Preserving the beauty of open space was on the minds of those responding to a Petaluma Argus-Courier online poll Oct. 22, 2009 regarding the 25 acres of commercial land owned by the Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians, south of Petaluma.
When asked what they would like to see on that 25 acres of land, 40 percent of survey respondents said, “nothing,” while 18.6 percent said “youth sports fields.”
Survey respondents were also asked if they thought Petaluma should provide water and sewer services for development on the property: 40 percent said no, 32.5 percent said yes and 28 percent were not sure.
Here are some of the comments of those who responded to the survey:
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“The city can’t find the money to build new sports fields next to the airport, so let the Pomo tribe build soccer, lacrosse, baseball and softball fields on this site. If the tribe agrees, give them city water.”
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“Keep it as open space.”
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“Having to choose only one answer is not a fair way to ask a question. Youth fields and a minor league field; including also a bicycle-racing facility. Maybe a place for the fairground car races, too.”
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“Open space, with a public trail segment.”
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“A minor league club would contribute to the community. People still miss the Crushers.”
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“A city need no longer offer welfare programs for developers of any site. The costs need to be better shared by the developer and the city. For Petaluma to provide services such as water, sewer and roads costs the taxpayers and the city more money than it needs to spend. The developer needs to play a bigger role in paying for these services.”
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“Any development/built use of the site is premature at best. The Open Space District, Petaluma City Council, etc. should understand the unsurpassed value in preserving the ‘urban edge/limit’ for every city in Sonoma County, lest we become the indistinguishable divide between cities in areas of the South Bay and Southern California. I am not a fan of casinos at all and Petaluma should not tolerate one. But, if it was unavoidable (which it is not) we would be better off if it were developed within the city limits surrounded by urban activity vs. being the Southern Sonoma County/Petaluma gateway statement (gross!) at the subject site.”
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“Whatever the Pomo Indians want. If it is a casino, it would be nice to have an integrated wine tasting area with entertainment too. A true gateway to the wine country. Not sure if they would want alcohol served on their premises.”
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“Don’t worry about this project; our elected officials will take care of everything. Maybe we can build the asphalt plant there.”
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“Whatever the Pomo Indians desire. It is their freaking land!”
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“If the Pomo tribe truly cares about their land and have respect for their elders/ancestors, they will leave it in its pristine beauty.”
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“I think youth sport fields would be great for the city and the kids. More tournaments could come here and that would benefit the entire city with out-of-town guests. Our kids would have a nice place to play and stay out of trouble.”
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“It is really impossible to answer the questions knowing what the water availability situation is going to be!”
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“Isn’t it up to the Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians? Are they asking for input?”
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“Let’s reduce the ‘strings attached’ games. If providing water can be done with a revenue-neutral or revenue-positive model — and not negatively impact the city’s overall and long-term ability to provide water to existing customers — then I think hooking the property up to water and sewer is fine.”
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“Let’s leave our precious open space open. They can have an organic farm to provide locals with healthy choices.”
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“A museum housing the heritage of California Native Americans that includes a theater for audio-visual presentations and for their performances, rituals, on-going tribal art workshops and a garden that contains trees and plants vital to their culture.”
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“Bring back the drive-in movie theater.”
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“Once you build on open space, it’s gone forever.”
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“Petaluma needs to build residential property and a super Wal-Mart there.”
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“The Indians deserve compensation for the lives and lifestyle we destroyed. But I would rather see the compensation support returning that lifestyle, or used for educational purposes. Why not create a museum, reservation, sustainable farm, etc., rather than something commercial? We could certainly add tax breaks as incentives to defray costs.”
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“Nature preserve.”
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“The Miwoks were in this area, not the Pomo. This is purely a case of reservation shopping.”
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“There isn’t any surplus water in the entire North Bay area to supply this site and they can’t supply it themselves. Any development on this site violates a ballot measure passed by the people years ago as well.”
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“Whatever the tribe wants there. It is their land, after all.”
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“This question seems very unclear, to me. Does it mean no water/no sewage service unless the tribe does what the city wants?”
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“Water shortage, remember? Why must every piece of vacant land be built on? Look around, do all the vacant and now uncared for buildings mean anything to anyone? People have built enough on our once beautiful land and look what we have now. Huge homes that are littered all over places that used to be beautiful, empty buildings falling into decay. Let’s use what we’ve got and not build anything more until what we have has been occupied. Save our lands and make it possible for property owners to rent what they have because that is what is available. And no, I am not a property owner with something I can’t rent.”
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“We don’t need more urban sprawl. If we need to build, we can build it downtown.”
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“Nothing. I think we should stop expanding, and fill up the empty spaces in Petaluma beforehand.”
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“We need to leave the land alone. Stop building.”
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“Build a fabulous destination resort. Make it the crown jewel of Sonoma county. It’s located along the rail, river and road. Great access and amenities.”
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“We take sewer from Penngrove. Might as well take sewer from this site to help pay for our new wastewater treatment plant. Water could be provided by the Sonoma County Water Agency, not Petaluma.”
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“Youth athletic fields could bring in revenue to Petaluma. Travel soccer and baseball leagues could hold tournaments there and this would bring in people from outside the area that would need lodging and food. Retail stores could also benefit. Other towns like Redding and Manteca have fields that accommodate softball leagues as well as baseball and soccer tournaments.”