Bring design review back to Downtown, and build what’s right for Petaluma.
Hear what Blake had to say about downtown at the recent AAUW Petaluma City Council Candidates Forum, and read below for more. Visit the Issues page to learn more about Blake's positions on other topics.
Do you support the proposed overlay zoning amendment?
I do not support the overlay as it is currently proposed, and without significant changes I will vote against it. We must protect our downtown.
As your Planning Commissioner, I’ve chosen to engage with the process, because there’s a real chance of improving what’s on offer.
A zoning amendment gives us a real opportunity to give our voice back on how our downtown will grow and evolve, and can give us the tools we need to protect the area around our historic district.
Right now, Petaluma does not have design review standards for downtown, and without a zoning amendment to require design review, any ugly building can get rubber-stamped. We don’t want another Theatre Square.
Petaluma needs to bring back design review standards, so that we can stop ugly buildings in their tracks.
If we want to build what’s right for Petaluma, we need to bring back the design review process for Downtown, and the only way we can do that in the near term is by amending the zoning code for Downtown. In planning speak, that’s called an overlay.
As Planning Commissioner, I pushed for amendments to the draft environmental impact report to include:
- Design requirements for all construction in the overlay zone, using architecture from our downtown historic district as a guide, so new construction will fit in with our historic district.
- Historic resources surveys for all new construction in the overlay zone, so we can protect our historic buildings.
- Extra requirements that protect our historic downtown district during any construction in the overlay district.
Thanks to the work that I led on the Planning Commission, these amendments will be presented to the City Council for them to vote on. If accepted, we’ll get a zoning amendment with real teeth, that will stop ugly buildings in their tracks.
If elected as your Council Member, I will fight for these changes, and I will only vote in favor if these amendments are included.
We need someone on council who can advocate for all of us, and who understands the process so that we can do better. Engaging with the process gives us a chance to do better. I will fight against an ugly hotel downtown, and only my plan gives us the tools to build a project that fits our downtown.
Why doesn’t Petaluma have a design review process?
Petaluma abolished its design review process as a cost-saving measure during the great recession.
As a result, more cookie-cutter projects have been approved in Petaluma. Many of these are ugly, and the proposed hotel is more of the same. I found out as Planning Commissioner that there’s not much our appointed officials can do to improve the way these buildings look without either clear design standards or a design review process.
Our city has waited too long to give us our voice back on how our downtown should look.
As your council member, I would advocate to bring our planning department in-house, starting with the leadership and other senior staff, followed by the rest of the department as we are able to hire the staff.
Design review can’t work unless it’s led by people with a real stake in the future of Petaluma.
What will happen if the overlay gets blocked?
With the present zoning code, there is nothing stopping the city from approving an ugly 4-story hotel on the proposed location.
If the developer were to acquire nearby undeveloped or underdeveloped property, there is nothing standing in the way of a 4-story ugly hotel that takes up three quarters of that block, extending onto 4th Street.
This is why I am fighting for the overlay to be the tool that brings back design review, historic design standards, and increased historic resource protections to our downtown.
What about parking?
As Planning Commissioner, I pushed for amendments for the draft environmental impact review to specifically include adequate parking for projected employee and customer numbers. I will not support projects that will make it even harder to find parking in downtown Petaluma.
For housing developments, all existing city and state laws will apply to our downtown area, regardless of whether we change our zoning law. As Planning Commissioner, I have a record of working with applicants to ensure that their parking plans are realistic. If elected to council, I will do the same.
What about the Hotel?
The hotel renderings that have been shared with the public are ugly. They do not fit in with our historic district. The changes I am fighting for on the overlay will give us the means to fight against ugly buildings near our downtown.
Through my work on the Planning Commission, I fought for a number of significant improvements that will give us a real voice into what sort of design gets built on the site. I will not support a hotel design that doesn’t fit our downtown.