Petaluma to consider annexing land for Corona Road subdivision

Petaluma City Council members likely will hear from dozens of concerned residents Monday before determining whether to approve annexing land for a proposed 31-lot housing subdivision near a flood-prone creek.

A 10-acre subdivision fronting Corona Road has been in the city’s urban growth boundary since 1987 but is outside city limits. It would have to be annexed before the city could approve the project.

At previous Planning Commission meetings, more than two dozen residents raised concerns about various aspects of the project, including flooding, additional traffic and parking, and long-term maintenance of Corona Creek, which at times gets choked by vegetation.

A 1900-era house at 498 Corona Road is considered a local landmark and is to be preserved if the project goes through.

Planning Commissioners recommended approving the annexation and project, but had concerns that a lack of maintenance of the creek could thwart area-wide flood improvements the project intends to make with a nearby water detention basin.

The creek is in part managed by the city and partly by the Sonoma County Water Agency.

“Flooding or flood protection seem to be the primary concern that people are raising about it,” City Manager John Brown said. “Staff has said the project will alleviate flooding as opposed to making it worse.”

Some residents also expressed concerns about water damage from groundwater intrusion - water seeping up and into their floors - and that the additional building might worsen that.

City staff has also said the project won’t exacerbate that situation and that the retention basin may reduce problems.

The project proposes as many as 30 new single-family homes and preservation of the historic Victorian farmhouse.

The meeting begins at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 11 English St.

You can reach Lori A. Carter at 521-5470 or lori.carter@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @loriacarter.