2022 AIA Communities by Design Reimagining Petaluma SDAT - Report - Page 38
Petaluma DAT
The Midtown Nodes
Node 2A: Riverfront Marriott Circle
Equitable, accessible mixed-uses development on
this site is critically important to Petaluma’s goal of
becoming a 15-minute city. The 15-minute walk radius
from this point includes neighborhoods that have
virtually no pedestrian access to commercial businesses,
grocery stores, health and human service functions, or
places of employment. And give that more residential
developments are being planed around this node, it
is vital that a mixed-use commercial center take hold
here. They two keys for this happening are: development
guidelines and access.
Pedestrian access to and from this space is very
important. To serve the residents that live just across
the Petaluma River, the bridge over the Petaluma River
must certainly happen. Other pedestrian access routes
to this site by residents on the other side of Highway 101
would also be beneficial. Finally, this plaza must also
provide easy access to the Riverfront Park described
earlier in this report.
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Node 1A: Washington Street & Lakeville
Washington Street connects Petaluma’s East and Wets
Ends. It is also Midtown’s Main Street. The large empty
lots at this intersection are obvious development sites,
but it should also be pointed out that the residential
neighborhoods within a 15-minute walk of this node are
also the most socioeconomically disadvantaged and
environmentally impacted areas of the City. Serving
the needs of these residents is critical to Petaluma
becoming a more equitable and carbon-neutral
15-minute city.
This is the development node with the greatest potential
to cross all three of the elements that bisect the City.
Development guidelines must envision this traffic
circle surrounded with mid-rise mixed use commercial
building and affordable housing. All ground floor uses
mut be active storefronts. A ground floor sublease
space large enough for a small grocery store would be
ideal; upper floor offices should favor health and human
service uses. The circle itself should be re-planned as a
hospitable public plaza.
Node 2A: Riverfront Marriott Circle
Node 1A: Washington Street & Lakeville
It would essentially extend the benefits of the historic
downtown district to the East End and – when paired
with the improvements to Washington Street described
earlier in this report – make Petaluma a model for
intentionally sustainable development. Two hundred
affordable housing units could easily be planned for
these sites all with walkable access to Riverfront Park.
The five-story building shown in our rendering are
the minimum development density and an overlay
development district boundary could include commercial
and industrial site for a block in either direction. There
is no end to the health and human service functions
imaginable on these sites along with space for many
businesses.
