CP&DR

Petaluma Disbands Its Planning Department

Apr 27, 2009

Local Watch, Paul Shigley, Sonoma County, Vol. 24 No. 05 May 2009

In a budget-cutting move, the City of Petaluma is disbanding its Community Development Department. After slashing the department from 23 to 11 employees in September 2008, the City Council more recently voted 4-2 to lay off all remaining planners, including the community development director.

Court Defers To City On Water Study Methodology

Dec 19, 2008

Legal Digest, Paul Shigley, Sonoma County, Vol. 24 No. 01 Jan 2009, Water

Cities, counties and public water agencies have broad discretion over the way they conduct water supply assessments for development projects that rely on groundwater, the First District Court of Appeal has ruled.

New Grid, Old Tracks Aid Santa Rosa

Sep 5, 2008

Downtown planning, Morris Newman, Places, Sonoma County, Vol. 23 No. 09 Sep 2008

Stem-cell therapy and urban design have little in common, or so I thought, until I saw Dan Solomon's design for New Railroad Square in Santa Rosa. In the San Francisco architect's plan for the former rail yards in downtown Santa Rosa, the typical block from the older sections of Santa Rosa takes the role of the healthy cell. The imported block, with its small dimensions, helps weave the New Railroad Square project into the fabric of the historic downtown.

Map Recorded In 1915 Rejected; All Pre-1929 Maps In Question

Sep 4, 2008

CP&DR Staff, Legal Digest, Sonoma County, Subdivision Map Act, Vol. 23 No. 09 Sep 2008

The validity of a 1915 subdivision map has been rejected by the First District Court of Appeal in a decision that calls into question any subdivision recorded before 1929.

The court determined the 1915 map for a 25-lot subdivision in southern Sonoma County is not valid today because the county had very little discretion under the Subdivision Map Act in place at the time. The decision provides a significant victory to local governments concerned about an untold number of antiquated subdivision maps that do not conform to modern-day land use planning principles.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Accepts Alternative Plan For Protecting Endangered Species

Feb 1, 2006

Endangered Species Act, Environment Watch, Eric Kancler, Sonoma County, Vol. 21 No. 02 Feb 2006

A locally written plan to preserve habitat for the endangered Sonoma County tiger salamander has been accepted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in lieu of designating critical habitat.

Local Government Wins Old Map Fight

Mar 1, 2003

Featured Articles, Paul Shigley, Sonoma County, Subdivision Map Act, Vol. 18 No. 03 Mar 2003

In a landmark ruling, the state Supreme Court has made clear that maps recorded prior to 1893 do not create legal, developable lots for today's purposes. And the court at least hinted that maps recorded between 1893 and 1929 might not be valid unless a city or county somehow exercised discretion in approving the map.

Petaluma Marks 30 Years Of Growth Control

Apr 1, 2002

Initiatives and referendums, Local Watch, Paul Shigley, Sonoma County, Vol. 17 No. 04 Apr 2002

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the first voter-approved growth control initiative in California. In 1972, voters in the City of Petaluma — in Sonoma County, 40 miles north San Francisco — capped approval of new homes at 500 units per year, or about half the previous year's total. Growth has remained a hot issue in Petaluma, but today it lacks the urgency it had during the 1970s.