PETALUMA

A FORM-BASED CODE

The city's specific plan was adopted in 2003. It encourages smart growth by allowing
mixed-use buildings, doubling residential densities from 30 to 60 units per
acre, requiring only one parking space per home, and improving roads and
sidewalks. It draws from the SmartCode, a copyrighted form-based development
code (see Establish Urban Design Guidelines, p. 40), that aims to create
pedestrian-oriented neighborhoods and pleasant community gathering spaces.
Petaluma was one of the first cities in the country to use this code.

In the plan area, several projects have been built. One, a movie theater, was the
brainchild of a group of teenage girls who wanted a theater they could walk to; they
campaigned for it for years, and finally won. In addition to the theater, which
opened in 2005, an old auto showroom and garage were transformed into
housing, shops and restaurants, and office space. Near the theater and right next
to the Petaluma River, Eden Housing’s Downtown River Apartments also
opened in 2005, offering 81 affordable apartments above retail.

Meeting the Housing Need
Petaluma’s focus on planning well for growth has enabled it to do an exemplary
job of providing homes for new residents. The city awarded permits to more than
its fair share of housing in every income category between 1999 and 2006—an accomplishment few cities match. The city’s success in affordable housing comes from a jobs-housing linkage fee and an inclusionary housing program that requires developers to make 15% of homes affordable or pay an in-lieu fee. While many cities’ in-lieu fees are too low to fully fund construction, Petaluma has leveraged these fees to build more homes than the 15% that would have been created. Affordable homes enable downtown workers to live nearby.

Petaluma’s new 2008 general plan continues these efforts by accommodating
the next two decades’ growth within the city’s urban growth boundary.

Petaluma’s thoughtful planning is helping this historic city make the most of its
past and its scenic natural setting while it continues to change and grow.