A 414-page draft environmental impact report has found that a proposed downtown luxury hotel would have “less than significant” impacts on three “areas of controversy” surrounding the hotly contested project.
The draft EIR, released Aug. 23, was made in response to months of public criticism of a proposed six-story, 93-room luxury hotel on a .33-acre lot at the corner of B Street and Petaluma Boulevard South. As part of the plans, which are being pursued by EKN Development Group, the hotel would feature 58 spaces of below-ground valet parking, a rooftop restaurant, and an event space.
The report also addresses a “Downtown Housing and Economic Opportunity Overlay” proposed as part of the hotel development proposal, which also has generated controversy. Implementing the overlay would require a General Plan and Zoning Amendment, according to the report.
“The purpose of this Draft EIR is to inform decision-makers, representatives of affected and responsible agencies, the public, and other interested parties of the potential environmental effects that may result from implementation of the proposed project," the report states.
The three areas of controversy addressed by the report were aesthetics, cultural resources including tribal cultural resources, and land use and planning. They were chosen “based on the environmental analysis completed by the city in 2023 and the public input provided during the EIR scoping meeting earlier this year,” the city stated in a community update.
The report also addressed project alternatives and cumulative impacts, and listed a summary of alternative options: the project does not move forward, the overlay area is reduced but the hotel project remains unchanged, or the building’s height is limited to 45 feet.
The overlay, which covers three sections of downtown Petaluma adding up to approximately 12.18 acres, would increase maximum building height from 45 to 75 feet, increase maximum lot coverage from 80% to 100%, and increase the maximum floor area ratio – a ratio of a building’s floor area to its parcel size – from 2.5 to 6, in effect allowing taller and denser projects within its boundaries.
Though the city initially gave a mitigated negative declaration to its initial environmental study on the joint project – essentially saying the hotel and overlay would not have major negative impacts – opponents of the project sought a more stringent environmental review.
Late last year the developer, which is working in partnership with celebrity Chef Charlie Palmer’s Appellation Hotels hospitality company, requested to postpone a city vote on the project. Then in January they agreed to the stricter environmental impact report – and to pay for it, according to comments made by Community Development Director Brian Oh at that meeting.
Public opposition
It is uncertain whether the report’s conclusions will blunt months of public outcry against the proposed hotel and overlay, both of which have garnered a steady stream of public comments in opposition.
When the city first released a “notice of preparation“ that the EIR would be generated, more than 230 pages of comments were appended to the notice, some going back as far as November. A majority decried the proposal, citing parking and traffic concerns, the height and historical impact, and the presence of other hotels in town as reasons to reject it.
“Our current General Plan, Implementing Zoning Ordinance and Petaluma Historical District Guidelines contain solid, common-sense guidelines for preserving our historical downtown with its unique iron front buildings and vintage character. These contribute greatly to making Petaluma such a special place to live as well as attracting visitors to our town,” wrote one commentator after the notice of preparation was issued in April.
The historic character of the hotel was a contentious point for many.
“If you begin to carve away the historic district with a hotel and neighboring development that does not comply with the city’s own guidelines, you lose it forever,” wrote a commentator in May.
A few voiced support, though they were in the minority.
“Promoting higher density in our downtown area not only stimulates economic growth … but it also broadens the consumer reach for local enterprises and boosts tax revenue, essential for financing key municipal initiatives and services,” wrote representatives from Generation Housing, a nonprofit that advocates for housing in Sonoma County, in November.
The draft environmental review will be available for public review and comment until Oct. 7, and presented at two upcoming meetings – a joint Planning Commission and Historic and Cultural Preservation Committee Meeting on Sept. 24, and an Oct. 7 City Council meeting.
Source: Petaluma Argus-Courier
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