The need for rental housing in Petaluma trumped worries of traffic and higher density units, clearing the path for a high-end apartment complex that won tentative approval from a skeptical Petaluma City Council.
In a hearing Monday night that lasted until nearly midnight, several neighbors urged the council to force developers to reduce the density of the project, which is planned for 144 apartments in six three-story buildings on Maria Drive behind Safeway off South McDowell Boulevard.
Ultimately, the council decided that the project fills a desperate need in Petaluma for rental units for young professionals. More than 98 percent of apartments in the city are occupied.
In a straw vote, five of the seven council members said they supported the project proposed by JDA West of San Francisco on a six-acre half-empty medical office complex.
In October, Mayor David Glass and council members Mike Healy, Chris Albertson and Teresa Barrett expressed concerns with the project's density and design. They advised developers they'd need to make changes for their project to win approval.
Developers returned Monday with new Craftsman architecture, lower rooflines, increased privacy, more trees, less water use, better amenities and a clarified traffic report. They didn't reduce the density, saying it wasn't financially feasible to build anything fewer than 144 units.
Several neighbors argued that the higher density was inconsistent with their single-family homes, and they didn't believe the studies that showed the project would make only a tiny difference to traffic patterns.
"What they decided to do was sacrifice this area so they could lower the overall vacancy rate in town," said Kathleen Garvey, who argued for a smaller project. "In the absence of that, they would have said this wasn't a smart place to put high density."
Developers argued that they made significant changes that answered almost all of the council's concerns, and that the project will "lock in" lower traffic rates and lower density that what could have occurred on the site.
"I hear from people every day that there is not enough rental housing in our community," Councilwoman Kathy Miller said. "I hear from people who grew up here and either are living with their parents or living in Santa Rosa and commuting.
"It satisfies a real need in the community. It's a lot less dense than would be allowed under the current general plan," she said.
Even Barrett and Glass, who didn't support the project, commended developers for making revisions to the plans. But it wasn't enough for either of them to overcome the density concerns.
"Instead of decreasing the density, you defined your way into 'This is not as dense as it could be,'" Barrett said.
The project will return to the council on Feb. 3 for formal votes on the zoning changes requested. It will return later to the Planning Commission for final architectural review.
You can reach Staff Writer Lori A. Carter at 762-7297 or lori.carter@pressdemocrat.com.
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