The overwhelming majority (88.9 percent) of people responding to our March 1, 2012 Pulse of Petaluma question want to see the Deer Creek shopping center — and Friedman’s Home Improvement — become a reality as soon as possible, citing the need for a home improvement center and the continuing loss of tax dollars from people leaving town to buy elsewhere.
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“Eleven years to break ground for the Regency Target development. Petaluma has become the least business friendly city in the U.S.”
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“After reading the latest dire economic report regarding Petaluma’s increasing financial problems, it is a no-brainer as to whether to approve or not. I do understand the concerns with the traffic impact, but the economic benefits outweigh this issue. Rohnert Park has already mentioned in their latest financial report, their future loss of tax revenue with the opening of Target in Petaluma. Let’s now take some of Cotati’s tax revenue away with the opening of a Friedmans. I for one will no longer shop at Lowes once Friedman’s is in town.”
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“All of Petaluma needs to support Friedman’s coming here. We have so few choices for shopping here in Petaluma. It is unbelievable that people are against having local Petaluma shopping. We need tax dollars to support the school system, up. Keep for our streets, fire and police departments. We don’t need to spend money on gasoline traveling to Rohnert Park to shop at Target, Lowe’s Walmart. Even end up buying our gas there! Move to Nevada, vocal minorities who are using the $100,000 they already blackmailed from us!”
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“Approve it and stop wasting time. This has gone on long enough.”
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“With the price of gas who wants to drive up the freeway to make a purchase? I feel Petaluma does not have at the present time enough shopping venues. I am still waiting eagerly for Target.”
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“Deer Creek will be a traffic nightmare piled on top of the upcoming Regency/Target Center traffic nightmare, and will add to Petaluma’s increasing commercial blight. Besides being yet another unimaginative Big-Box retail center, examples of which are littered up and down Highway 101. I’d like to see Friedman’s back in town — how about at Regency Center (still plenty of vacancies), or taking over the old lumber yard at the north end of town? But Friedman’s and Deer Creek? That thinking is so pedestrian.”
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“I am all for controlled growth in Petaluma, but the key word is controlled not zero. I think bringing Friedman’s (a family owned and operated company) fits with limiting growth to local — Sonoma County-companies.”
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“Love Friedman’s, hate the location.”
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“Only if Rainier overpass/underpass is built!”
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“Permanent gridlock across from our hospital is wrong.”
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“The media should be supporting the Petaluma City Council here, not spinning the misconceptions and half-truths that the Merlone-Geier supporters are spewing. The project EIR has numerous fatal flaws, most of which were pointed out during the DEIR phase and ignored or danced around. They need to start the EIR over and do it right if they want a chance at Deer Creek being approved. They need to address the very real concerns that CalTrans has both with the project in general and Rainier Avenue. Most of all, they need to realize that a Rainier crosstown connector will never happen. I hate to burst a lot of bubbles here. It was never more than a myth and was never meant to be built. As for Friedmans, they dangled them like a carrot for the Regency shopping center too, didn’t they. They’re not there, are they?”
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“With a projected city deficit of $1.6 million each year, do we hold back potential revenue and jobs? To the Planning Commission and City Council: think of all of Petaluma and not how Petaluma was before you moved here.”
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“I think there are several existing buildings that are vacant or soon will be that would work well for Friedman’s. The mail processing center on Corona is about to be vacated and that to me would be a perfect place to have Friedman’s. Recycle, Reuse, Re-purpose — As a community and as a society, we should be demanding this. Otherwise, we will build ourselves into extinction.”