Kudos to Petaluma; keep going
When compliments are due, they should be given. So congratulations to the Petaluma City Council and its suffering city employees for Monday night’s 5-2 vote to approve the economy-and-jobs-boosting Regency Centers project that will include the locally based Friedman’s Home Improvement store and a Target.
It only took six years.
But don’t stop now. Next the city should expedite the project through the design review and final approval process and not be tempted to use it as a de facto way to continue to slow Regency down from its hoped-for 2011 opening. People will be watching.
It was nice to see the council’s no-growth members finally see the value in bringing jobs and tax revenues to the city, with rising anger from the public and city employees undoubtedly playing a major role. Some observers tried to spin the council members’ votes as support for “smart growth,” which for some is code for no-growth.
The really smart thing would have been to approve the project years back so the city would now be reaping the benefits of hundreds of new jobs, much-needed local shopping options and millions in sales tax revenues.
Brad Bollinger is associate publisher and editor in chief of the Business Journal.
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