Cotati planning commission reviews 2024 General Plan annual progress report; staff flags update needs

City planning staff presented the City of Cotati’s 2024 General Plan Annual Progress Report (APR), summarized progress implementing plan actions and told the Planning Commission that a full general-plan update is a high priority but not currently funded in the city budget.

“The general plan was adopted in 02/2015,” Director of Community Development Hausch told the commission, adding that staff compiles implementation actions into an annual table used for the APR. He described the implementation chapter as a snapshot of where the city stood when the plan was adopted and said that some goals have become outdated as priorities and external conditions changed.

Hausch said the implementation chapter covers ongoing actions (city services, maintenance, data collection) and project-oriented actions (capital improvements, new programs, code or policy updates). He told commissioners that the implementation list is long — the APR’s implementation chapter runs many pages in the packet — and that updating the general plan would be a significant budget and staff undertaking.

Commissioners suggested items that should be reconsidered in an update or prioritized for near-term work. Topics raised included the circulation plan (one commissioner said the plan’s map still shows Alder Avenue as closed and proposes a new, costly road that would run through wetlands and mature oak trees), park-location graphics and the need to identify park sites for the west side of town, and modernization of the public safety element to reflect wildfire response and evacuation planning since 2015.

Hausch agreed these issues merit attention and told commissioners that some updates can be addressed as targeted general-plan amendments while broader or cumulative changes could trigger a full general-plan update. He noted state rules that can require a comprehensive update if enough pieces of the plan are amended.

Staff recommended the commission review the APR, provide direction or concerns for staff, and file the General Plan APR for future discussion. As with the housing APR, staff described this item as a receiving/file matter; no formal motion or vote on the General Plan APR was recorded in the transcript.

Ending: Commissioners suggested the staff present a short list of recommended focus areas when the APR goes to City Council so the council can consider where to allocate budget or staff time for updates.