Debate Over Noise in Warehouse District Underscores Challenge of Mixed Use Neighborhoods

Like many of the tenants of Celsius 44, the condominium development at First and G streets, Kathleen Larsen envisioned living at the riverfront as a chance to walk to downtown shops and, in a couple of years, the SMART train. Larsen, an elementary school principal in Penngrove, and her husband, Ron, would get to be part of a group of residents reclaiming the historic warehouse district and reviving downtown, a feat so many cities have failed to accomplish.

Two years later, the dream has been realized, albeit one small, but annoying problem: a steady humming noise coming from machinery owned by an ice cream company across the street, which residents say have driven down property values and has become a major nuisance. 

“We moved into the neighborhood knowing it was mixed use—we weren’t asking for complete silence by any means—but the noise level from our condo is intense,” Larsen said, who lives at 410 First Street. “We can’t open our windows or use our deck.”

The collision of residential and commercially zoned neighborhoods—also known as mixed use—has been lauded as a way to create walkable cities by many urban planners. But the reality of homes located next door to industrial businesses is often much more complex, say observers. Machinery hums day and night, trucks start making deliveries as early as 6am and employees take up coveted parking spots residents think should be theirs.

“Mixed use is an organic, messy process, something that requires communication among neighbors and businesses,” said Jaimey Walking Bear, a resident of Celsius 44 and a community activist who says the city dragged its feet in responding to noise complaints.

“We didn’t suddenly wake up and realize there was light industrial in our neighborhood…but some of the onus is on the city to enforce the policy that’s already in place, so there is some course of action for someone living 50 feet away from these compressors.”

On Tuesday, one sign of the “messiness” of mixed use developments was on display as angry residents packed a Planning Commission meeting and urged the city to reject a conditional use permit for Cowgirl Creamery, located across the street from Celsius 44.

Residents said they loved and wanted to support the local cheese manufacturer, but argued that the permit should be withheld until the company, which rents out the front portion of its processing facility to Three Twins ice cream, addressed the noise problem.

“This has contributed to neighborhood blight, the noise and the traffic and it’s become a public nuisance interfering with the enjoyment of my life and my home,” said Anne Hiatt, another Celsius resident.

Three Twins owner Neal Gottlieb, who opened in Petaluma February 2010, says that noise levels have been tested during both day and night, and are under the 60 decibels required by law. Still, eager to appease residents, he has put in a plywood enclosure, complete with fiberglass sound absorbent blankets around the equipment, spending $60,000 on the retrofit.

“I’ve already done much more than the law prescribes,” Gottlieb said. “If they (residents) want to finance something else, that’s fine, but I have no additional plans for other changes.”

Part of the problem, say those involved, is that people seeking out urban lofts in the historic warehouse district don’t always realize that the businesses in the area are still thriving, much like they have been for more than 100 years. This is no quaint former warehouse district, like Cannery Row in Monterrey, but a working one, which is part of the appeal and the challenge.

“If you live in the warehouse district, it’s going to noisy,” said Jane Hamilton, a neighborhood resident who was involved in drafting the Central Petaluma Specific Plan, a document that includes zoning, subdivision regulations, urban design and basic architectural standards for the downtown area and was passed in 2003.

“People have to realize that this is where you live, there will be a train and there will be a trolley coming…right down First Street. That’s the personality of the warehouse district.”

Beyond expectations, another problem may lie in the way Celsius 44 was constructed, according to Planning Commission Chair Curt Johansen, a developer and architect.

“If you’re going to have noise-producing businesses next to residential, you must have sound attenuation,” Johansen said. “You impose it on businesses, but also hold the developer to a higher standard. The quality of the window, the design of how the window is hung and the contractor who installs the window play equal parts in mitigating that sound. When people can’t sleep at night, it’s because the windows were not designed or installed properly or are low quality.”

Whoever develops the fourth condominium that is part of Celsius 44, could also be asked to retrofit the windows, as part of an agreement, Johansen suggested.

“It’s not anything that a developer wants to deal with, but if there is a lot of parties involved in this, a discussion could be had about how to retrofit the existing building.”

Steve Johnson, president of St. James Properties, which built Celsius 44, could not be reached for comment (An assistant said he was on an African safari and wouldn’t be back for weeks.)

The debate over how businesses and residents can coexist has also revived discussions about updating the Central Petaluma Specific Plan, which has not been altered since 2003. This would give residents and businesses a chance to discuss things like parking, noise, operation hours and any other problems they have outside City Council chambers, which some have said are not the ideal place for constructive dialogue.

“What we really should have done is every six months for two years met about it, every year had an open meeting about it and figured out what needed to be updated,” Jane Hamilton said. “So let’s get into a forum where we communicate about these things as a community.”

Despite the calls for goodwill and compromise, some at Celsius 44 are still fuming.

“We’re really sorry that the city isn’t going to take a firm stand on sound,” Larsen said. “Cowgirl really is at fault for leasing a part of their building to a company they didn’t look at closely. As a neighbor, you have to ask yourself ‘is this going to be a good fit?’ And that’s where the ball was dropped.”