This 4.5 acre parcel, often referred to as Copeland Landing, abuts the downtown train station, the Petaluma Arts Center, and the Visitors Center. The photograph above shows the property from the Copeland Street side, through a chain link fence.
This prime location in the heart of Petaluma was formerly used as a railyard, but has been vacant for over 60 years! This aerial shot of the property is from 1965.
This property is owned by SMART (Sonoma Marin Area Rapid Transit District), which is a public agency. The City of Petaluma has identified the property as a catalyst site for pedestrian-oriented redevelopment of the area and has also designated it as a priority site for brownfield assessment and remediation.
In the Station Area Master Plan developed in 2013, the City envisioned development of the property to include a flexible plaza that could be used for activities like farmers markets, art fairs, or public gatherings, a linear park between Copeland Street and the station, and a new transverse street connecting the station to Weller Street and the Turning Basin.
Development would also include ground-floor commercial space, some live/work flex space, and residential space. As stated in the Master Plan, “[t]he transverse street, lined with street trees in planting strips and landscaped setbacks, will provide a high-quality residential address within walking distance from the Station.”
To date, neither the City nor SMART has taken any concrete steps to implement this plan.
A proposed project for two, five-story buildings totaling 402 multi-family residential units and approximately 5,129 square feet of retail space failed in 2020 for financial reasons.