120 E COTATI AVENUE
COTATI, CA
CITY COUNCIL MEETING
AUGUST 25, 2025
• Introductions
• Process to Date
• Development Program and Design Goals
• Recap Prior Meetings
• Current Plans
• Planning Permit Application
• Questions
AGENDA
Paul McElwee
Principal,
HKIT Architects
Sam McGeehan
Senior Project Manager,
HKIT Architects
DEVELOPMENT TEAM
Robin Zimbler
Founder,
Freebird Development
Company
Adan Rios
Designer
HKIT Architects
• City Purchase Property Late 2023
• City Issued Request for Proposals March 21, 2024
• City Council Approval Developer Selection June 25, 2024 • Exclusive Negotiating Agreement Signed July 20, 2024
• Community Engagement Meeting #1 September 18, 2024
• Community Engagement Meeting #2 November 20, 2024
• City Council Meeting December 10, 2024
• Planning Permit Application January 2025
• Planning Commission Meeting August 18, 2025
PROCESS TO DATE
DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM GOALS
• Leverage location and size of site to help City meet RHNA numbers while integrating into existing downtown fabric
ü 44 units in 3-story building
• Serve broad range of household sizes and incomes at three separate income tiers up to either 60% AMI or 80% AMI
ü Studios, one-, two-, and three-bedroom units
• Provide inclusive housing for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities ü 25% of the units set-aside as permanent supportive housing • Be a good neighbor!
ü Through both community engagement and design
DESIGN GOALS
• Maximize number of units while limiting
height to 3 stories
• Articulate buildings to relate and transition to
surrounding context
• Activate public streets with lobby and
commercial space
• Incorporate indoor and outdoor community
spaces
• Provide adequate amount of parking
• Design project to be environmentally
conscious
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT MEETINGS
• Feedback
• Primarily residents either adjacent to or
across the street attended the meetings
• Majority preferred Mission style over
Craftsman style
• Concerns about parking garage access from
E Cotati Avenue and loss of on-street
parking
• Streetscape improvements and traffic
calming measures for pedestrian safety
• Questions about types of retail/commercial
uses
• Meeting #1 (9/18/24)
• Introduction to Development Team
• Discussion of Development Goals and
Design Goals
• Two Break-Out Groups with Architectural
Style Preference Survey
• Meeting #2 (11/20/24)
• Recap of Meeting #1
• Design Survey Results
• Early Design Concepts
CITY COUNCIL MEETING
• Residential units on 2nd floor
with community room, laundry
room, and podium courtyard
with separate seating area and
play area
• Residential units on 3rd floor
• Building steps down to two
stories on La Plaza and Charles
Charles Street and East Cotati Avenue, Corner View
La Plaza and East Cotati Avenue, Corner View
CITY COUNCIL FEEDBACK
• Support for keeping the step downs to adjacent neighbors (rather than increasing unit count)
• Concerns about parking access and pedestrian/bicycle safety • Various opinions on architectural style but overall preference for more lively color scheme
• Desire for community-serving retail use
CURRENT PLANS
SITE PLAN
Charles Street and East Cotati Avenue, Corner View
La Plaza and East Cotati Avenue, Corner View
PODIUM COURTYARD
STREETSCAPE IMPROVEMENTS
• Increase existing 5’ sidewalk along E Cotati
Avenue to 10’ sidewalk with associated road
striping changes and street trees in raised
planters given utility conflicts
• Create 10’ sidewalk along west side of Charles
Street where none exists now with street trees in
wells
• Underground power lines along E Cotati Avenue
TRANSPORTATION
TRANSPORTATION IMPACT STUDY
• No ped or bike crashes were reported during 5-
year study period
• Two of the three intersections had collision
rates lower than the statewide average
• E Cotati Avenue/Charles intersection had
nominally higher collision rate with rear-end
crashes occurring on the stop-controlled
northbound approach
• Project would not cause level of service to
decrease to unacceptable levels
• Sight lines at project driveways on East Cotati
Avenue and Charles Street are adequate
• Project would not cause any queues to exceed
available stacking space
E COTATI AVENUE STRIPING CHANGES
• Submitted permit application in January
2025 for:
• AB2162 Supportive Housing Streamlined
Approval
• Density Bonus
• Design Review
• Multifamily Objective Design Standards
• Supportive Housing Streamlined Approval
• All affordable up to 80% AMI
• 25% set-aside for permanent supportive
housing
• Provision of supportive services including
space dedicated to supportive services
PLANNING PERMIT APPLICATION
• Density and Parking
• 44 units (unlimited density allowed under
State Density Bonus Law)
• 54 parking spaces (under AB2162 the max that
can be required is 42 spaces)
• Concessions/Incentive/Waivers
• Wood window and door trim
• Removal of native oaks
• Building Height (increase from 35’ to 37’)
• Rear Setback (decrease from 20’ to 10’)
• Parking Access (vehicle access from E Cotati
Avenue and Charles instead of just Charles
given Transportation Impact Study findings)
QUESTIONS?
FINANCING
INCOME SCHEDULE
Number of People
1 2 3 4
30% AMI $ 29,070 $ 33,210 $ 37,350 $ 41,490
50% AMI $ 48,450 $ 55,350 $ 62,250 $ 69,150
60% AMI $ 58,140 $ 66,420 $ 74,700 $ 82,980
80% AMI $ 77,520 $ 88,560 $ 99,600 $ 110,640
FINANCING
RENT SCHEDULE
Number of Bedrooms
Studio One Two Three
30% AMI $726 $778 $933 $1,078
50% AMI $1,211 $1,297 $1,556 $1,798
60% AMI $1,453 $1,557 $1,867 $2,157
80% AMI $1,938 $2,076 $2,490 $2,877
CRAFTSMAN STYLE A
Charles Street and East Cotati Avenue, Corner View
CRAFTSMAN STYLE A
La Plaza and East Cotati Avenue, Corner View
CRAFTSMAN STYLE B
Charles Street and East Cotati Avenue, Corner View
CRAFTSMAN STYLE B
La Plaza and East Cotati Avenue, Corner View