Haystack Landing

the site of a historic steamer dock, a railroad bridge, and of a planned asphalt production and storage facility.

[1] Haystack Landing was featured in then-congressman Frank Riggs' election campaign in the 1996 California First Congressional District race, when his ties to the property drew criticism.

[2] In the mid-to-late 1850s, a man named Rudesill built a dock for passenger and cargo loading at Haystack Landing after Charles Minturn and Thomas Fulsher Baylis launched competing steam-boat services on the Petaluma River.

[12][13] The current owner of the property, Dutra Materials, is a company producing asphalt, aggregate, and other similar products.

Dutra plans to build an asphalt manufacturing plant and storage facility, but faces substantial local opposition.

[15] On August 17, 2018, the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board sent a letter to Dutra stating “… staff have determined that the applicant has not yet demonstrated that the proposed project constitutes the least environmentally damaging practicable alternative.” Concerns were raised regarding plans to use barges on the Petaluma River for shipping, as the nearby Shollenberger Park wetlands considered environmentally sensitive.

[2] Riggs was reported to have sold his 37-acre parcel as of March 1, 1998, and to have protested against an environmental protection ballot measure meant to accompany the transportation plan for both the (now) SMART commuter rail and expansion of Highway 101 through Sonoma and Marin Counties.