Cotati reviews design, traffic and labor plans for 44‑unit affordable housing at 120 East Cotati Ave.

City of Cotati staff and the developer Freebird Development presented detailed designs and a traffic study on the proposed 44‑unit affordable housing project at 120 East Cotati Avenue during the city council’s Aug. 26 meeting, and council members offered direction on vehicle access, sidewalk design and labor protections. No final approvals were taken; staff said the project will return to council as part of a disposition and development agreement.

The project would place 44 residential units and about 3,850 square feet of ground‑floor commercial space on the downtown lot the city bought using money from its affordable housing fund. Freebird Development’s proposal calls for three stories with a parking garage on the ground floor, a landscaped podium courtyard on the second level with play areas, and the housing units on the second and third floors. Twelve units (about 25 percent of the total) are proposed as supportive housing dedicated to residents who need services to retain housing and access healthcare.

Senior planner JP Harris told the council the development is a ministerial project under state rules referenced in the meeting (cited by staff as AB 2162/AB 21 62 in the transcript), and therefore the city’s role on approvals is limited. Because the city owns the land, however, council can set conditions in the disposition and development agreement that will return to council for approval. “Although it's a ministerial project, the council can impose conditions on the project and the disposition of the property to the developer,” Harris said.

Developer presentation and design

Robin Zimbler, founder and manager of Freebird Development, and the project’s architect, Paul, walked the council through the design goals and changes since earlier community meetings. The current design calls for a mix of studios, one, two and three‑bedroom units, roughly distributed evenly across sizes, and aims to balance scale with context: the building steps down to two stories at the ends where it meets neighboring properties, and commercial space is oriented toward La Plaza to “activate the public streets,” Zimbler said.

Zimbler and the architect described adjustments the team has made in response to community input: additional color in façade materials, stepped‑down massing toward La Plaza and Charles Street, and a podium courtyard with seating and two children’s play areas. The developer said the project seeks to be “a good neighbor” through design and continued outreach.

Project numbers and concessions

Key project elements discussed during the meeting: - Units: 44 total. - Commercial: about 3,850 sq. ft. of ground‑floor commercial along La Plaza. - Supportive housing: 12 units (described by staff as the 25% set‑aside that qualifies the project for ministerial review under the state supportive‑housing streamlined approval standard). - Intended affordability: units targeted to households at or below roughly 80 percent of area median income (AMI) as stated by the developer. - Parking shown on plans: 54 vehicle spaces (developer stated), while staff noted state density‑bonus law limits the maximum parking a city may require in certain circumstances (staff said the statute would limit the city to a maximum of 42 spaces under one calculation; the project includes additional spaces). - Height and setbacks: building roof proposed at about 37 feet with decorative tower elements around 47 feet 6 inches; staff identified a concession request to reduce the rear setback from the 20 feet in the Downtown Specific Plan to 10 feet on portions of the site.

Harris explained that because the project is in an area defined as a “very low vehicle travel area” and is proposed as 100% affordable with a supportive‑housing set‑aside, state density bonus law allows additional height and density, and it also provides parking concessions for supportive units.

Traffic, pedestrian safety and public‑realm changes

The city commissioned a traffic analysis after concerns surfaced in earlier meetings about vehicle turning movements and on‑street parking. The traffic study — summarized for council — estimated peak‑hour project trips of about 16 to 19 vehicles and concluded the project would not cause levels of service to fall below acceptable thresholds at the studied intersections. The study also reported no recorded pedestrian or bicycle collisions in the three intersections reviewed over a five‑year period, although it identified a small cluster of rear‑end collisions at Charles Street and East Cotati Avenue.

Staff and the developer proposed widening sidewalks on East Cotati Avenue and Charles Street to 10 feet, and to add street trees along Charles. The East Cotati sidewalk would be widened using space taken from the existing drive aisle and parking lane; underground utilities under East Cotati will prevent planting street trees in wells there, so the developer said trees would use raised planters. Paul, the architect, said the applicant will maintain the existing bus stop kiosk and preserve some on‑street parking for business uses such as flower vendors.

Council members, residents and staff debated right‑turn and left‑turn movements to and from East Cotati Avenue. Multiple council members said they preferred a right‑turn‑only restriction from the project garage onto East Cotati Avenue to reduce conflicts where vehicles merge; staff said signage and striping could be installed initially and monitored, and physical barriers could be considered later if needed. “We want to spread the traffic between the two streets and not focus it,” Harris said; council asked staff to return with implementation language and monitoring procedures in the DDA.

Labor standards and contractor oversight

A prominent theme in public comment and council questions was construction labor standards. Zimbler told the council she “always try[s] to use union GCs and union subs on my projects,” but said prevailing wage or union‑only requirements can make financing harder on smaller projects and that she could not commit to a union labor requirement at this stage. “I would love to build with union labor… I cannot stand here tonight … committing to using union labor,” Zimbler said, adding that she was willing to include prevailing‑wage commitments or competitive‑bidding and labor‑compliance monitoring provisions in the DDA if the city requires them.

Labor representatives and union organizers urged the council to require stronger prequalification and monitoring measures. Chris Palomo, senior organizer for local Carpenter’s union 751, said the union has identified wage and benefit violations on recent projects and asked the council to require prequalification language and third‑party labor compliance monitoring to protect workers. The council asked staff to accept the union’s suggested prequalification language for review; City Manager Noah (first name given in the meeting) said staff had not yet received the text and would follow up.

Public questions and concerns

Nearby residents and business owners raised questions about on‑street parking loss, pedestrian and bicycle safety near the garage entrances, and potential impacts on adjacent properties. One resident asked the council to preserve curb parking used by flower vendors on East Cotati Avenue; staff and the developer said plans retain some on‑street parking and will coordinate with affected businesses.

Next steps

Council did not vote on the project design or set final conditions during the meeting. Mayor Ford recused himself from the item because he lives close to the project site and turned the item over to Vice Mayor Lemus; Harris said the city and the developer will draft a disposition and development agreement reflecting the council’s feedback and return to the council for formal approval. The council requested staff include draft language for traffic restrictions, monitoring plans, and options for contractor prequalification and labor compliance in the DDA.

Why this matters

The parcel at 120 East Cotati Avenue is city‑owned and was purchased with funds from Cotati’s affordable housing fund. Council direction on traffic, parking and labor expectations in the DDA will shape how the city disposes of public land and how the project will operate if approved. The project also uses state streamlined rules for projects that include a supportive‑housing set‑aside, which narrows the city’s discretion on some design and density limits.

What council asked staff to do next

- Return to council with a draft disposition and development agreement that incorporates the council’s direction on traffic controls (including a right‑turn‑only option for East Cotati Avenue), sidewalk and streetscape detailing, and monitoring procedures. - Review and respond to union‑provided prequalification language; draft options for mandatory prevailing wage, third‑party labor compliance monitoring, or other contractor accountability provisions to include in the DDA. - Confirm the final parking plan and on‑street parking preservation to address business concerns.

Speakers (attribution whitelist)

- JP Harris, Senior Planner, City of Cotati (presenter; first referenced 00:30:45) - Robin Zimbler, Founder & Manager, Freebird Development (developer; first referenced 00:45:29) - Paul, Architect, Freebird Development (architect; first referenced 00:52:47) - Vice Mayor Lemus (presiding over item; first referenced 00:30:35) - Mayor Ford (recused from this agenda item; first referenced 00:02:03) - Councilmember Sparks (questioning councilmember; first referenced 01:15:33) - Councilmember Harvey (questioning councilmember; first referenced 01:21:54) - Councilmember Savage (councilmember; first referenced 01:48:44) - Chris Palomo, Senior Organizer, Carpenter’s union (public commenter; first referenced 00:57:12) - Laurie Alderman (Zoom commenter raising funding questions; first referenced 00:16:16) - Omar Lopez, Senior Program Associate, Generation Housing (public commenter; first referenced 01:12:52)

Authorities referenced (as spoken in the meeting)

- type: statute; name/description: "AB 2162 / AB 21 62"; referenced_by: ["120-east-cotati-ave-affordable-housing-design-review"] - type: statute; name/description: "California state density bonus law (referenced in the meeting)"; referenced_by: ["120-east-cotati-ave-affordable-housing-design-review"]

Clarifying details

- Project unit count: 44 units (developer presentation). - Commercial area: approximately 3,850 square feet (developer presentation). - Supportive units: 12 units (described as 25% set‑aside qualifying for streamlined ministerial approval). - Proposed parking shown: 54 spaces (developer); staff noted the state density bonus formula limits the maximum city may require in some circumstances (staff cited a city maximum of 42 spaces under one calculation). - Building height: ~37 feet to roofline; decorative tower elements ~47.5 feet (developer/ staff). - Rear setback concession requested: 20 ft (DSP standard) reduced to 10 ft in portions of the site (developer/ staff). - Sidewalk width proposed: 10‑foot sidewalks along East Cotati Avenue and Charles Street (developer/ staff). - Traffic study peak‑hour vehicle estimates: 16 entering/exiting in 1 peak hour and 19 in the other peak hour (traffic study summary). - Traffic crash history at studied intersections: no pedestrian or bicycle crashes in the five‑year review period; four rear‑end collisions reported at Charles & East Cotati (traffic study summary). - City land purchase funding: city staff said the land was purchased from the city’s affordable housing fund; a public speaker referenced $1,600,000 drawn from the fund (public comment).

Proper names (normalized)

- Freebird Development (organization) - City of Cotati (agency/municipal government) - 120 East Cotati Avenue (location/project site) - La Plaza (location) - Charles Street (location) - East Cotati Avenue (location) - Carpenter's Union Local 751 (organization)

Community relevance

- Geographies: Downtown Cotati / La Plaza area - Funding sources: City affordable housing fund (city‑held), anticipated state affordable housing financing sources mentioned by developer - Impact groups: Low‑ and moderate‑income households, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (supportive units), nearby businesses relying on on‑street parking

Meeting context

- Engagement level: high — multiple staff presentations, developer presentation, planning commission prior review and community meetings; several members of the public commented at length. - Implementation risk: medium — project uses state streamlined approvals for supportive housing (limits some local discretion), but disposition of city land and funding conditions remain to be set in the DDA. - History: concept and prior proposals discussed at multiple community meetings, planning commission meeting and prior council review; council directed staff to return with a DDA for formal approval.

Searchable_tags:["affordable housing","Freebird Development","density bonus","supportive housing","traffic study","labor standards","Cotati"]

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