Save the Petaluma River and Wetlands

[wisewomn]

I hope you all will support this effort to rein in developers in Petaluma, who have been running amok for several years now. Please donate whatever you can and forward this to as many of your contacts as possible.

Sebastopol could be next, once all the towns along the 101 corridor have been made unlivable and overcrowded.

Thanks so much.

Barbara


Urgent: Stop City from Gutting and Paving Over Petaluma River & Wetlands

North Petaluma River Legal Fund

We Need Your Help! We have ONLY 14 MORE DAYS (March 2) to file a Lawsuit to stop a key virgin stretch of the North Petaluma River from being gutted and its wetlands paved over, destroying wildlife habitat, vegetation, carbon sequestration, and increasing flood risk to Midtown and Downtown Petaluma.

Contribute here →https://www.gofundme.com/f/save-our-petaluma-wetlands-legal-fund

On Feb 3, the Petaluma City Council rejected the advice of our Planning Commission, and overturned long-standing protections on Petaluma's River ecosystem and wetlands North of the Payran Flood Wall and Dam. They greenlighted the first development in this area where the Army Corps of Engineers said DO NOT BUILD because the flood protections will be compromised. The River will be destroyed, carved out into a wide trench, with vegetation stripped, and wildlife displaced.

48892Why this lawsuit is important… this is a “GATEWAY” development!


We need housing, but this project sets a precedent for continuing development northward, gutting the river and paving over wetlands all along the way. A second river-front development is already being pushed by City Council.
Wetlands are EARTH’S BEST climate change fighter, sequestering carbon.
Sonoma County is #1 of ANY COUNTY west of the Rockies in flood losses -- over $5 Billion BECAUSE we build where we shouldn’t.


Why this lawsuit is strong… legal case is IN PLACE and READY TO EXECUTE.


Over the past year, Citizens laid the ground work against this gateway development. Volumes of attorney, government agency, and expert-cited EIR illegalities and inadequacies now serve as evidence: Environmental, Air Quality, Water Quality, Hydrology, Fish & Wildlife, Traffic, Emergency Evacuation, Land Use, Wetland Ecology, Government Compliance; Numerous legal and environmental experts (from USACE, USFWS, RWQCB, Marin & Sonoma Audubon Societies, Marin County Floodplain Management, etc.) say this is the wrong place to develop.
Believe it or not, only a lawsuit guarantees EIR legal compliance in Petaluma.


Please consider giving $50-$100 to support this fight. Any amount is appreciated. 100% of contributions will be used for legal fees per a generously discounted rate from our top environmental law firm (lozeaudrury.com (https://lozeaudrury.com/)).

North Petaluma River Legal Fund
[email protected]
Facebook: Save North Petaluma River
NextDoor Group: “Payran Traffic and Flood Concern”


Drone video of the Wetlands: https://vimeo.com/388411691
Attorney and expert-cited EIR inadequacies (links at end of document, starting at “5B”) (https://petaluma.granicus.com/GeneratedAgendaViewer.php?view_id=31&clip_id=2890)
Sid Commons project details (https://cityofpetaluma.org/sid-commons/)
Press Democrat coverage (https://www.petaluma360.com/news/10670957-181/petaluma-approves-controversial-sid-commons?sba=AAS)
(http://theraucousrooster.com/2016/10/03/healy-miller-kearney-campaigns-heavily-funded-basin-st-associates/)Healy, Kearney & Miller developer campaign contribution analysis (http://theraucousrooster.com/2016/10/03/healy-miller-kearney-campaigns-heavily-funded-basin-st-associates/)

[geomancer]

The concept plan shows a substantial setback from the river, which is depicted as a vegetated corridor.

Where does the EIR say that the river will be carved into a wide trench?

Sid Commons Apartment Project – Concept Plan (Revised 1.8.20) (https://cityofpetaluma.org/documents/sid-commons-apartment-project-concept-plan-revised-1-8-20/)


I hope you all will support this effort to rein in developers in Petaluma, who have been running amok for several years now. Please donate whatever you can and forward this to as many of your contacts as possible.

Sebastopol could be next, once all the towns along the 101 corridor have been made unlivable and overcrowded.

Thanks so much.

Barbara


Urgent: Stop City from Gutting and Paving Over Petaluma River & Wetlands

North Petaluma River Legal Fund

We Need Your Help! We have ONLY 14 MORE DAYS (March 2) to file a Lawsuit to stop a key virgin stretch of the North Petaluma River from being gutted and its wetlands paved over, destroying wildlife habitat, vegetation, carbon sequestration, and increasing flood risk to Midtown and Downtown Petaluma.

Contribute here →https://www.gofundme.com/f/save-our-petaluma-wetlands-legal-fund

On Feb 3, the Petaluma City Council rejected the advice of our Planning Commission, and overturned long-standing protections on Petaluma's River ecosystem and wetlands North of the Payran Flood Wall and Dam. They greenlighted the first development in this area where the Army Corps of Engineers said DO NOT BUILD because the flood protections will be compromised. The River will be destroyed, carved out into a wide trench, with vegetation stripped, and wildlife displaced....

[wisewomn]

I have been attempting to post further response to the questions raised here but have not the technical expertise to do so. I will do so as soon ans I can figure it out.

The concept plan shows a substantial setback from the river, which is depicted as a vegetated corridor.

Where does the EIR say that the river will be carved into a wide trench?

Sid Commons Apartment Project – Concept Plan (Revised 1.8.20) (https://cityofpetaluma.org/documents/sid-commons-apartment-project-concept-plan-revised-1-8-20/)

[wisewomn]

Geo, I got this response from Kallie Kull, one of the leaders of the resistance to this project:

"The project description from the Final EIR describes the terraced grading that will be done to turn the natural channel into a flood control channel.

"In the Draft EIR the description of the terracing is more detailed with 21,000+ CY of fill being removed from the river and ~6,670 Cubic Yards being used as fill on which to place the apartment bldgs... some are to be placed on 6 ft. of fill. A last century idea! Bulldozing creeks to fill wetlands for 80's style sprawling apartment complexes."

If you'd like to PM me, I can forward to you her e, in which she quotes the relevant passages but which I can't seem to transfer to wacco.

I hope this answers your question.



The concept plan shows a substantial setback from the river, which is depicted as a vegetated corridor.

Where does the EIR say that the river will be carved into a wide trench?

Sid Commons Apartment Project – Concept Plan (Revised 1.8.20) (https://cityofpetaluma.org/documents/sid-commons-apartment-project-concept-plan-revised-1-8-20/)