The lawyer representing Petaluma residents who’ve filed suit to stop the city’s downtown overlay ― a major zoning change that would enable construction of a proposed luxury hotel ― has begun talks with the city to drop the case.
The move follows the Petaluma City Council taking steps to address issues involving the overlay during a recent meeting. It also comes weeks after the lawsuit was filed in mid-July, and months after a successful signature-gathering campaign led by Petaluma Historic Advocates, a citizens’ group, to put the overlay up for a citywide vote.
For over a year, PHA has pushed back on efforts by EKN Development and the city to bring the Appellation Petaluma hotel, proposed for an empty lot on the corner of B Street and Petaluma Boulevard, to life. The six-story hotel – put forth by EKN and celebrity chef Charlie Palmer under Palmer’s “Appellation” hospitality brand – would be allowed as proposed under the overlay, formally called the Downtown Housing and Economic Opportunity Overlay, which passed in April…