Cotati council renews long‑standing lease with Rancho Adobe Fire District for La Plaza Park firehouse

Cotati — The City Council adopted a resolution approving a second‑amended lease with the Rancho Adobe Fire District for the historic firehouse located in La Plaza Park.

Staff summary: City staff explained the draft consolidates prior lease amendments, removes obsolete construction provisions and extends the lease term by another 50 years. Under the proposed restated lease the city retains ownership of the park land while Rancho Adobe would retain ownership of the firehouse structure during the lease term; if the lease expires the building would revert to the city. The agreement also clarifies landscape maintenance responsibilities depending on irrigation meters and grants six exclusive off‑street parking spaces for the fire station with a good‑faith obligation to cooperate if the city needs to relocate those spaces in the future.

Public comments: Firefighters and residents commended the fire station’s central location and response performance and urged the council to maintain the working relationship. A resident questioned whether the nominal rent (historically low, often $1) and the implications for downtown plans should be more explicitly described in the staff report; staff said the report would be updated to include rental terms and correct a school‑district naming typo in the packet.

Council action: Vice Mayor Harvey moved adoption of the resolution and the council approved it by voice vote. Staff noted the Rancho Adobe board approved the draft lease at its Jan. 21 meeting and recommended the council execute the restated agreement.

Next steps: Staff will finalize the lease document and execute it with Rancho Adobe following the council’s direction. Any future physical changes to the park or parking will require coordination with the city and the fire district under the lease terms.