Agenda Item10
1 DATE: May 5, 2025
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council through City Manager FROM: Jonathan Luong, Senior Management Analyst
Drew Halter, Director of Parks and Recreation
SUBJECT: Resolution Renaming Center Park to Historic Chinatown Park in According with the City’s Facilities Naming Policy and Procedure, and in Recognition of Geographic Significance and Historical Contributions to the Community
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommend that the City Council adopt the attached Resolution to rename Center Park to Historic Chinatown Park, in accordance with City’s Public Parks and Facilities Naming Policy.
BACKGROUND
The City of Petaluma, through Council Resolution No. 89-304 N.C.S, adopted formal policies and criteria to aid the City Council in exercising its final authority in naming all public parks and facilities within its jurisdiction. While the naming of all public facilities remains solely the responsibility of the City Council, historically those facilities located in city parks or under the responsibility of the Parks and Recreation department, have been preceded by soliciting public input and a formal recommendation by the Recreation, Music, and Parks Commission.
The City’s adopted park naming policy and procedures, provides the Council, community, and staff with guidelines that inform the process of bringing forward recommendations to name or rename parks and/or facilities, as well as provides specific criteria for naming new facilities and parks through a public process.
The Facilities Naming Policy and Procedure (included as Attachment 3 to the staff report) provides two objectives for the City Council to consider when exercising their authority. This includes:
1. To name public facilities so that they will be easily identified as to geographical location and/or function.
2. To encourage the dedication of land or funds for public use by individuals/groups, in 2 1
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2 recognition of their achievements or community contributions.
The policy objectives further provide details for naming public facilities under section II, Criteria for Naming Public Facilities by detailing examples of service recognition, which state;
1. Recognition of individuals, groups and organizations for important service contributions which have:
a. Had a recognized direct positive effect on the community. b. Contribution by a profit-making organization shall have been outside the normal function of the organization.
Center Park, located at 7 Petaluma Blvd North, was once part of Lower Main Street Plaza, a central gathering space for Petaluma’s commercial district prior to the city's incorporation in 1858. In the 1860s, the area functioned as an informal parking lot for farmers and patrons with horse-drawn wagons, complete with hitching posts, a horse trough, and access to water and shade.
Lower Main Street—stretching from Western Avenue to D Street—was home to a thriving Chinatown, where Chinese immigrants lived and operated businesses including laundries, boarding houses, groceries, and restaurants. These residents played a vital role in Petaluma’s economy as laborers (such as farmhands, cannery workers, and river dredgers), merchants (operating grocery stores and herbal shops), and entrepreneurs (founding laundries, restaurants, and service businesses). However, growing anti-Chinese sentiment, culminating in the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, led to the community's forced displacement and the decline of Chinatown by the early 20th century.
In 1921, beautification efforts began to revitalize the plaza, culminating in its renaming to Center Park in 1925. The site served as a central location for community events, including the notable Egg Day celebration of 1921. The name “Center Park” reflected its position between Walnut Park and Hill Plaza Park (now Penry Park).
While the original Chinatown is no longer visible, the legacy of Petaluma’s Chinese community endures through their contributions to agriculture, brickmaking, river dredging, and railroad construction—integral to the city’s development and downtown identity.
Given the park’s location and layered history, renaming Center Park to Historic Chinatown Park would meaningfully recognize the contributions and hardships of Petaluma’s early Chinese community, aligning with the City’s commitment to inclusive and accurate historical representation.
DISCUSSION
Leading into 2025, there was growing community interest in developing a more systematic approach to recognizing and celebrating historically unseen individuals or underrepresented groups in Petaluma’s local history. In response to these community requests, the City began 3 1
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2 exploring methods to highlight the contributions of these individuals and groups through street signage, plaques, site markers, and in this case, renaming a public space.
One such initiative is the proposal to rename Center Park to Historic Chinatown Park, led by the Historic Chinatown Ad Hoc Committee. This grassroots coalition is composed of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) scholars, genealogists, artists, healers, storytellers, and residents from Petaluma and the greater North Bay. The Committee has long been active in the Petaluma community and has now united around this effort. In partnership with the Petaluma Historical Library & Museum and with support from the City of Petaluma, the Committee seeks to recognize the significant contributions of Chinese immigrants to the city’s early development and cultural history.
The policy criteria are provided when considering naming public facilities in recognition of service includes:
1. Recognition of individuals, groups, and organizations for important service contributions which have:
a. Had a recognized direct positive effort on the community
Based on this established policy, the historical significance of the location, the documented contributions of the Chinese community, and the committee’s work to promote historical accuracy and representation, staff recommends renaming Center Park to Historic Chinatown Park.
PUBLIC OUTREACH
Staff presented a recommendation for the formal renaming of Center Park to Historic Chinatown Park to the Recreation, Music, and Parks Commission for discussions and public participation during a meeting on Wednesday, March 19, 2025. Following the discussion, the Commissioners voted 7-0 in support of the staff’ recommendation to bring the item forward to City Council for consideration This agenda item appeared on the City’s tentative agenda document on April 21, 2025 which was a public noticed meeting.
COUNCIL GOAL ALIGNMENT
Spaces & Places That Inspire: create inviting natural and built places and spaces for contemplation, play, arts, and connection while celebrating our history and encouraging community pride
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
This item does not constitute a “project” pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Section 15378 as renaming Center Park is an organizational action which will not have environmental impacts.
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2 FINANCIAL IMPACTS
Staff anticipate minimal impact to the City’s general fund as a result of action taken to formally rename Center Park. Costs associated with action would include producing new dedicated signage, the potential of new historical markers, and staff time updating city maps, digital references on existing maps, etc.
ALTERNATIVES
The City Council may elect to not formally rename Center Park to Historic Chinatown Park and has the final authority in naming or renaming all public parks and facilities within its jurisdiction.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Resolution Renaming Center Park to Historic Chinatown Park
2. Resolution No. 89-304 N.C.S
3. Facilities Naming Policy and Procedure