Haystack 100 Unit Mixed Development

Petaluma, California

The challenge has been to fit the minimum 100 units on site affordably, deal with parking in a flood zone, create a mix of uses that are in demand now and can be modified as needs change. The solution includes finding the right combination of townhouses, flats, and live work units combined with ground floor commercial and public and private open space. The expense is complicated because the property is a brownfield needing site remediation due to underground tanks and dumping of environmental toxins over decades.

The location is transitional and pivotal to the development of Old East Petaluma—an area east of the Petaluma River that was historically used for trains, lumber yards, staging for shipping is now needed to redevelop the historic transit station area.

Architecturally, the townhouses relate to the adjacent warehouse district. The apartments relate to the rhythm of the historic downtown buildings in mass and scale. A pedestrian street bisects the site visually connecting to the train depot. The entire design incorporates walkable street concepts and meets the requirements of Petaluma’s SMART Code.