RESOLUTION NO. PC – 2026 – xx
A RESOLUTION OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF COTATI
FINDING THE CREATION OF A FREEWAY OPRIENTED DEVELOPMENT (FOD) OVERLAY CONSISTENT WITH THE GENERAL PLAN EIR AND
RECOMMENDING THE CITY COUNCIL ADOPT AN ORDINANCE TO CREATE THE FOD OVERLAY, REZONING APPROXIMATELY 13 PARCELS TO THE FOD OVERLAY, AND AMENDING TITLE 17 (LAND USE) OF THE COTATI
MUNICIPAL CODE TO FURTHER IMPLEMENT THE FOD AND MAKING
OTHER ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT RELATED MODIFICATIONS TO THE LAND USE POLICIES; FILE NO. PA#26-17
Whereas, on March 24, 2015, the Cotati City Council adopted its updated General Plan (Resolution No. 2015-12), which identifies the City’s vision for the future and specifically highlights the industrial zoning district as an important source of economic activities to be supported through amended policies and expanded land use activities; and WHEREAS, on March 24, 2015, the Cotati City Council also certified the City of Cotati General Plan Environmental Impact Report (EIR), which reviewed potentially significant environmental effects resulting from the plan’s implementation and developed measures and policies to mitigate those impacts to less-than-significant levels; and WHEREAS, in June 2025, the City Council adopted the 2026/27 fiscal year work plan which included a project for the Community Development Department to develop a freewayoriented zoning overlay.; and WHEREAS, in February 2026, City staff engaged directly with property owners and businesses in the proposed freeway-oriented overlay area to gather their input regarding the proposal. Discussions with property owners and business operators identified several policies changes to support reinvestment and business attraction including adding flexible and modernized signage regulations, loosened restrictions on temporary and promotional sales activities, and allowing expanded commercial uses in the zoning district.; and WHEREAS, on July 20, 2026, the Planning Commission conducted a public workshop to gather input and provide direction on the potential FOD overlay district. Specific recommendations from the Planning Commission included expanding the FOD boundary; allowing more sales and promotional activities by-right; allowing additional sign height and size while also modernizing the sign lighting requirements but continuing a prohibition on electronic message board signs; being conscious of potential light pollution and visual blight impacts and keeping these updated regulations to west side of Hwy 101, and WHEREAS, on July 28, 2026, the City Council conducted a workshop to review the potential code changes identified under the conceptual Freeway Oriented Development (FOD) overlay concept. After considering the Planning Commission recommendations and hearing from several members of the public, the Council indicated general support for the project and provided direction to move forward with the FOD Ordinance, including keeping the Overlay west of Hwy 101 and focused on the Industrial zoning district; ensuring regulations do not allow the proliferation of pole signs; not extending formula-based businesses into Industrial zoning district; not expanding allowances for drive through retail sales; requiring neighbor notification for streamlined marketing and sales events; and require a conditional use permit for recycling facilities; and
WHEREAS, on September 21, 2026, the Planning Commission of the City of Cotati held a duly noticed public hearing to consider and review an ordinance proposing to create the FOD zoning overall and implement additional changes to the land use code to finalize and implement the FOD policies, and make a recommendations to the City Council regarding its adoption.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Planning Commission of the City of Cotati does hereby find:
SECTION 1: Recitals.
The above recitals are true and correct and are incorporated into the findings herein.
SECTION 2: Record
The Record of Proceedings (“Record”) upon which the City Council makes its decision includes, but is not limited to: 1) the 2015 General Plan, 2) the FEIR certified for the 2015 General Plan, and 3) all staff reports, City files and records, and other documents prepared for and/or submitted to the Commission and City Council related to adoption of the amendments to Title 17 (Land Use) of the Cotati Municipal Code to establish the Freeway oriented Development (FOD) zoning overlay and implement other identified changes to the Cotati Municipal Code to facilitate implementation.
SECTION 3: General Plan Consistency
The Council of the City of Cotati does hereby find that the amendments to Title 17 (Land Use) of the Cotati Municipal Code to establish the FOD Overlay and implement other identified changes to the Cotati Municipal Code to support the Commercial/Industrial zoning, as set forth in this Ordinance, are in the best interest of the City in that they will further established goals, policies, and implementation programs of the General Plan to increase the number of high quality jobs and generate revenues for the City by supporting the continued success and growth of Cotati’s industrial area.
Specifically, these amendments are consistent with and implement the following General Plan policies and objectives:
Policy EV 1.1: Attract and retain economic sectors in which Cotati has competitive advantages and capitalize on these strengths in order to diversify local economic activities.
Policy EV 1.12: Encourage the growth of new commercial enterprises within appropriately zoned areas while maintaining the stability of the existing commercial businesses.
Policy EV 1.15: Support and encourage the continued success and growth of Cotati’s industrial area
Action LU1.b: Either combine the Commercial/Industrial and General Industrial districts into a single district that accommodates the range of industrial and commercial uses allowed in the Commercial Industrial land use designation or amend the Commercial/Industrial and General Industrial designations to accommodate the range of uses allowed in the Commercial/Industrial land use designation.
Policy LU 1.4: Require new development to occur in a logical and orderly manner, focusing growth on infill locations and areas designated for urbanization on the Land Use Map (see Figure 7.1), and be subject to the ability to provide urban services, including paying for any needed extension of services.
Policy LU 3.6: Support the continued development and intensification of employme nt centers throughout all non-‐residential areas of the City.
The proposed map and text amendments will help to further the established goals, policies, and implementation programs of the General Plan identified above, including business attraction and retention, while also encouraging growth of new commercial investment, employment opportunities, and generation of local revenues in the industrial area of the City. Specifically, by allowing expanded signage, sales events and land uses new opportunities to attract regional customers would be created. Further, these changes would expand the range of allowed uses in the Commercial Industrial district; focus growth on infill parcels in urbanized areas; and support intensification of employment centers in a non-residential area of the City. Based on this, staff has identified the proposed changes as consistent with the overall intent and policy direction of the General Plan.
SECTION 4: Findings
The Planning Commission of the City of Cotati does hereby find that the proposed ordinance to amend Title 17 (Land Use) of the Cotati Municipal Code to establish the FOD Zoning Overlay and implement other identified changes to the Cotati Municipal Code:
a. Is consistent with the goals and policies of all elements of the General Plan, and any applicable specific plan in that the proposed text and map amendments will serve to implement the policy direction of the General Plan to support and encourage the continued success of the industrial district; will help to accommodate a range of land uses in the CI zoning district; and will help the City to provide a business friendly environment for both new and existing companies. b. The proposed amendments would not be detrimental to the public interest, health, safety, convenience, or welfare of the city given that they are seeking to expand the allowable land uses in a limited area of the community, expand on the sales and service activities available to create employment and shopping opportunities for residents and will modernize the sign illumination methods allowed, citywide.
c. The proposed project has been reviewed in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and are hereby found to be consistent with the program Final Environmental Impact Report (SCH# 2013082037) for the Cotati General Plan Update that was certified on March 24, 2015 (Resolution Number 2015-11) and no new environmental impacts peculiar to the project site(s) have been realized or identified, therefore no additional environmental analysis is required under CEQA, including Section 15183, and therefore pursuant to Section 15168 of the CEQA Guidelines, as such no further environmental review is required. d. The proposed amendment is internally consistent with other applicable provisions of this Zoning Code is found to be true in that all modified areas of the code have been reviewed to ensure consistency across the other related land use regulations and across the other areas proposed to be modified through this action; and
e. The sites proposed to be rezoned to the overlay are physically suitable (including absence of physical constraints, access, compatibility with adjoining land uses, and provisions of utilities) for the requested zoning designations and anticipated land uses/developments in that the FOD overlay is only being applied to 15 properties each of which fronts onto Redwood Drive, an arterial connector providing regional access and freeway visibility; and f. The proposed amendment is consistent with no-net-loss provisions and will not reduce the residential density of the parcel without a concurrent and off-setting increase in density being adopted for an alternate location is found to be given that no residentially designated properties are proposed to be included in the map amendments..
Section 5. Compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act.
The Planning Commission of the City of Cotati does hereby find that the proposed ordinance to amend Title 17 (Land Use) of the Cotati Municipal Code to establish the FOD Zoning Overlay and implement other identified changes to the Cotati Municipal Code are consistent with the program Final Environmental Impact Report (SCH# 2013082037) for the Cotati General Plan Update that was certified on March 24, 2015 (Resolution Number 2015-11) and no new environmental impacts peculiar to the project site(s) have been realized or identified, therefore no additional environmental analysis is required under CEQA, including Section 15183, and therefore pursuant to Section 15168 of the CEQA Guidelines, as such no further environmental review is required.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Planning Commission of the City of Cotati does hereby recommend that the City Council introduce an ordinance to amend Title 17 (Land Use) of the Cotati Municipal Code to establish the FOD Overlay and implement other identified changes to the Cotati Municipal Code to support the Commercial/Industrial zoning, as set forth in the attached Ordinance, including the following specific elements:
1. Support for 25-foot maximum height for freeway-oriented pole and freestanding signs.
2. Direction to add cyclists to the zoning standards that reference automobiles and pedestrians.
3. Reconsideration for areas allowing formula-based businesses.
THEREFORE, IT IS HEREBY CERTIFIED that the foregoing resolution was duly adopted at a regular meeting of the Planning Commission of the City of Cotati held on September 21, 2026, by the following vote, to wit:
RESULT:
MOVER:
SECONDER:
AYES:
NAYS:
ABSENT:
Approved:___________________________
Chair
Attest:______________________________
Carla Duncan, Permit Technician