A Referendum To Stop The Sellout Of
Petaluma’s Historic Downtown
As residents of Petaluma, we cherish our historic downtown. It is a treasure that reflects our city's rich history and unique character. However, a Newport Beach-based developer has convinced the Petaluma City Council to amend our General Plan so they can build an oversized, monolithic 6-story hotel in our historic downtown. We oppose the "Housing and Economic Opportunity Overlay" and the hotel.
This “overlay” not only goes against our General Plan, but also contradicts current zoning laws designed to preserve and protect Petaluma's historic character. The City Council passed the overlay on April 21, setting a dangerous precedent for future developers to build mid-rise buildings in other parts of downtown.
We must not let short-term economic gains overshadow long-term community values. Our history is worth preserving; it enriches our lives today and leaves an important legacy for future generations.
We are gathering signatures, now through June 4, to put a referendum on the ballot to rescind the City Council’s decision to allow this egregious hotel development.
Please join us by signing the referendum petition and by donating to help fund PHA’s legal fees – let’s stand together to preserve the charm and history of downtown Petaluma!
Frequently Asked Questions
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Petaluma Historic Advocates is a group of concerned citizens who have come together to protect Petaluma’s Historic Downtown District from inappropriate development. Among the members of the PHA Steering Committee are two architects, a historic preservation expert, an attorney, a financial adviser, a hero of local youth, and three former City Council members.
And, the hundreds of supporters among the citizens of Petaluma who give generously of their time and money to help preserve the unique character of their beloved downtown.
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The City Council decision to change the zoning in a two block area of downtown to accommodate an oversized luxury hotel is destructive to the fabric of Petaluma’s Historic Downtown District:
It more than doubles the building allowable mass.
It is a gateway to more oversized developments downtown.
These changes will have an enormous impact on the character of our downtown, and the voters should be able to decide!
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A zoning overlay is a city planning device that can be used by local governments to promote planning goals, within an arbitrary area, without changing the base zoning. In this case, the overlay is being used to allow greater building height and density than allowed by downtown zoning, in order to accommodate a single development project from a single developer.
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The zoning overlay was created specifically to accommodate the bulky, oversized building design of a luxury hotel project, and its out-of-town developer. The Zoning Overlay is necessary for The Hotel design to be approved, and The Hotel constructed.
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It doesn’t. The City calls the Overlay a “Downtown Housing and Economic Opportunity Overlay”, but there is nothing in the Overlay zoning changes that increases either the availability or affordability of housing in Downtown Petaluma.
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The zoning changes enable buildings that are out of scale with our historic downtown.
The zoning changes open the door for other taller buildings in downtown.
The zoning changes allow for a whopping 244% increase in allowed building density/mass.
The zoning changes do nothing to increase the allowable housing density.
The zoning changes create potential additional traffic & parking challenges in an already congested area.
Visualization of Impacts
Background Information
Click the links below to review important background information on the Hotel Project and Zoning Overlay. We have also included information about Petaluma’s historic resources and best practices in urban planning: