Plans for Amy’s future HQ in downtown Petaluma take step forward

Plans to modify a vacant building in downtown Petaluma earned wide support Tuesday from residents and members of the city’s Historic and Cultural Preservation Committee, as its members moved to unanimously approve the renovations.

The building at 109 Kentucky St. is expected to become the new headquarters for organic food vendor Amy’s Kitchen.

The plans, which went before the committee for review at its Tuesday meeting, call for seismic retrofitting, enlargement of existing window openings on the east and south facades, the addition of new windows, new doors and new Amy’s Kitchen logo signage on the east elevation, according to a staff report.

“It’s wonderful to see this particular instance of adaptive reuse,” committee member John Perlis said.

The building falls within the Historic Commercial District, and was designed to highlight a “streamline effect” with rounded corners, unique window placement and other distinctive features. Its declaration as a historic building will keep exterior renovations minimal to maintain its original look.

Modifications are also proposed for the interior of the building, including the addition of a mezzanine space that would expand the 18,722-square-foot building to about 20,000 square feet. But only exterior changes were considered by committee members Tuesday, with a couple minor speculations coming from residents over window location and bicycle parking, as the project gained overall validation.

Before plans were approved, committee members added a condition to the recommendation calling for more bicycle parking, as well as the planting of more trees along the front of Western Avenue.

“We are so excited for this building,” said Paul Schiefer, vice president of impact and communications at Amy’s Kitchen. “Amy’s is a company that was founded in a barn just right up D Street Extension, which was our first official headquarters. Our corporate offices have been in Petaluma for a good 10-plus years, and so many of our employees live, shop and enjoy the downtown Petaluma area.”

Schiefer touted the project’s open-floor design, with the ground floor more like a hotel lobby, complete with a tasting kitchen and communal areas, while the building’s upper floors will have a more traditional office environment. The space is expected to be used on a hybrid basis by 50-60 employees.

Amy’s officials submitted an initial application in January to move into the building, which has been vacant for about five years. It was previously home to longtime department store Carithers, which opened in the late 1940s, before it became Couches Etc., which opened in 1986.

The plans to move into the former Carithers building came after the organic food giant in January ditched previous plans to shift its headquarters to a 147,300-square-foot space at the proposed Scannell mixed-use development site.

It is unclear when the project will next be publicly discussed.

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