Merchants, Residents Call for More Information on Cotati Street Redesign

Cotati's Old Redwood Highway funnels thousands of cars an hour from Highways 101 and 116 into the core of Cotati, to Rohnert Park and places like Sonoma State University, Oliver's Market and the mom-and-pop shops that pepper the throughfare.

South of La Plaza, the street offers up fabulous pies at Brixx, great brunch at Redwood Cafe, it's famous for the bars that make up the "Cotati Crawl," and the two-lane street boasts outdoor seating and wide, tree-lined sidewalks. Small talk fills the air, as locals can be found regularly reading the newspaper and sipping beer.

North of La Plaza, the street turns to four lanes, two in each direction. Mostly, it's a commuter street. There's also cute restaurants and locally-owned businesses, but it's much faster.

Two plans, presented at a Design Review Commission Oct. 20, outlined proposed street redesigns envisioned in Cotati's Downtown Specific Plan that would transform Old Redwood Highway into something more like the southern end — wider sidewalks, more pedestrian crossings, bike lanes.

The city calls the plans, dubbed the "Village Main Street" and "City Boulevard," safer, more pedestrian and bike-friendly.

But a group of , mostly the parts that eliminate car capacity by installing round-abouts and force motorists to make a U-turn to get to thier shops.

In an already depressed economy, , the plan would severely hurt their business.

Oliver's Market owners said they may be foreced to leave Cotati if the redesign is implemented.

But dozens of other business owners and residents, who aren't as public, said they've been flooded with questions about what the plans actually are, from concerned citizens bringing the issue to their doorsteps.

Claire and Chaz Fetrow, who own the Hub Cyclery located near where one of the round-abouts would be, said in the first week at least a dozen people came in, just wanting to talk about the project. Even more called.

"People are asking us what's going on ... if Oliver's is leaving, and what the plans actually are," Claire Fetrow said. "What's missing from this is a really informative public meeting, where the city presents plans to the public in an open, transparent way, and we all get a chance to hear different viewpoints, where a planning decision isn't being made. That hasn't happened."

Fetrow said the bike shop is like a town water cooler.

"We've been here for 22 years, so in a lot of ways, people see this as part of the fabric of Cotati, and our doors are open, so people come in to talk," she said.

"I don’t think the public has had enough information yet, or understood enough of the details, to make an intelligent, informed, carefully thought-through decision on an issue that will affect the future of Cotati for decades into the future," said local resident Jenny Blaker.

"The city hadn’t held an open, public meeting on this issue until the Design Review Committee," said Blaker, who attended the meeting. "Most people could not see the boards illustrating the two Plans A and B – so most people haven’t had a chance to fully understand the City’s new Plan A, or to ask questions or make comments about it."

Blaker and Fetrow talked, and brought their concern to City Manager Dianne Thompson last weekend.

Thompson agreed.

She confirmed early this week that a public meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 8 at 7 p.m. There, the merchants and residents will have a chance to speak openly, hear concerns from local businesses and ask the city any questions they may have.

Blaker and Fetrow support the city's plan for a pedestrian and bike-oriented downtown, but said mostly, they're just concerned that the plans were presented hastily, without enough public input.

"I would like to see a beautiful, slower downtown, but I would also like to hear what other people think," Fetrow said.

Blaker agreed.

"I want everyone to have an opportunity to know all the facts, all the details, and have a chance to ask questions and have them answered by people who know what they are talking about," she said. "It would be helpful to have some experts on hand, who can corroborate or refute facts, and with videos or other graphics that everyone can clearly see." 

Editor's note: Stay tuned to Rohnert Park Patch for full coverage of the meeting. Read more about the two proposals, and a third, in .