Questions & Answers

As is typical in complex real estate transactions, KCPP found it necessary to engage in private negotiations with Davidon to hammer out the details of a legal purchase agreement. The concerns raised by hundreds of Petaluma residents were all brought to the table by KCPP’s representatives.

The various elements of the Putnam Park Extension Project component would be implemented in three phases:

• Phase 1 would last approximately three to four months and would include grading the upper parking lot and completing the construction of the lower parking lot and associated infiltration basin, two pedestrian bridges, temporary restroom, north segment of the loop trail with connection to Helen Putnam Regional Park and the barn center.
• Phase 2 would last approximately six to nine months and would include construction of the upper parking lot off Windsor Drive, permanent restroom, playground, group picnic area, trail along D Street and Windsor Drive to the barn center, internal bracing of the barns, ephemeral drainages restoration, pasture improvements, planting, and irrigation.
• Phase 3 would last approximately three to four months and would include completion of the south segment of the loop trail, installation of the third footbridge, and barn restoration.

Once the property is transferred to Sonoma County Regional Parks, the exact timing for implementation of the different phases of the Putnam Park extension project will depend on available funds and priorities of the Sonoma County Regional Parks District. KCPP plans to collaborate with Parks in pursuing grant funding to support the improvements described in our park plan. But that can occur only after the City approves the project and we have closed escrow on the 47 acres Davidon has agreed to sell to KCPP.

Earth Island Institute’s Kelly Creek Protection Project has raised $4.1 million now in escrow to purchase 47 acres of the Davidon land. Additional funds are expected to come from a $1 million matching grant from the Sonoma County Ag + Open Space District, freeing up that amount for development of trails, bridges, restrooms, and parking lots for public recreational access.

All donations we received before July 31, 2019 will support improvements required before the property can be transferred to Sonoma County Parks. Funds raised starting August 1, 2019 may be used to assist KCPP with administrative costs associated with securing approval for the project.

KCPP has already raised more than $1 million that can be used for development of key aspects of the park (such as trails, restrooms, and parking). KCPP will continue to seek public and private funds to restore and improve the wildlife habitat, the ranch buildings, and the public experience. Once the land is donated to the Sonoma County Regional Parks District, Parks will maintain and operate the park.

Yes, the trails north and south of Kelly Creek will be multipurpose trails that will allow hikers, bikers, and equestrians.

The community effectively challenged the 2017 EIR because that document had failed to give serious consideration to the “environmentally superior alternative” of a 28-home residential plan. The City Council heard those concerns and specifically requested that a revised EIR focus on a 28-home plan. In response, the Scott Ranch plan provides the public with a far superior, limited 28-home alternative footprint, building on only six acres of the 58-acre ranch.

The residential portion of the project will have an HOA, which will be responsible for maintaining the five acres of open space around the houses as well as the larger infiltration basin. The HOA will not be financially responsible for maintaining the 47-acre park portion of the property, which will be owned and managed by Sonoma County Regional Parks.

Davidon Homes owns Scott Ranch and by current zoning designation is allowed to build at least 28 homes there under the City’s General Plan. Landowners cannot be forced to give their property away even if they can’t subdivide and develop it. Refusing Davidon some reasonable economic use of its land could expose the City to a potential “unconstitutional takings” lawsuit.

If Davidon does not receive approval for its 28-home proposal, it has no obligation to sell the 47 acres to KCPP. Davidon would be free to reapply to the City to build more than 28 homes or to sell the property to another developer with no restrictions on the property. See this guest editorial published by the Argus Courier for further perspective on what could happen if the combined Putnam Park Extension/Limited 28-Home project is not approved.

This proposal represents the culmination of over 15 years of substantial community discussion about the ultimate best practical use of the old 58-acre Scott Ranch since Davidon Homes purchased it in 2003 for $7.8 million. Kelly Creek Protection Project (KCPP) entered negotiations with Davidon in 2017. KCPP’s position in these negotiations was fully informed by the range of public concerns raised in 2017 during the Planning Commission and City Council hearings as well as those expressed in hundreds of written comments regarding Davidon’s initial massive residential plans going back to 2013 and earlier. At all times during the negotiations, KCPP kept front and center the very valuable community perspectives on the importance of protecting this beautiful and historic ranch land.

The $4.1 million purchase agreement – to acquire more than three-quarters of the 58-acre ranch for half the price Davidon paid for the entire property in 2003 – will protect the most environmentally sensitive areas and make the land accessible as a public park. The final version of Davidon’s housing plan was also further refined after the community, Planning Commission, and City Council provided feedback during the hearings for the RDEIR for the project.

The proposed limited 28-home residential plan is attractively spread out with natural landscaping across 6.4 acres of the property, plus nearly five additional acres of open space within the housing development envelope.

The housing development will feature multiple environmentally sustainable features, such as solar panels, electric car charging stations in every home, and all-electric power sources. These homes will be built with fire resistant materials. All the homes will now be located well to the north of Kelly Creek.

The plan before the Council leaves the red barns and pastureland undisturbed. Davidon has also committed to constructing infiltration basins that will capture and clean the stormwater flowing from the new homes and existing roads before it enters Kelly Creek and runs through downstream properties.

Additional benefits provided by Davidon in the current proposal include water and sewer utilities to the new park extension, grading parking lots and trails, and adding sidewalks including along Windsor Drive and D Street. Davidon will also construct a roundabout at Windsor Drive and D Street that will greatly enhance public safety and access to the park while reducing the speed of traffic along D Street.

Grazing cows reduce fire risk by reducing flammable grasses. They also prevent degradation of habitat by foraging on exotic nonnative grasses. Cows currently graze on Scott Ranch; with implementation of the project they will likely continue to graze but will be kept away from the areas near the creek and stock pond to prevent erosion and harm to native species. Biological studies have found that the grazing of cows is compatible with—and beneficial for—the conservation of red legged frogs.

This property contains some of the best habitat for the threatened California red-legged frog in the region. By protecting Kelly Creek and the land surrounding it, this habitat is preserved – providing an irreplaceable haven for this species and others that rely on a healthy riparian and aquatic environment.

The City’s RDEIR found that the Scott Ranch project will result in a significant transportation impact because of the vehicle miles travelled (VMT) by project residents. To avoid a significant VMT impact, per capita VMT for project residents must be at least 15% below the City’s average VMT for existing residents. Because of its location, the Scott Ranch project cannot meet this threshold. Indeed, unless located downtown, most future residential projects will also exceed this standard.

The City is working to develop a program of measures to reduce VMT that new development can help fund. But because such a program is not yet in place, the RDEIR concluded the project’s VMT impact would be unavoidable, even though Davidon will contribute its fair share to measures that are later developed as part of the City’s program. Davidon is not satisfied with this conclusion and is working with the City to identify specific projects or programs Davidon can fund to reduce vehicle miles travelled citywide, with the goal of actually reducing the project’s identified VMT impact to an insignificant level.

It is important to remember that VMT reduction is just one of the tools the state has identified to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and that the RDEIR’s analysis shows the Scott Ranch project would not cause a significant GHG impact. The Scott Ranch project incorporates many measures to fight climate change and achieve the goals of the City’s Climate Emergency Framework. The project’s permanent dedication of 47 acres of public open space (and nearly five acres of private open space) land including wetlands, tributaries, critical habitat, and mature trees will also further the City’s climate action goals by sequestering carbon in perpetuity. The project’s post-development storm drainage system includes detention and infiltration basins and vegetated swales within the park boundary to capture, treat, and slow stormwater runoff before discharge into Kelly Creek, thus providing a nature-based stormwater management system that will contribute to ecosystem health and climate change resiliency. Furthermore, the combination of sidewalk connections down D Street, safe crosswalks, and the park entrance at the red barns will enable more Petaluma residents to access Putnam Park by foot or bicycle rather than driving. Likewise, the location of new Putnam Park parking lots closer to town will lessen the distances driven by many visitors by one-half to two miles, reducing carbon emissions. And the residential project itself will go beyond stringent state and city carbon-reduction standards by providing EV charging at every residence and by planting far more trees (approximately 159) than the City’s tree ordinance would require.