The City Council appears to have put an end to the idea of bringing food trucks to an empty lot in northern Petaluma, upholding a previous decision to deny the proposal.
The application for a “Floodway Community Marketplace” at 4875 Petaluma Blvd. North, put forward by lot owner Heather Kratt, was first denied by the city’s Planning Commission on May 23, prompting Kratt to appeal the decision which brought it before the council.
But the appeal was denied 5-2 by the council during its Sept. 11 meeting, with council members Karen Nau and Mike Healy voting against upholding the Planning Commission’s decision.
Kratt, who also owns a “Sausage Slinger” food truck, had originally submitted a minor conditional use permit application in October 2022 to open her outdoor marketplace on the empty lot, which the city denied. She submitted a second conditional use permit application in December 2022, which the city also denied.
At the Sept. 11 council meeting, Kratt said the “Floodway” offerings would be mobile and impermanent, and require no permanent infrastructure.
She argued that the creation of a “community marketplace meets the same general characteristics of existing permitted uses in a floodway,” citing Petaluma Zoning Code for reference.
City staff, however, contended that the proposal is inconsistent with the city’s General Plan, is not permitted by zoning code, and despite being “transient in nature,” still requires a level of development that’s not permitted at that site.
Kratt was apparently undeterred following the council decision, posting on Facebook the day after: “We lost our appeal to the City Council last night, but still made great progress! Two council members – Mike Healy and Karen Nau – voted in our favor and correctly pointed out that our project is not a ‘development.’”
You can reach Staff Writer Jennifer Sawhney at 707-521-5346 or jennifer.sawhney@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @sawhney_media.
