Down to Business: Road Diet Meeting Tonight, Linen Outlet Closes and More

A public forum to discuss the design process of the project to change Petaluma Boulevard between Washington and E streets to a two lane thoroughfare, will be held tonight, Thursday, Sept. 29 at 5:30 p.m. at .

As of Sept. 8 on the project milestone calendar, 65 percent of the construction drawings have been completed. Construction drawings are expected to be completed by November. The construction start date is projected for July 2012. 

Erica Ahmann, a senior civil engineer with the city of Petaluma, said the meeting agenda will include the current design, current project schedule as well as an opportunity for downtown merchants to give input on loading zones and parking.

The project, also known as the "road diet" would also add a two-way left turn lane to the section of Petaluma Boulevard North. Click here for more details on the project.

If you cannot attend the meeting but wish to have your comments reviewed in public, e-mail them to Erica Ahmann at eahmann@ci.petaluma.ca.us with "PBS Road Diet Comments in the subject line. 

Linen Outlet Closes

Linen Outlet is closing its store at the Plaza North Shopping Center after only seven months in the location. Sunday, Oct. 2 is the final day and the company is running some serious promotions, including 55 percent off all rugs and up to 60 percent off all items in the store.

The outlet is based in San Francisco and will still have a Rohnert Park location open in the North Bay, according to store management.

Lola's Market To Open in Petaluma

The Linen Outlet space will not remain vacant. The landlord of the plaza is working with a potential new tenant, Lola's Market, a Mexican grocery store and restaurant, according to a spokeperson for the market. 

According to the company's chief operations officer, Joel Russotti, the plaza management is currently working with the city of Petaluma and waiting for final approvals to expand the building. He said that a construction schedule and move-in date will not be known until permits are finalized.

"Lola's is excited about the opportunity to be a part of Petaluma," said Russotti. "We will be good stewards."

Russotti said that the full-service Mexican market is needed in Petaluma. He added that the company has a healthy business model which will bring jobs to the community.

The company founder, David Ortega, started Lola's Market in 1992 as a storefront Mexican takeout restaurant. Lola's Market now has two stores in Santa Rosa and one in Healdsburg. Yelp reviews have customers raving about the Tres Leches Cake from the in-house bakery in the Santa Rosa location.

Calix Lowers Estimate

Calix Inc. announced that preliminary estimates for revenue and non-GAAP earnings per share would be below previous guidance for the third quarter of 2011.

The July 21, 2011 estimate for revenue was $104 million and non-GAAP earnings were estimated at 20 cents per share. This was downwardly revised on Sept. 24 at $83 to $85 million estimated revenue and non-GAAP earnings per share at seven to nine cents per share.

The Petaluma-headquartered telecommunications equipment and software developer said that the revised estimates reflected a slow-down in business related to changes in macro-economic conditions, fiber shortages and continued delays in Broadband Stimulus awards under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

At the close of markets on Sept. 28, shares of Calix, Inc. (NYSE: Calx) fell to $8.16 per share from the company's Monday close of $10.26 per share.

Shares are off their 52-week high of $22.97.

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