Organically grown towns, like Petaluma, germinate around
topography. That always includes water. In our case, Petaluma grew up as a
bread basket for San Francisco because of the Petaluma River. The river was “the
highway” of 1850. By design, the heart and soul of Petaluma is the river.
Downtown was built around the commerce of the river. The
classy historic store facades all face away from the river and towards the “main
street.” All the action of historic Petaluma commerce occurred (partially hidden)
out back.
Later, the river was ignored and somewhat forgotten. Now we
are working hard to reclaim the glory of our river and utilize its current
recreational and commercial value.
When we talk about connection to open space, by far, the
biggest open space asset we have is the river. I don’t get on it often but, as
you can see in my video, it is a very relaxing and satisfying experience. I
plan to spend more time on the river.
Fortunately, we are on the short track for a new “Floathouse”
in the Turning Basin and also a new “Boathouse” in the Riverfront project down
river near to the 101 freeway overcrossing. You won’t even need to own your own
kayak anymore and haul it around. Just walk over to the Floathouse, rent a
boat, and take off. Talk about easy.
The river is coming alive again as the heart and soul of
Petaluma. Sure, we could use a little dredging but if we could figure out how
to get it done in 1900, I’m confident we’ll figure it out again today. There is
increasing talk of reviving the trestle around the Turning Basin as well. Things are happening, my friends! Go take a
float and a paddle yourself.
