From: Marlina Eckel
Sent: Monday, July 27, 2026 1:34 AM
To: Ben Ford <[email protected]>; Sylvia Lemus <[email protected]>; John Savage <[email protected]>; Susan Harvey <[email protected]>; Laura Sparks <[email protected]>
Cc: Damien O'Bid <[email protected]>; Craig Scott <[email protected]>; Henry Babits <[email protected]>; Kevin Patterson <[email protected]> Subject: Comments for City Council meeting on Item 8B, Freeway Oriented Development Zoning Overlay
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Dear Mayor and City Council members and staff,
I have become aware of the conversations to potential zoning changes called Freeway Oriented Development Zoning Overlay and would like to submit the following comments and observation for consideration on item 8B of the agenda. I am not able to attend as I am taking care of my 91 year old mother at the time. However, I did watch the Planning Department presentation and these are my thoughts.
Cotati IS different because it has taken a measured and slow approach to growth. It looks and feels different from most towns and cities. That is a benefit. I recall when a friend visited me in Cotati and one of the first things he commented on was how impressed he was that our town is not full of large signage. He stated that our town must be very progressive in obviously having ordinances that differentiated it from most towns where you are bombarded with signage. At that time, I didn’t even realized that such a thing exists. I just took it for granted…how “quaint” our town appears. However, that lack of signage was impressive to him. Since then I have been aware of this distinction, and for me that is a selling point to our town. That being said, I do understand a business owner needing their business found and I guess freeway visibility helps to be discovered. Let’s not be garish about it. And in no way do I support moving digital signs. They are a distraction to drivers.
I follow real estate trends and developments avidly. I do know that interest in Cotati housing has tremendously heated up. It is distinct from the other nearby cities because of how we have developed. Let’s not mess that up. Seriously, this is a great place as a result of slow growth. You can get all the usual stuff anywhere. Just jump the border north.
I do not support any change to the Fast Food ordinance. Citizens worked long and hard on this. If you fell you must allow in this area, then the allotment should be taken away from another section that has not used up it’s allotment. And I do not support drivethroughs. There are enough of them just north and south of us. Especially burger joints. Can we distinguish ourselves with something different? There is already a Burger King and just north of the border a Carl’s Jr, McDonalds and In and Out. A Habit Burger already exists in SR. Why do we support peppering the freeway with crap? If we extend the overlay to the 76 station, does that mean that Burger King will put up one of those huge freeway signs? I absolutely don’t support that. It seems like stopping the overlay north of 116 makes sense. There are redwood trees between the Mercy/hot tub place and the freeway. Signage wouldn’t work south of Helmen lane anyways.
I will watch the development of this with interest but I am leery that this will set a precedent throughout town which I will absolutely not support. I will state strongly that any other areas that would become ripe for such consideration go through a thorough process; not that any changes decided now be automatically granted to other areas without due process.
Healthy Regards,
Marlina Eckel
With husband Christian Miedler in full support of my comments