1 July 26, 2026
Re: Cotati City Council meeting, July 28, 2026 - Item 8B, Freeway Oriented Development Zoning Overlay
Dear Mayor Lemus and Cotati City Council members
I was sorry to miss the Planning Commission on July 20, owing to a commitment to another meeting at the same time, but have watched the video of the PC meeting. Given that the meeting was supposed to be a public hearing I was surprised not to have heard about it until I received the agenda.
I appeal to you to slow down, step back, and take the long-term view on this item. I’d like to request at least one more well-publicized public workshop that involves business owners as well as Cotati residents, rather than rushing to a conclusion in October.
I urge you NOT to extend the area under consideration to south of Helman Lane to Gravenstein Way.
Signs there would not visible from Hwy 101 anyway, being hidden behind redwood trees; this is not part of the industrial zone but will include housing and includes restaurants and other small businesses in the Apple Valley Plaza.
I urge you to protect Cotati’s small-town character and safeguard decades of deliberate, thoughtful planning:
Local residents and visitors alike cherish Cotati’s small town, walkable, community-oriented, character.
Cotati has always prided itself on its unique and distinct history and agricultural heritage, far from generic suburbia. That is what drew most of its residents here, and that is what causes many visitors to come to Cotati to participate in its events and eat in its restaurants.
This did not happen by accident but is the result of careful, thoughtful, and deliberate long-term planning over many decades. This has involved many hours, weeks and months of work by staff, by the former Design Review Committee, the Planning Commission, and City Council, with engaged public participation via multiple workshops, surveys, and public meetings.
The kinds of efforts that come to mind include:
The ban on drive thru’ businesses, around 2001. The only drive thru’ businesses I can think of in Cotati right now are Walgreens, and the gas stations and car washes. Other cities in California, including Napa, are currently considering bans on drive thru’s for the first time. Cotati was ahead of the curve. Why would we step backwards on this now? It would seem contrary to Cotati’s efforts in other areas to support “active transportation” and “transit-oriented development,” values which should be consistent throughout the City.
Restrictions on big box stores, 1997. Cotati voters passed Measure F on November 4, 1997, to restrict commercial retail in any single building to a maximum of 43,000 sq ft, in response to a proposal from 2 American Stores Co to build a 65,000 sq ft Lucky’s mega superstore. Measure B, November 4, 2003, created an exemption for Lowes, by a tiny margin of voters.
Formula-based fast-food restaurants. Cotati approved a temporary ban on formula-based fast- food chain restaurants in March 5, 2007, in order to protect the small-town character and support small, locally-owned, independent businesses. This issue was revisited in October 2011, when the City Council “capped the number of chain fast-food restaurants in town, limiting them to eight in three zones and banning them outright downtown.”
In addition, there have been numerous efforts over the years to emphasize walkability, including the “Walkable Cotati” visioning process in 2001; then “Active Transportation” to support pedestrians and those on wheels of all kinds; and “Transit-Oriented Development,” all in line with keeping Cotati small, pedestrian-friendly, and in response to climate change and statements and policies about climate and environmental sustainability.
Many important factors haven’t been taken into consideration:
Purpose of Industrial Zoning. My understanding is that the original purpose of zoning was to separate uses such as industrial, commercial, and residential partly to protect public health and safety, as well as community character. Would we really want a doctor’s office, senior citizen care center, child care center or restaurant next to an auto service repair, paint shop, or recycling center, for example? Local residents’ needs. I wonder what future residents on Hwy 116 close to Hwy 101 would like – perhaps, in appropriate areas, a small grocery store, a bakery, restaurants, a neighborhood coffee shop? – places customers could safely walk or wheel to. A bicycle shop! – Cotati could do with one of those again! If appropriate, perhaps these local needs could be added to the mix of possibilities, rather than assuming that all the commercial traffic will be from Hwy 101.
New bridge at Copeland Creek. The City of Rohnert Park plans to create a pedestrian bridge over Copeland Creek to connect its eastern and western sides.1, 2, 3 This trail that will eventually connect east to Crane Creek Park and west to Sebastopol. This will influence the character of the northern boundary of the industrial zone along Copeland Creek – and creates an opportunity to segue with compatible creek-related concerns along the Laguna in Cotati.
The Laguna de Santa Rosa runs through the heart of Cotati’s industrial zone, which is bounded on the north by Copeland Creek (in Rohnert Park). Parts of the Laguna downstream are wetlands of international significance. There is a new City webpage highlighting the Laguna de Santa Rosa. This area is ripe for habitat restoration, from regular trash removal to planting of native plants to create shade and habitat along the waterway. Existing trails could be nurtured as part of the larger care and concern for the Laguna de Santa Rosa., which could be made more of a feature. Perhaps – if in an appropriate location - there could be bicycle and coffee shop facing the Laguna trail, for people stopping off on their way to Sebastopol on the future bike trail? I would happily take any City Council 3 members and others, who haven’t already explored the trails in northwest Cotati on foot, to do so.
It’s a gem waiting to be discovered and appreciated.
Recycling Center. One of the Planning Commissioners urged caution over the idea of a “small recycling center” because of potential air pollution. There is also potential for toxic leakage into the Laguna, which hasn’t been mentioned.
Bearing all of this in mind, the red flags for me are:
The idea that this is an “initial focus” that could be extended to other areas of Cotati, without adequately considering the potential impacts and unintended consequences.
The concept of auto-oriented development, which seems entirely contrary to Cotati’s policies for active transportation and transit-oriented development. This phrase conjures up an image of parts of Santa Rosa Avenue, faceless and characterless, with big box stores, huge parking lots, large expanses of asphalt and concrete, lots of vehicle traffic, large and confusing signage everywhere, and very little option for getting there safely any other way than by car. This truly is the “generic suburbia” that Cotati has been making efforts to distinguish itself from for so long.
The threat of lifting restrictions on fast food chains. These restrictions were considered in detail for months. They shouldn’t be tossed out without careful thought. Cotati has many wonderful, unique, locally and independently owned restaurants and coffee shops that we all enjoy. Recently there has been an influx of burgers and pizzas, it seems to me more than enough for one small town. Over the years there have been discussions about equitable access to fresh food and avoiding “food deserts,” and I’d like to see this taken into account too, not to impose anything on anyone but to make sure that everyone who wants it has access to healthy, fresh, food, preferably local, seasonal, and organic when possible, rather than extending auto-oriented fast-food chains, especially larger-scale franchises which could threaten truly independent locally-owned businesses downtown and in the nearby Apple Valley Plaza.
Signs
What makes for effective signage? It seems to me that signs in this area have two purposes:
a) Attracting attention from the freeway. This applies only to the buildings directly adjacent to Redwood Drive. They can only be seen fleetingly from the freeway. Some of the existing signs are clearly visible at a glance, including Harley Davidson’s and Dunn Edwards. I don’t think making them larger would achieve anything.
There is one huge billboard that I would classify as confusing visual clutter. It advertises the River Rock Casino! Why here, and who agreed to it and why? I think larger signs, balloons, streamers etc., would only make for more distracting, visual clutter. 4 b) Signs that help direct people to specific businesses. Some of them are well-placed, clear, bright, visible, and seem to be doing their job. Others are hard to see, because they are not placed in a prominent location, or the font or graphics make them hard to read, or they are shaded or hidden by landscaping vegetation, for example. In some cases, the product is obvious from the name, but in others it is hard to tell what the business is offering. I’d suggest that the design and placement of the signs is actually more significant than their size.
I’d appreciate an explanation of the difference between a Master Sign Plan (which is being proposed for elimination) and a Directory Sign which lists several businesses at one location.
These seem to be helpful in locating businesses on the ground especially when more than one share the same address or driveway.
I think it would be helpful to have a public hearing with residents and business owners together to look at details of signing and lighting so that everyone can better understand the options and consider common benefits as well as possible unintended consequences. This could also be an opportunity for residents to meet business owners, learn about what’s available, and brainstorm about how to help get the word out. Is there a Cotati business directory that could be made available locally and distributed through the City, Chamber of Commerce, perhaps the library (if allowed) and at downtown locations?
I sympathize with the business owner who wants to display his goods outdoors, but could this be limited to specific events such as, say, a week-long sale. 70 days twice per year, i.e. 5 months in the year, doesn’t seem much of a limitation. What are the pros and cons for businesses, their neighbors and customers?
It didn’t sound as if all the business owners had the same priorities or requests or that the solutions would be the same for each of them. Perhaps their requests could be dealt with on a case-by-case basis rather than instituting a blanket set of rules that may not be applicable to each of them depending on the location and type of business.
Please allow enough time to consider – and include public input on - each of these issues carefully and in depth before making any changes which may have unintended negative consequences and which may be hard to reverse once implemented.
Thank you for your service and for the opportunity to comment.
Sincerely
Jenny Blaker
5 Rohnert Park Bicycle and Pedestrian Overcrossing
1 https://www.rpcity.ca.gov/DocumentCenter/View/698/Rohnert-Park-Highway-101-Bicycle-andPedestrian-Overcrossing-Feasibility-Study-PDF?bidId= 2 https://app.cloudpano.com/tours/Jbbng-FRS8
3 https://scta.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Rohnert-Park-CBTP-Report_Final.pdf Rohnert Park Highway 101 Bike and Pedestrian Crossings Feasibility Study (2022) Highway 101 is a major barrier to east-west travel in Rohnert Park, particularly for cyclists and pedestrians, and creates gaps in the City’s active transportation network. In 2020, the City conducted a Feasibility Study of potential bicycle and pedestrian crossings of Highway 101. It evaluated seven potential crossing locations, solicited community input through public meetings and an online survey, and assessed alignment alternatives. In October 2021, the City Council expressed their unanimous support for the Study's recommendations and directed City staff to pursue the "Butterfly Bridge" concept at Copeland Creek, which includes a touchdown plaza on the east side along Commerce Boulevard. The General Plan and Active Transportation Plan both recommend implementing a bicycle and pedestrian crossing at Copeland Creek, located in the southern portion of the study area.