By Jennifer Sawhney

A new interactive map pinpoints more than 40 mostly long-empty lots, buildings, and other spaces in and around downtown Petaluma, with a goal of addressing the vacancies – and ultimately garnering more revenue for the city – through community-developed policy changes.

The map is part of an initiative called The Vacancy Project pursued by Urban Chat, a Petaluma nonprofit founded in 2012 to promote sustainable urban planning. Urban Chat produced the map ahead of a June 24 workshop at Della Fattoria to gather public input about the vacant storefronts and chain-linked lots, and to inform new policies to bring to the Petaluma City Council.

When members of Urban Chat started looking closely at downtown vacancies last spring, wondering why some buildings and lots remained vacant and how best to counter that, they realized they first needed more information. 

“We just kept coming back to, ‘Well, what is the problem? What are we talking about? How many properties are there and where are they?’” said Amy Levine, a member of the organization’s seven-person board, which also includes Mayor Kevin McDonnell.

It took four volunteers upwards of six months to build out the digital map using archived library photographs, newspaper clippings, public records, and other sources, Levine said.

Now, viewers can easily dive deep into each of the properties and learn more about businesses formerly associated with the location, how long it’s remained vacant, annual property taxes paid, and other details.

“It’s such a touchy subject, but I think something has to be done,” said Della Fattoria co-owner Elisa Weber. 

Weber, who is a founding member of local policy advocacy group Renaissance Petaluma, a group formed in late 2025 to support a controversial luxury hotel proposed for one of those perennially empty lots, has taken up Urban Chat’s cause.

She hopes the Wednesday night event will prompt the community to think about potential solutions, such as fast-tracking permitting for local businesses.

“We need to talk about this problem. We need to fix this problem. People need to be able to come here and lease or buy a property in a decent amount of time without going broke,” Weber said.

To Levine, the problem goes beyond unsightly or underutilized properties. “We can't fix our sidewalks unless we fix the city and deal with this real problem that we've got with economic development and with blight,” she said. 

Urban Chat reached out to members of Petaluma City Council before the map was made available to the public, and has been communicating with city staff about how to address the vacancies, Levine said.

The upcoming workshop at Della Fattoria is already at capacity. However, the group hopes to reach as many people as possible, Levine said. Those who would like to attend but have yet to snag a spot can register for the waitlist, where they’ll also be added to The Vacancy Project’s mailing list and receive a recording after the event.

Levine said the vacancy issue has “struck a nerve,” and that she, like others interested in the topic, wants to see a vibrant, economically resilient city – one that can do things like build a new, state-of-the-art skate park, or simply repair its sidewalks.