Planning Commission Meeting - vote not unanimous

Thank you so much for writing emails and speaking eloquently at the Planning Commission meeting on Tuesday, August 9.

The goal of the Planning Commission meeting was to analyze the environmental impacts of this project. Many public comments followed the guidelines and made comments about the following environmental topics:

* 28 homes, which will be selling for $1 million+, won’t met the needs of Petaluma families.

* Preserving the wildlife and animal habitat and grasslands should be a city priority.

* Petaluma has a drought and water shortage.

* Cars are needed to get out of the neighborhood. This increases VMT and directly negates the City’s climate goals. If we are going to meet our carbon neutral goal by 2030, we MUST commit to climate-responsible development.

* The town should not be building new homes in a high-risk fire zone.

How the commissioners voted:

Yes

Sandra Potter
Roger McErlane
Rick Whisman
Amy Rider
Heidi Bauer
Kevin McDonnell

No
Darren Racusen
Blake Hooper

Both Darren Racusen and Blake Hooper had obviously read the environmental report and asked very detailed questions about what was in the report. Listening to Blake and Darren was gratifying to those of us who had spent hours reading the complicated technical report and summarizing its contents.

You wrote excellent letters and spoke eloquently about the environmental impacts of this development. We were very proud of you! Thank you!

Next Step - City Council - October

Any comments submitted to the Planning Commission will go to the City Council. This is an opportunity for the public to review a chapter (or two) and ask questions that have not been asked of the Planning Commissioners. You may also reinforce comments that have been made by others.

The only comments that are sure to have no effect are the ones that are not written.

We are not giving up!

We continue to believe that this is the wrong project in the wrong place at the wrong time.