Petaluma council postpones decision on housing development

Issues of annexation and flood-control tripped up the Petaluma City Council Monday night, postponing a decision on a controversial housing development.

After a three-hour discussion and public comment, the council pushed off any decision until at least late March.

At issue is a 10-acre piece of land off Corona Road on which a developer proposes 30 new houses and preservation of an existing 1900-era home.

Neighbors are worried about flooding and traffic in their adjacent subdivision, which they believed was to be kept semi-rural on the edge of Petaluma.

The Corona Road property is outside city limits but within the city’s urban growth boundary.

It would have to be annexed into the city for the project to be approved.

That issue also requires approval from LAFCO, the local agency formation commission, which regulates land-use issues between jurisdictions.