City of Petaluma Amendment to Section 13.45.030, "Public Use" ln Chapter 13.45 Entitled ''Preservation and Access to Lafferty Ranch" of the Petaluma Municipal C

2025120716

City of Petaluma

NOE - Notice of Exemption

12/17/2025

12/17/2025

Olivia Ervin

Petaluma Planning Department

Principal Environmental Planner

Lead/Public Agency

11 English St.
Petaluma, CA 94952

(707) 512-5160

oervin@cityofpetlauma.org

Sonoma Mountain Road way

136-170-001

Statutory Exemption

General Rule {Sec.1506 l (b)(3)}

The Project, to amend Section 13.45.030 of the City of Petaluma Municipal Code, is exempt from CEQA under the common sense exemption (Guidelines § 15061(b)(3)) because it merely ratifies and continues the City's existing docent-led hike program and minor access improvements at Lafferty Ranch Park, which have already been implemented and previously determined to be exempt in Notices of Exemption filed April 22, 2021, November 8, 2022, and October 10, 2023, and therefore it can be seen with certainty that no new significant environmental effects will result. The amendment clarifies that City-approved docent-led hikes, limited to a maximum of 10 per calendar month with up to 20 participants per hike (exclusive of docents) and no animals other than service animals, are a permissible form of passive recreational use and may occur without a Council-adopted plan or interim plan, continuing the same passive recreational access that has already been occurring on the property. The docent-led hikes will continue to use existing access roads, staging/parking areas, and previously disturbed or managed portions of the site, and will be supervised by City-approved docents, so the type, location, and intensity of use will remain low, intermittent, and substantially the same as existing conditions. Independently and in the alternative, the Project is categorically exempt under Guide1ines § 15301 (Class 1, Existing Facilities) as it involves only the ongoing operation, maintenance, and minor alteration of existing facilities and improvements needed to accommodate limited docent-led hikes, and under Guidelines§ I 5304 (Class 4, Minor Alterations to Land) because any physical work associated with the program is limited to minor rock placement on existing driveway/parking surfaces and small-scale weed abatement or brushing for safe access that does not involve removal of healthy, mature, scenic trees, grading, or other substantial ground disturbance. The Project does not authorize any new buildings, utilities, lighting, roadway extensions, or other construction, and Lafferty Ranch Park will continue to function as protected open space with controlled public access. Docent-led hikes also include an educational and stewardship component that encourages participants to remain on established routes and respect natural and cultural resources, further reducing the potential for environmental impacts. There are no unusual circumstances creating a reasonable possibility of a significant effect, the site is not listed on any hazardous waste site list, the Project does not affect a designated scenic highway or historical resource, and therefore none of the exceptions to the use of categorical exemptions in Guidelines§ 15300.2 apply.

Categorical Exemption

Existing Facilities {Sec.1530l}Minor Alterations to Land {Sec.15304}

The Project, to amend Section 13.45.030 of the City of Petaluma Municipal Code, is exempt from CEQA under the common sense exemption (Guidelines § 15061(b)(3)) because it merely ratifies and continues the City's existing docent-led hike program and minor access improvements at Lafferty Ranch Park, which have already been implemented and previously determined to be exempt in Notices of Exemption filed April 22, 2021, November 8, 2022, and October 10, 2023, and therefore it can be seen with certainty that no new significant environmental effects will result. The amendment clarifies that City-approved docent-led hikes, limited to a maximum of 10 per calendar month with up to 20 participants per hike (exclusive of docents) and no animals other than service animals, are a permissible form of passive recreational use and may occur without a Council-adopted plan or interim plan, continuing the same passive recreational access that has already been occurring on the property. The docent-led hikes will continue to use existing access roads, staging/parking areas, and previously disturbed or managed portions of the site, and will be supervised by City-approved docents, so the type, location, and intensity of use will remain low, intermittent, and substantially the same as existing conditions. Independently and in the alternative, the Project is categorically exempt under Guide1ines § 15301 (Class 1, Existing Facilities) as it involves only the ongoing operation, maintenance, and minor alteration of existing facilities and improvements needed to accommodate limited docent-led hikes, and under Guidelines§ I 5304 (Class 4, Minor Alterations to Land) because any physical work associated with the program is limited to minor rock placement on existing driveway/parking surfaces and small-scale weed abatement or brushing for safe access that does not involve removal of healthy, mature, scenic trees, grading, or other substantial ground disturbance. The Project does not authorize any new buildings, utilities, lighting, roadway extensions, or other construction, and Lafferty Ranch Park will continue to function as protected open space with controlled public access. Docent-led hikes also include an educational and stewardship component that encourages participants to remain on established routes and respect natural and cultural resources, further reducing the potential for environmental impacts. There are no unusual circumstances creating a reasonable possibility of a significant effect, the site is not listed on any hazardous waste site list, the Project does not affect a designated scenic highway or historical resource, and therefore none of the exceptions to the use of categorical exemptions in Guidelines§ 15300.2 apply.