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Cotati highlights housing tools, entitlement work and recent land purchase as top strategic priorities
Summary
City staff told the council they have advanced multiple housing‑oriented tools — cottages, ADU updates, density bonus rules — and are reviewing entitlement materials for an affordable developer on land purchased at 120 East Cotati Avenue; council asked staff to market Cotati’s development readiness.
City staff told the Cotati City Council the city has several housing policy tools in place and that a number of projects are in various stages of review and entitlement.
City Manager Damien and Community Development staff reviewed recent and near‑term actions: updates to accessory dwelling unit (ADU) rules to conform with state law; a cottage housing ordinance; objective design standards for housing; a senior housing overlay; a Cotati density bonus ordinance; and a currently‑under‑review entitlement package for an affordable housing developer on land the city purchased at 120 East Cotati Avenue. “We purchased land at 120 East Cotati Avenue, which is the corner of Charles and East Cotati, and we're in the process right now. We, we're reviewing entitlement an entitlement package from the affordable housing developer that's working on that development,” Damien told the council.
Staff said the city has worked to remove obstacles for planned projects along Highway 116 and to coordinate on a Jamie Lane affordable housing project with the Sonoma County Housing Land Trust near the train depot. Council members repeatedly identified housing as the top community priority based on resident polling and the council’s workshop feedback. The staff presentation cited polling showing housing consistently outranked other priorities.
Staff also outlined electronic permit management and file‑management projects, and a planned outreach and marketing effort aimed at improving Cotati’s reputation for development readiness. “We've done a lot, I would say, probably as much or more than any community in Sonoma County around housing and a lot of development. And, I think it's, I think it's time to get out there and tell people about it, make a real concerted effort,” Damien said.
Council asked staff to place affordable‑housing entitlement and implementation tasks where they would get high priority in the two‑year workplan, and to bring information to the general fund study session about which projects will need staff time versus which require added funding. Staff noted a recurring theme: projects are frequently entitled but do not proceed to construction because financing is not available; council members suggested continued outreach for funding sources and possible tax‑increment finance mechanisms to subsidize infrastructure and housing development.
No formal votes occurred at the meeting; staff will return with details and updated project priorities for council review.
