The Petaluma Village Premium Outlets and the Petaluma Plaza are the two most attractive shopping centers in Petaluma, according to the April 16, 2009 Argus-Courier online poll.
The survey listed nine major shopping centers in town and asked participants which one is the most attractive and least attractive.
The Golden Eagle and Country West (OSH) shopping centers were voted least attractive.
Here are some of the comments by those who responded to the survey:
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"All of these shopping centers are severely lacking. Novato and Corte Madera shopping centers are superior to anything Petaluma has to offer."
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"Thank you, Raley's, for improving the Petaluma Plaza shopping center!"
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"Golden Eagle is a great location with great stores, but could use a bit of a facelift."
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"Fix the asphalt in the OSH center, please! You need a 4-wheel drive to get in and out without hurting yourself."
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"None of Petaluma's shopping centers are attractive. Would love to see a new shopping center at the old Kenilworth site!"
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"The Safeway store is dirty and cluttered always, the new shopping cart wheels are causing more problems than they can possibly be worth to them. Can't wait for Raley's to open."
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"Country West (OSH) is long overdue for a repaving."
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"I shop several of these places. The one that I hardly ever shop at is the one where Safeway is and where Mervyns used to be. It would be nice to have a Target, but at the same time I love Kmart, Trader Joe's, Kohl's and Ross. So it is hard to know what is best for the Petaluma area. I do love the quaint uniqueness of Petaluma."
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"Our shopping centers need a facelift. They are old and outdated."
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"We need more and better shopping centers."
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"We want lifestyle centers, not strip malls."
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"No shopping center looks great here. Now we have a chance to make improvements with Regency and Deer Creek. Our input can make these flagship anti-strip mall centers."
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"We really need a shopping center with paths, fountains and a theme. The best walkable, entertaining shopping center I've seen is the Irvine Spectrum. It has a ferris wheel, merry-go-round, fountains, beautiful awnings and more."
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"Who designed those awful small tight parking spaces in front of Raley's?"
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"We have probably over-retailed! Don't need more."
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"Go to Paris, Florence, Prague. How is it they know how to build good looking buildings? Did we forget how? Do we not care? We don't need a moratorium on buildings, just ugly buildings."
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"We need fewer shopping centers in Petaluma, not more. Tear down the outlet maul. Build athletic fields there and across McDowell from the hospital, too. Then put a Friedman's Home Improvement Center at the Regency site instead of Target."
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"Put Target as a two-story improvement at Washington Square. Have Friedman's come to the Regency site and forget putting a shopping center at Deer Creek. Make it a hotel and athletic attraction with a Mexican village feel. Capitalize on what the other 30 percent of the population enjoys: futbol, food and fiesta."
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"Aren't nine 'shopping centers' enough? No more! No Target!"
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"I had a hard time picking the most attractive. They are all poorly designed. The parking lot at Country West is a joke."
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"We have enough shopping centers in Petaluma. There are two shopping centers in the works that each have only one tenant identified. With our economy the way it is, if you can't see the incredible wrong with that, then you aren't paying attention."
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"We have lived in Petaluma for 20 years. We only occasionally shop at Grocery Outlet for donations to various charities. Otherwise, we drive to Rohnert Park and go to Costco and Target weekly. We spend a lot of money there. Target donates a portion of the money we spend to PHS."
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"Add water features and landscaping."
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"Instead of asking which is most attractive, why don't you ask which has the best shopping? None!"
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"Please figure out how to do this."

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"Please let some new retailers into Petaluma!! Tired of going to Rohnert Park or Novato to shop, or going to a substandard store in Petaluma. I love my town, but our stores are terrible!"
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"We want Target!"