The Draft Land Use Policy Framework is one of the fourteen Policy Frameworks that outlines the proposed General Plan goals, policies, and suggests actions for each topic that will be addressed in the General Plan.
The land use framework defines how and where the city will evolve over the next 20 years including where we live, work, shop and play. It includes strategies that:
Expand open space and access to the Petaluma River
Reimagining a land use pattern that prioritizes active transportation – people walking, biking and using public transportation
Support new and innovative housing types within city limits and near transit hubs
Enhance existing neighborhoods by increasing access to daily needs
Revitalize commercial corridors
Accommodate Petaluma’s growing and ever-changing needs for high quality housing that is affordable, a thriving local economy and places for community gathering
Preserve Petaluma’s historic, agricultural, river-oriented identity
Click here to learn more about the Land Use Framework.
Haga clic aquí para ver las políticas en español.
The Draft General Plan Policy Frameworks were created through an extensive process using the Vision, Pillars, and Guiding Principles developed by the General Plan Advisory Committee, analysis of the existing conditions, existing plans, and the needs of the community. The General Plan Team identified the need for 14 Policy Frameworks, which can be viewed by clicking on the links in the sections below. These polices, pulled together into topic-based “Policy Frameworks”, are detailed documents that cover much of what it means to be a City – from shorter-term facilities maintenance and infrastructure needs to long-term planning for things like future climate risks, business development, and historic preservation.
The Policy Frameworks for the General Plan Update were released on March 21, 2024 and April 23, 2024. They have undergone review by the City’s Committee’s Commissions, and Board meetings in May, June, and will wrap up in July. Public feedback on the proposed plan policies has been received at the City’s General Plan Fest on May 11, 2024 and through the online public feedback portal through June 30, 2024. Staff are now reviewing feedback and will be working on revised policies that will be released in the Draft General Plan Elements. The Land Use Policy Framework is now available!
Petaluma has a strong creative community and would like to expand access to art and creative industries for everyone. The Arts, Culture, and Creativity framework lays out plans to do this by strengthening our city’s arts and culture programs, helping creative businesses thrive, and increasing the presence and visibility of artists in city projects and processes.
Read the Draft Arts, Culture, and Creativity Framework.
Petaluma wants its economy to provide opportunities for all community members to support themselves and reach their financial goals. Our city is also prioritizing having the funds needed to provide the services and infrastructure our community desires. This framework helps fulfill these aims by finding ways to make space for a variety of industries, attracting visitors, and providing transportation options.
Located along the Petaluma River, the city experiences the tidal flows that come from the Pacific Ocean via San Francisco Bay and San Pablo Bay. As the climate continues to change, the sea level is expected to rise. Between 2022 and 2023, the City undertook an in-depth study of the future flooding considerations related to flooding from future storms and from sea level rise. The project generated maps showing the potential flooding that might occur as a result of future sea level rise and reflect updated knowledge about areas where the city may experience flooding. The Flood Resilience Framework will be available later in Spring 2024 and will include goals and policies that will address the preservation of existing infrastructure and development and that will create a pathway to ensure Petaluma is prepared for the future.
A plan to implement the final General Plan 2045 document and ensure that its policies and plans inform our actions over the next 20 years. This framework looks at how we continue to inform and engage the community in the work of our city government by encouraging direct participation in our decision-making processes and making our work more accessible across language barriers. We will strengthen our approach by finding new ways to improve communications, transparency, and accountability. Additionally, it outlines ways to strengthen our collaborations with local community groups, improve our technologies, and expand digital access to city resources.
Read the Draft Governance and Implementation Policy Framework.
This Framework is designed to ensure that all Petaluma’s community members can live healthy lives. It does so by aiming to meet state requirements on six specific topic areas, like reducing pollution exposure, increasing food access, and promoting physical activity, safe and sanitary homes, and public/community engagement.
Across all six topic areas, the Framework prioritizes improvements and programs that help some of our most vulnerable community members in particular access these fundamental needs. This framework also works to highlight public health in policy making.
Read the Draft Health, Equity, & Environmental Justice Policy Framework.
Petaluma is a community that acknowledges and values its history. This framework seeks to encourage the preservation and investment in our historic buildings, districts, and natural environments (like our Petaluma River) that create a distinct sense of place for residents and visitors to Petaluma. At the same time, the framework looks at sustainable ways to promote economic development for Petaluma’s future. The framework also advances collaboration with local Tribal Nations and public education to protect cultural resources and celebrate Petaluma’s heritage with residents and visitors.
This Framework creates policies for our city infrastructure systems including water, waste, energy, decarbonization, and communications. These topics are critical to Petaluma residents’ quality of life and will require improvements as the city grows and adapts to climate change. Additionally, State and regional mandates for water conservation, waste diversion, and decarbonization are addressed in this framework.
Read the Draft Infrastructure & Utilities Policy Framework.
The Public Draft Land Use Policy Framework will guide the long-term physical development and growth of the City, while addressing the urban growth boundary and the future design and development of the community. It includes strategies that: expand open space and access to the Petaluma River, facilitate growth within city limits and near transit hubs, create complete neighborhoods where residents can meet their daily needs, revitalize commercial corridors, change the amount and type of housing, shopping, and work space allowed in some areas, and preserve Petaluma’s historic, agricultural, river-oriented identity.
Like the Parks Framework above, the Natural Environment Framework creates policies to preserve our land and waterways and create long-term climate resilience. But where the Parks Framework is rooted in our community’s ability to enjoy our landscape and outdoor spaces, the Natural Environment Framework creates policies to protect them. From flood management to soil erosion, stormwater runoff to watershed conservation, this Framework aims to ensure that Petaluma maintains open spaces and remains climate resilient into the future through careful stewardship of our natural resources.
Petaluma is a vibrant community, busy with activity. This framework, which is required by the State of California, evaluates our city’s current noise conditions and presents a plan to keep our noise exposure to safe and acceptable levels. We review car, airport, public transportation, industrial, and business noise, and then review the tools in our city's toolbox to help us reduce it. Tools include updates to our Municipal code and zoning rules, thoughtful design practices, nature-based strategies, and sound mitigation. Smart practices will help us decrease noise exposure and vibrations.
The Parks Policy Framework is rooted in our community’s connection to the land: from our agricultural heritage to the river at the heart of our city, from our historic downtown to our open space preserves. It creates a foundation for an expanded, well-maintained, and amenity-rich system of parks, open spaces, and recreational facilities for the benefit of existing and future residents. The framework also identifies strategies that will create a more equitable, sustainable, and resilient parks, open space, urban forest, and recreational facilities network that will result in a healthier, more socially connected population.
A plan to guide maintaining and enhancing Petaluma’s community-serving public facilities, including police and fire stations, the Petaluma Municipal Airport, the Petaluma Marina, the Petaluma fairgrounds property, and other City-owned properties used for City operations and community programming. This framework looks at ways to make our city’s facilities more accessible to the public and more adaptable for a range of needs. It also proposes a plan to ensure our facilities are well-maintained and energy efficient to help us reach our climate goals and reduce costs over time.
A framework with policies and actions aimed at keeping Petalumans safe by preparing for emergencies, planning for the impacts of climate change, and improving or maintaining our infrastructure. The policies include long-range plans for a variety of common local hazards. They also include plans to improve our public safety facilities and increase our emergency response staff to ensure we can meet our community’s needs now and into the future. By viewing these policies through an Environmental Justice lens, we look to ensure that everyone in Petaluma has an equal opportunity to protect themselves and their families from hazards and climate change.
A framework that offers policies and activities to make getting around the city better and safer for everyone, whether they are walking, biking, using public transit, or driving a car. We do this by planning for road improvements like pavement restoration and bike lane enhancements. Petaluma is looking at how residential areas connect to businesses and whether those connections can be improved. This plan links to the Blueprint for Carbon Neutrality by looking at ways to encourage green travel throughout Petaluma.
On November 4, 2024, the City Council adopted the Blueprint for Climate Action. The Blueprint serves as the City’s Climate Action Plan and provides a roadmap for how the City can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and work towards carbon neutrality by 2030.
Learn more about the Blueprint and how it was developed here.
The City of Petaluma is currently updating its General Plan, a plan that will guide the future development and management of the City for the next 20 years. As part of this work, the City has been taking a hard look at flood risks in the community.
The Housing Element is Petaluma’s Plan to facilitate the creation of needed housing and increase housing equity over the next 8 years. Since 2020, the City of Petaluma has been engaging the community to develop this policy document required by the State of California and on March 20, 2023 the City Council adopted the 2023-2031 Housing Element. The Housing Element was certified by the State of California in May 2023.
Strategic Economics examined barriers to development of market rate higher-density housing development in Petaluma by analyzing the financial feasibility of four housing development “prototypes.” The analysis examined 1) whether these types of development products are currently feasible in Petaluma, 2) the major factors driving costs and revenues for each prototype, and 3) how potential City policies can enhance the feasibility of the prototypes. The City of Petaluma commissioned this study as part of its General Plan update process to inform decisions regarding City policies that impact housing development.
Strategic Economics identified barriers and opportunities for development of new affordable housing in Petaluma based on analysis of affordable housing pro forma financial statements, developer interviews, and concurrent housing studies in Petaluma. This analysis considered housing production trends, financial opportunities and barriers for affordable housing projects, and the ways in which Petaluma’s regulatory, permitting, and approval processes impact new housing production. The City of Petaluma commissioned this study as part of its General Plan update process to inform City staff and decision makers’ considerations of policies impacting affordable housing production.
In August 2022, The City of Petaluma received a group of leading design professionals specializing in architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, sustainability, and equity from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Sustainable Design Assistance Team (SDAT). This team of experts shared their vision of Petaluma based on research on existing conditions, tours of our city, discussions with stakeholders, and a community meeting. Their proposals related to how to make the “15 Minute City” a realty in Petaluma provide inspiration and food for thought for the GPAC and other community members to consider.
Take a look at the presentation and watch the recording of the presentation and their discussion.
The Sustainable Design Assessment Team (SDAT) is a community design program run by the American Institute of America since 1967. The program is grounded in key tenets that each community represents a unique place that is the product of its own history, tradition, and evolution, that successful community strategies require whole-system, integrated analyses and working together for the common good, and that Community development requires collective public work that encourages civic leadership, empowers resident partnership, and strives to build a platform for cross-sector collaboration.
To this end, the primary goals of the SDAT program include:
Use citizen-driven community involvement in development processes, providing a new way of working together.
Identify the community’s values and vision for the future.
Focus on a particular project, listening to the community’s concerns and ideas.
Develop a strategy and set of actions to realize that vision.
Relate concepts to current practices and priorities of the community.
Render Image of a re-imagined streetscape in Petaluma produced as part of the SDAT. Please note that this is not a proposal of the General Plan Update.
On February 17, 2022, the GPAC voted unanimously to recommend that the City Council accept these Vision materials (Attachment A) as the guidance for the ongoing General Plan Update planning process and the City Council accepted them on March 21, 2022. The Vision Statement, Pillars, Guiding Principles, and Supporting Concepts reflect community engagement input that occurred during the Visioning Phase of the General Plan Update, including Pop-Ups, a Citywide Vision Workshop, Quadrant meetings, Latinx engagement, and a Youth Survey.
The principal outputs of the Visioning Phase of the General Plan Update (GPU) are a Vision Statement, Pillars, and Guiding Principles and Supporting Concepts.
The Vision Statement describes the desired future conditions and characteristics of the city.
The Pillars are the core community values
The Guiding Principles and Supporting Concepts provide the broad direction and pathways to achieve the vision and honor community values, with a focus on the community’s specific challenges and opportunities.
Together, the Vision Statement, Pillars, Guiding Principles, and Supporting Concepts provide the foundation for developing land use alternatives and policy framework during the subsequent stages in the General Plan Update.
The Existing Conditions Reports for Petaluma’s General Plan Update serve as the technical analysis of diverse dimensions of the city’s current state in 2021. They provide a detailed analysis of current conditions in the city to provide a strong, data-based foundation for further policy-making. This work adds additional data points to the community-based visioning efforts to identify key priorities and areas of concern to address in the General Plan. These 19 reports will be available to all members of the community to access and become more informed on key issues.
The extensive feedback received from City Council, committees and commissions, and the general public from October 2021 to January 2022 informed updates and changes to several of the ExistingConditions Reports. Suggestions and proposed actions shared throughout the engagement process did not altern the reports, but it continues to inform the planning process for 2022 and 2023.
Last updated: September 2022
Review the following slide deck for highlights from all 19 individual Existing Conditions Reports.
The following documents provide an overview of engagement made throughout 2020 - 2022, as well as specific engagement reports completed near the end of 2021 and in 2022.
In September of 2020, Petaluma hosted an Urban Land Institute Technical Advisory Committee (TAP) focused on the future of housing in our city. The report summarizing the TAP's recommendations is complete and available for your review.
The TAP worked to address the following questions:
1. Considering the wide variety of potential housing sites the city has identified, the TAP will focus on the most promising typologies and use those key examples for illustration of its recommendations. Which raw land and redevelopment sites should be considered? Which opportunities for mixed-use development would the panel identify?
2. Based on the findings of Question 1, what financial, zoning, and policy incentives can Petaluma offer to encourage more dense development with affordable housing, especially near transit nodes and particularly as allowed by the Downtown SmartCode, or a similar code that could be adopted near the Corona Road station?
3. What are some ways the city might assure mitigation of negative impacts in the floodplain, particularly in already developed areas? Might some of that mitigation be provided by the design of sustainable structures with positive benefits?
The TAP report provides recommendations on development in the Downtown, East Washington, and Corona Road areas of the city, as well as citywide approaches to ensuring housing feasibility and encouraging the best possible projects for Petaluma.
Visit the many maps that have helped inform the General Plan process on our Maps Page!
