Petaluma River Park group lands $1.4 million grant from the California State Coastal Conservancy

The multi-year grant will support the community engagement, park design, and environmental compliance work critical to the next phase of the Petaluma River Park’s development.

Petaluma, CA – December 5, 2022 – The California State Coastal Conservancy’s (SCC) board of directors has unanimously voted to approve a request for funding from the Petaluma-based non-profit organization, Petaluma River Park Foundation (PRPF). The grant authorizes up to $1,395,800 to the Foundation for community engagement, park design development, and environmental review. The funding will support the lion’s share of the planning and design of the Petaluma River Park—a new 24-acre waterfront, public park in Sonoma County—and represents a significant investment in an inclusive development process that will involve the broader Petaluma community in the Park’s creation.

"This is a huge accomplishment for the River Park and very exciting news for Petaluma, Sonoma County, and beyond,” states Jorge Servin, PRPF board member. “This grant will assist in funding our plan to work closely with the public over the next couple of years to design the community park that truly reflects the needs and dreams of all of our community members.”

PRPF was founded in 2019 with the sole purpose of developing Petaluma’s centrally located riverfront McNear Peninsula into a public park that connects people, art, and nature. PRPF acquired the park property in November of 2020 exclusively with private funds contributed from over 400 community members.

The grant is the first state funding for the project and builds on a matching grant awarded to PRPF by the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation & Open Space District in 2021. “We're thrilled to have the state's support of this project and look forward to a long-term partnership with the Coastal Conservancy as we move through planning and design and get ready for construction," says PRPF Executive Director Seair Lorentz.

“Petaluma River Park is a tremendous opportunity to add a major park in the city’s center, and it will be designed from the ground up with input and engagement from the surrounding communities”

— MOIRA MCENESPY, SAN FRANCISCO BAY PROGRAM MANAGER AT THE STATE COASTAL CONSERVANCY.

The SCC grant covers three years and supports several major pieces of planning, including, a Vision and Concept Plan for both habitat restoration and public access of the property; an Equitable Development Plan (EDP) that considers community needs in how the River Park is built and how it will be operated; a schematic site-plan; specific park component designs; permit applications; and environmental review documents in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act. Community engagement work will begin early in 2023 with the goal of confirming a final concept and site plan by the end of 2024 and permitting by the end of 2025. Restoration and construction on the River Park property are expected to begin in 2025.

“While this funding is extremely significant, it does not represent the full cost of getting the park to shovels-in-the-ground,” states Lorentz. “The grant funds much—but not all—of the long-term planning work for the final park design, and meanwhile we are operating a privately-owned public park now. Petaluma River Park is currently open every day. So, the community's support is just as important as ever.”

Building on a decades-old vision for Petaluma that’s ready for the future

The Petaluma River Park project builds on ongoing visioning, planning, and civic efforts to restore and improve access to the Petaluma River since the 1990s. Several of these ongoing initiatives in the Petaluma Watershed have received significant SCC investments in the past, including such projects as Shollenberger Park, Ellis Creek, and the newly-opened Floathouse: Boat Rental Center.

“The Coastal Conservancy is deeply committed to equitable access to parks and open spaces and has a long history of supporting public access to the Petaluma River including trails, footpaths, and ecological restoration along this ‘green ribbon,’” states Moira McEnespy, San Francisco Bay Program Manager at the State Coastal Conservancy.

With SCC support, the City of Petaluma developed and adopted a River Enhancement Plan back in 1996. The 300-page document outlines a detailed, grand, and inspiring vision for a city-wide system of riverfront trails and public parks. Today, these visionary plans are getting renewed attention as the City and world prepare for sea-level rise and the impacts of climate change.

“The City of Petaluma is thrilled to have a non-profit take the helm of the River Park project, bringing their energy and community focus to the realization of a 26-year-old City plan for a riverfront park,” says Peggy Flynn, city manager of Petaluma.

“The proposed public access, art programming, and habitat improvements on the River Park property will create an important cultural and recreational, river-oriented asset that fulfills a major component of the City's River Plan and matches the priorities of Petaluma residents. The timing is truly perfect for this Park’s creation as several complementary river access and restoration initiatives are currently underway,” states Flynn.

“What is truly exciting about this project, and this grant, is how it’s part of a larger vision to restore habitat along the Petaluma River and to create world-class, public river access for our greater community,” says PRPF Executive Director Seair Lorentz. “It’s exactly the kind of investment in centrally located, climate-smart, public open space that we need to create a livable, resilient, and climate-ready future Petaluma.”

Centering equity and building a park for all

A noteworthy piece of the work plan funded by the SCC grant is a robust suite of community engagement initiatives and activities. The SCC funds will, in part, support the hiring of a community engagement manager for PRPF and a two-year-long process through which PRPF will collaborate with the community to conceptualize the River Park’s final amenities and site plan.         

“Petaluma River Park is a tremendous opportunity to add a major park in the city’s center, and it will be designed from the ground up with input and engagement from the surrounding communities,” notes McEnespy.

Specifically, the grant supports the development of an Equitable Development Plan which will examine the potential impacts of a park development of this scale on surrounding neighborhoods. Investment in early planning to mitigate unintended community displacement around park developments is a rising trend in the field as park builders have come to realize that many large-scale park projects often lead to inflated property values and thus the displacement of the communities these projects were originally intended to serve.

“The initial phases of this project include community visioning and an Equitable Development Plan (EDP) to ensure equitable benefits from park-related development for Petaluma residents.  The EDP will specifically lay out economic benefits and create strategies to mitigate potential unintended effects such as economic, cultural, and physical displacement,” states McEnespy. “The Conservancy is wholly supportive of this level of meaningful community engagement.”

MEDIA CONTACT: Seair Lorentz s.lorentz at petalumariverpark.org | 415.300.7358

“The proposed public access, art programming, and habitat improvements on the River Park property will create an important cultural and recreational, river-oriented asset that fulfills a major component of the City’s River Plan and matches the priorities of Petaluma residents. The timing is truly perfect for this Park’s creation as several complementary river access and restoration initiatives are currently underway,”

— PEGGY FLYNN, CITY MANAGER OF PETALUMA.