Petaluma Riverfront subdivisions approved for development

The next phase of Petaluma’s Riverfront mixed-use development project has been approved, adding more than 50 town homes to the city’s residential inventory over the protests of local activists who worry housing expansion will negatively impact the city’s climate goals.

The Petaluma City Council on Monday night unanimously approved the Riverscape town home subdivision plan, which proposes the construction of 50 townhomes and another 11 homes with accessory dwelling units, an expansion of the ongoing Riverfront development project eight years in the making.

On Monday, council member Kevin McDonnell praised developer Tim Lewis Communities for reworking the plans after hearing concerns from residents and planning commissioners in previous steps, adding the developer also made efforts to make homes more affordable.

“This developer did a number of good things and should be recognized for that,” McDonnell said.

The Riverfront mixed-use project was initially approved in July 2014, and includes 60,000 square feet of office space, a 122-room hotel and 30,000 square feet of retail and commercial space. Aside from the town homes, the plan also calls for 100 apartments and more than 130 single-famly homes, some of which have already been built. A central green will also be installed, along with an on-site park with playing fields and picnic space. A multi-use path will run parallel to the community on the northern and easterly boundaries. The four-story, 122-room Courtyard Marriott hotel was completed in August 2021.

The nearly 40-acre site on Hopper Street is about one mile east of the SMART station, on the north side of the Petaluma River and west of the proposed Scannell mixed-use site once planned to house the Amy’s Kitchen headquarters.

Construction of the town homes would likely begin in summer 2023 and would take about 18 months to complete. The homes range from two to three bedrooms, with the average unit size at about 1,600 square feet. Each home would also have its own garage space.

The Riverscape project was brought to the Planning Commission in a Jan. 11 public hearing, where concerns over lack of environmentally friendly features, lack of variety in the unit types, among other issues were addressed, before plans were revised and approved unanimously by commissioners on Feb. 8.

In accordance with the city’s declaration of a climate emergency in May 2019, planners incorporated more NetZero aspects into the proposal, creating an all-electric project with the absence of gas hook-ups. Additionally, each garage will be equipped with electric vehicle chargers, photovoltaic panels on each rooftop and battery backup for each home. The project also promotes alternative modes of transportation by providing bicycle storage in each garage and will have easy access to local bus and train service.

“Really what makes this project extremely exciting is the sustainability measures,” said Aaron Ross-Swain of Fieldstone Consulting, working for developer Tim Lewis Communities.

Ross-Swain, who added such features sets a “high bar” for other residential communities in the area, said “We’ve effectively doubled the solar on what is already an all-electric project, so that there is enough energy generated with each solar (panel) to hopefully not require homes to draw electricity from the grid.”

But those environmentally friendly features weren’t enough to sway some conservationists during the meeting, as some residents voiced concerns on how additional development will impact local wildlife and natural resources, as well as deplete the city’s already dwindling drinking water capacity. Council member Brian Barnacle responded to such comments, saying city officials are continuing to keep water conservation in mind when moving forward with such projects, in order to use existing land wisely.

“I think we’re all concerned with water consumption. The reality with these homes is they’re going to use a lot less water than the average single-family home,” Barnacle said, adding that the town homes will not be featuring large yards, which can help in the decrease of water use. “I don’t think we have a perfect answer for that, but it is something we’re considering.”

Petaluman Kathy Hutchinson mentioned how residential projects along the river could be impacted by flooding due to gradual sea level rise. This as scientists recently projected that ocean levels in the Bay Area are expected to rise by about one foot by the year 2050.

“Sea level rise could be three times higher than currently predicted,” Hutchinson said. “I know we’re required by the state to complete a certain amount of development, but we can’t brush off the sea level rise timeline for short-term gains.”

Other expressed concerns ranged from the proposal of an assisted living care facility on the site, and whether or not the homes would be considered affordable. While the price of each proposed town home was not made clear, single-family plans on the Riverfront property are currently listed on Zillow for asking prices ranging from $910,000 to more than $1 million.

“It would have been very wonderful and inspiring if this project was fully, 100% affordable,” said resident Sheila Baker. “This looks like a very expensive project and I am sorry to see that.”

Amelia Parreira is a staff writer for the Argus-Courier. She can be reached at amelia.parreira@arguscourier.com or 707-521-5208.