Proposed Downtown Housing & Economic Opportunity Overlay for a Specified Area in Downtown Petaluma

Overlay Study Area (Click to Enlarge)

EKN Overlay Subareas

Downtown Housing & Economic Opportunity Overlay (Current Proposal) (Click to Enlarge)

Line-of-Sight Analysis for Developments Within the Overlay (Click to Enlarge)

Project Description

The Downtown Housing & Economic Opportunity Overlay proposes to support housing and mixed-use development in a portion of the Downtown area through modification of Floor Area Ratio (FAR), building height, and lot coverage maximums, and associated revisions, including development and design controls for properties located in the overlay. The revised project reduces the originally proposed boundary to three smaller areas (depicted in the Downtown Housing & Economic Opportunity Overlay image at the top of this page). Amendments to the General Plan, Zoning Map, and Implementing Zoning Ordinance are required to implement the proposed Downtown Housing & Economic Opportunity Overlay.

For details/information regarding the proposed EKN Appellation Hotel that would be located within this overlay, please view https://cityofpetaluma.org/ekn-appellation/. 

Project Details - Overlay

Zoning: MU2 (Mixed Use 2)
File Number: PLGP-2023-0001 and PLZA-2023-0002
Applicant: Tom Jacobson
220 Newport Center Drive, Suite 11-262
Newport Beach CA 92660
(949)467-9008
[email protected]

Click HERE to view ALL the supporting documents pertaining to the ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY OVERLAY & EKN APPELLATION PROJECTS.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What would the proposed Overlay do?
  2. What types of projects would be able to exceed the 45-foot height maximum? What would the process be?
  3. How could this Overlay help our downtown?
  4. Could the Overlay result in a 9-story apartment building being built downtown?
  5. Could residential developments in the downtown currently exceed the 45-foot height limit, even without the Overlay?
  6. What about parking?
  7. Why can an applicant request a change to the General Plan or Implementing Zoning Ordinance?
  8. Why now, before the General Plan update?
  9. How does the timeline for the General Plan update relate to the timeline for this Overlay?
  10. Is the Overlay document the applicant’s or the City’s?
  11. What are the economic benefits of the proposed EKN Appellation Hotel?
  12. Portions of the Overlay would apply to parcels within the City parking assessment district. Would the hotel, or other new developments within the district contribute to the assessment district?
  13. Would the Overlay preserve existing residential buildings?
  14. Would the Overlay preserve historic resources?
  15. How has Petaluma’s downtown evolved and how has it continued to preserve the integrity of its historic resources?
  16. Why discuss the proposed Overlay through a study session?
  17. Why not apply for a variance instead?
  18. Why not amend chapter 12 to allow greater FAR instead of using the Overlay?
  19. Why not focus the amendment on just the Mixed Use Classification set by the General Plan and the Mixed Use 2 development standards set by the IZO?
  20. Why not rezone the hotel project site to a Planned Unit Development (PUD)?
  21. Why is a zoning overlay being reviewed?
  22. What is a zoning overlay?

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Staff Contact Information

Greg Powell
Principal Planner
[email protected]

Isabel Castellano
Preservation Specialist
[email protected]

Planning Division
11 English Street
Petaluma, CA
94952

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