SMART years ago that resulted in a land swap, promising the rail agency land to use as parking for the future second station. In return, SMART is to sell the expansive parcel behind the downtown station to Lomas Partners for development, giving the rail agency funds for the east side station’s construction. Lomas Partners then plans to sell that downtown parcel to Hines Company, which is proposing a large, multi-story 400-unit housing development.

Petaluma city council Nov. 2 approved a request by Lomas Partners to rescind the original 110-unit single-family development, a move that many have attributed to the lawsuit challenging the housing project led by the now council member-elect Brian Barnacle.

“The other project was very car-oriented, and what we have now is a major step up,” said Dave Alden, a civil engineer and local land-use advocate that heads a sustainable growth advocacy group. “I think it was the lawsuit that forced Lomas to look in other directions, that’s what it looks like to me.”

The Meridian proposal offers 100% affordable housing along with on-site services intended to assist homeless individuals, youth and families and people with disabilities. Twenty ground-floor units are to be reserved for accessibility needs, while all units will serve households earning between 20 and 50% of area median income, designated as extremely low income and very low income.

Council member and planning commission liaison Kevin McDonnell praised the project’s affordability at Tuesday’s meeting, as the city continues to fall well below state-mandated affordable housing numbers.

Site amenities include a basketball half-court, a play field and recreational area and green spaces, according to Danco Group’s project proposal. The development will offer 153 parking spots, roughly 1.2 per household, 14 of which offer electric vehicle charging stations.

In addition to the informational presentation to the Planning Commission Tuesday, Danco Group held a forum with Know Before You Grow, a local advocacy group that often connects developers with members of the public. Danco Group will host another virtual meeting for community members Nov. 30.

These efforts for further outreach, however, are not required of the developer, as they are applying for the project within the parameters of AB2162, a recently-enacted law enabling eligible affordable developers to skip some review processes that market-rate projects typically endure.

Because this policy allows certain affordable projects to go through a streamlined review process, next steps for the project will be more accelerated. The City Council will consider approval of the developer’s use of the AB2162 policy at its Dec. 7 meeting, after which the remainder of the project will be entirely handled by city staff.