City still talking with Friedman’s hardware

<p>City Manager John Brown met with a Friedman’s Home Improvement representative last week about the hardware company’s desire to build a store in Petaluma and says the city wants to find a way to make that happen.</p><!-- Nothing to do. The paragraph has already been output --><p>The company, which began in Petaluma 63 years ago, wants to return and recently proposed a store and lumber yard as part of a mixed-use project on Hopper Street.</p><p>However, the length of time to shut down the city’s soon-to-be-replaced sewer plant and add the property to the project site, along with other factors, conflicted with developer Basin Street Properties’ proposal to open the store by October of next year.</p><p>But the company and city are continuing to talk about building a Petaluma store, Brown said.</p><p>“Petaluma remains interested in Friedman’s,” he said. “We’re engaged in trying to get them to town.”</p><p>— Argus-Courier</p>