2022 AIA Communities by Design Reimagining Petaluma SDAT - Report - Page 32
Petaluma DAT
29
The East End Nodes
Node 5: Leghorn Marketplace
Although many of the residents of the East End’s
northeastern neighborhoods experience higher than
average housing cost burden and other types of social
vulnerability, they also already live within a 15-minute
walk of an existing mixed-use center called Leghorn
Marketplace. As a model for the type of development
we would like to see in all the nodes, this center only
lacks affordable housing as a program element. It has
a grocery store, several restaurants, and is adjacent to
a public playground. The dental office being among the
currently vacant buildings, a re-leasing strategy should
focus on health and human service functions. Pedestrian
access to the center is currently challenging; redesigning
Sonoma Mountain Parkway as a greenway would
certainly improve that.
Node 4: Lucchesi Park
This is one of three nodes where the DAT team had
difficulty finding an appropriate development site, but as
many of the residents of these East End neighborhoods
also experiences higher than average housing cost
burden and other types of social vulnerability, we believe
some equitable development would have great public
benefit here as well. Not wanting to displace housing or
schools, we opted in this case to associate a mixed-use
node with an existing public park. First, we identified
the Boys & Girls Club of Petaluma on Maria Drive a
potential non-profit partner. The Boys & Girls Club
headquarters building occupies a large site; it could be
redeveloped as a multi-story mixed use and affordable
housing site with the Boys & Girls Club receiving
upgraded facilities and becoming party to the building’s
ownership. Further development opportunity could
include the facilities around the Petaluma American
Little League field and a mixed-use development on
N. McDowell Boulevard possibly associated with the
Petaluma Community Center and East Side Farmers
Market.
Node 5: Leghorn Marketplace
Node 4: Lucchesi Park
