Cotati council approves mixed‑use project at 8150 La Plaza with variances, reduces required parking
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Summary
After extended public comment and debate about parking, trees and privacy, the Cotati City Council approved design variances and a tree‑removal permit to allow two new buildings with five residential units and 890 sq ft of commercial space at 8150 La Plaza, adopting planning‑commission conditions including a 20‑foot rear setback, opaque rear windows and a required parking management plan.
The Cotati City Council on the evening of the joint meeting approved a resolution authorizing design review variances, a tree removal permit and associated entitlements for a mixed‑use infill project at 8150 La Plaza.
Senior planner JP Harris told the council the project would construct two new buildings, add five residential units and 890 square feet of street‑level commercial space. He said the site is roughly 15,000 square feet, sits across from the fire station within the La Plaza District, and requires variances for rear setback, a modest height increase over the 35‑foot guideline and relief from an objective third‑story setback standard. Harris said the project was being processed under CEQA’s infill provisions: “The project is located on La Plaza, directly across the street from the fire station right within the hub area of Cotati,” and staff recommended exemptions under CEQA Guidelines §15183 and §15332.
Developer Emil Hugo described the project’s long history and investments on the parcel and emphasized parking as a financing and operational concern. “We hope it goes through, receives your blessing on it so we can get on with the working drawings and get construction going,” he said, adding that losing two on‑site spaces would make financing and tenant obligations more difficult.
Public comment focused on parking and neighborhood compatibility. Thomas Trujillo, a nearby tenant, asked the council to “leave the parking availability in the project at its maximum and not reduce it to force more vehicles onto the street.” Multiple Arthur Street residents and speakers from the planning commission urged the council to preserve a healthy rear yard buffer and to protect a prominent oak tree.
Council members asked staff and the applicant about whether a parking management plan could be required, the durability and likely survival of a 10‑inch oak tree near the foundation, and whether rear windows could be conditioned to preserve neighbor privacy. Staff said some trees were declining and that one 10‑inch oak “may not survive construction;” the packet included required findings for a true tree removal permit.
Vice Mayor Susan Harvey moved to adopt the resolution incorporating the Planning Commission’s recommendations: maintain a 20‑foot rear setback (rather than the applicant’s requested 10 feet), apply a variance to the third‑story setback where appropriate, require opaque windows on the rear elevation to protect privacy, and allow a reduction in parking from the initial code calculation of 14 spaces to 12 spaces while also requiring a parking management plan and larger perimeter replacement trees. The motion also included findings that the project is consistent with the General Plan/GEIR and qualifies for CEQA infill exemptions (§15183 and §15332). The council approved the measure in a roll call vote: Council Members Savage and Sparks, Vice Mayor Harvey and Mayor Lemus voted yes. One councilmember was recused for this item.
What happens next: The permit resolution includes conditions from the Planning Commission and references required findings in the council packet; staff will prepare final permits and the project will move to building‑permit phase if the developer accepts the conditions. The council also directed staff to prioritize a downtown parking management discussion to look holistically at parking supply and striping in La Plaza to mitigate spillover effects.
