Application to tear down Petaluma Cattlemens likely won’t be reviewed for months, city says

A development proposal currently filed with the city of Petaluma would remove the storied Cattlemens restaurant on the 5000 block of Petaluma Boulevard North and replace it with a Chick-fil-A restaurant, among other changes.

According to a project application filed with the city by Dynamic Real Estate Partners of Los Angeles, “The existing 9,040-square-foot restaurant building is being removed and replaced with a new 5,000-square-foot restaurant building with exterior patios located at the northwest and southeast corners of the building.”

The new restaurant going into the 5,000-square-foot space would be a Chick-fil-A, under the proposal. Other proposed changes include a new 4,500-square-foot retail space alongside the two preexisting, western-style retail buildings on the site, which house Jay Palm’s Saddle Shop, North Bay Grain and Pleasures Unlimited Too.

The two preexisting retail structures would be left in place but with exterior improvements made.

In an email to the Argus-Courier, Cattlemens representative Miranda Smith said that at this point, to her understanding, the sale of the property has not closed, meaning the restaurant will continue to stay open until such changes have been secured.

“We are aware of the application that was submitted to the Planning Department by a potential buyer,” Smith said, adding the restaurant remains open daily from 4 to 10 p.m. “We don't have any plans to close and look forward to continuing to serve the Petaluma community as we have for the last 52 years.”

City planning manager Andrew Trippel said in an email that the project will require discretionary review by the city’s Planning Commission, which could take up to six months after city planners deem the project application complete.

Procedurally, the city’s Planning Division has 30 days from the date of submittal to determine if an application is complete, after which the project review process can begin, Trippel said. The Cattlemens application was submitted on Oct. 10.

“Currently, no city regulations or policies would prohibit the property owner or its agent from proposing development on this property,” Trippel wrote, adding that “Staff will commence planning review when a complete application is on record.”

No date has yet been set for public review by the Planning Commission, but ultimately, he said, the commission “will decide to approve, approve with conditions, or deny the project.“

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