RESOLUTION NO. (XX)
RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COTATI APPROVING A 12-MONTH EXTENSION OF PRELIMINARY AND FINAL DESIGN REVIEW AND A
TREE REMOVAL PERMIT FOR THE COTATI VILLAGE I PROJECT, A MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT CONSISTING OF 177 MULTIFAMILY UNITS AND 4,752 SQUARE FEET OF COMMERCIAL SPACE ON A 7.83-ACRE PROPERTY LOCATED AT THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF ALDER AVENUE AND STATE ROUTE 116
(PA#26-14 / APNS 046-286-021 & 144-050-009)
WHEREAS, on December 16, 2021, 116 Associated Investors, LLC applied for approval of Design Review and a Tree Removal Permit to allow construction of a 177-unit mixed-use apartment development on a 7.83-acre property located at the northeast corner of Alder Avenue and State Route 116 (SR-116), called the Cotati Village I project (“Project”); and WHEREAS, on February 5, 2024, the Planning Commission recommended City Council approval of Preliminary Design Review and a Tree Removal Permit for the Project; and WHEREAS, on February 27, 2024, the City Council of the City of Cotati approved Preliminary Design Review and a Tree Removal Permit for the Project; and WHEREAS, on May 15, 2024, the Design Review Administration approved Final Design Review for the Project; and
WHEREAS, in accordance with Section 17.64.080(A)(1) of the Cotati Municipal Code (CMC) project approvals have a 2.5-year (30 months) life if not exercised prior; and WHEREAS, CMC Section 17.64.080(A)(2) defines “exercised” as when a permittee has “substantially commenced the approved activity or has actually commenced the allowed use on the site in compliance with the conditions of approval”; and WHEREAS, since approval of Final Design Review no activity on the project has commenced such as receiving approved building permits or beginning construction that could be construed as substantially commencing the approved project; and WHEREAS, in late 2024 116 Associated Investors LLC sold the property with the associated entitlements to Diamond Boulevard LLC and Advanced Building Solutions (“Applicant”) became the project proponent; and
WHEREAS, since the purchase of the subject property, representatives of Advanced Building Solutions and their civil engineer have been actively engaged with City staff to integrate the Cotati Village I project and frontage improvements into the City’s design for the realignment and control of the intersection of West Cotati Avenue and SR-116; and WHEREAS, on September 9, 2025, the Cotati City Council approved the affordability agreement for the Project restricting eighteen of the units to very low-income households. The agreement was recorded in the Official Records of Sonoma County on May 4, 2026; and WHEREAS, the City Council has reviewed all evidence in the record, including public testimony, during a duly noticed public hearing held on August 25, 2026; and WHEREAS, the City Council finds that the health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of the City of Cotati will not be jeopardized by the granting of this extension.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Cotati finds as follows:
A. That the above recitals are true and correct and constitute a part of the findings made by the City Council in support of this Resolution; and
B. That, as documented in 2024, the Project conforms to California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Section 15183, which provides for a streamlined review of the potential environmental impacts of the Project by tiering from the program level analysis prepared for the Cotati General Plan and its certified Environmental Impact Report (EIR). All adopted mitigating General Plan policies and mitigation measures identified in the 2013 General Plan EIR that apply to the Project were identified in the analysis and imposed as environmental conditions of approval, and no further environmental analysis is required; and C. That the following finding required to approve an extension can be made:
There have been no changes in the conditions or circumstances of the site or project such that there would have been grounds for denial of the original project.
There have been no changes to the character of the site or its surroundings that affect how the General Plan or Land UseCotati Municipal Code apply to the project.
The most
significant recent changes to the area were the entitlements granted to the adjacent proposed 126-unit development referred to as Cotati Village II and the adjacent proposed 178-unit mixed-use development referred to as Redwood Row.
In addition, there have been no applicable changes to the 2015 General Plan since the project was approved in 2024 and there have been no changes in community infrastructure or resources which decrease capacity of City facilities.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the City Council of the City of Cotati hereby approves a 12-month extension of the Preliminary and Final Design Review approval and Tree Removal Permit for Cotati Village I, a mixed-use development consisting of 177 multifamily residential units and 4,752 square feet of commercial space on a
7.83-acre property located at the northeast corner of Alder Avenue and SR-116, identified as Assessor's Parcel Numbers 046-286-021 and 144-050-009. This extension is subject to continued compliance with all previously approved plans and adopted Conditions of Approval and establishes a new expiration date of November 15, 2027.
IT IS HEREBY CERTIFIED that the foregoing resolution was duly adopted at a regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Cotati held on August 25, 2026, by the following vote, to wit:
Approved:___________________________
Mayor
Attest:______________________________
Kevin Patterson, Deputy City Clerk
Approved as to form:______________________________
City Attorney