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By JEREMY HAY
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Cotati’s ambitious plan to revitalize its downtown won the approval on Wednesday of officials charged with managing what were formerly
Cotati (PD FILE)
redevelopment funds.
The oversight board also voted with little discussion to support a redevelopment-funded project to build a downtown train station planned for East Cotati Avenue.
The seven-member board consists of officials and residents of the city, County Supervisor David Rabbitt, and representatives of other jurisdictions whose taxes helped fund the redevelopment agency.
The board agreed that both projects were “enforceable obligations.” That means they are projects to which Cotati’s redevelopment agency — dissolved this year by Gov. Jerry Brown — had made financial commitments that must be met.
The board’s decisions are subject to review by the state, which must approve the spending.
Together the projects require $1.1 million in what were set aside as redevelopment funds.
City officials said both are key to spurring economic growth in Cotati.
“These are catalyst projects,” said City Manager Dianne Thompson.
Both have received federal grants that require the city to match with local funds.
“We’re basically trying to meet our matching grant obligations,” said Damien O’Bid, the city engineer and public works director.
The board’s responsibility is “to dispose of all assets and properties of the former redevelopment agency … in the best interests of the taxing entities.”
Among those assets is a half-acre parcel adjacent to the site of the planned train station. Mill Valley developer Larry Colvin, who has planned a mixed-use project for the property, asked Wednesday what will happen to it.
“It would be great to know for long-term planning,” he said.
“We don’t know yet,” Thompson said.
The oversight board next meets at 2 p.m., May 15 in the Cotati Police Department’s community room.
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‘Maria’: whatever the pseudonym de jour is, sounds like you have skin in the game-a vested interest. Look Lisa,
we know you had a tough week with this Micheal Allen story.
Allen is indefensible.
Any time a sworn public official is being complicit in underminig their community it is indefensible.
There is nothing more appropriate or important to speak truth about than our treasonous ICLEI alliance on this blog.
All facets can be proved.
The membership part.
The what ICLEI is about part.
The connection to Agenda 21 part.
The stated ideology and goals of the Agenda, and what it means to our personal and fiscal econonomic well being, our civil and property rights,
and how it undermines and subverts our Constitutional process.
It’s like defending Micheal Allen,
it’s a tough job, but that’s what you get paid for.
More Kays and Jims running around and we wouldn’t be in this mess.
Kay probably has more accomplishments serving our community than our ‘public servants’do.
Speaking out about ICLEI factual and important.
Over 50 communities have kicked ICLEI out based on the same damages I speak about.
You’d think the shrinks would be busy right now.
SO tired of the ICLEI ranters. These people need psychiatric help. It’s very sad to see people like Kay Tokerud and Jim Bennett exploring their paranoia in public in such an embarrasing way. It’s like listening to people at a cocktail party rave about being abducted by aliens and having to just listen and nod your head. This whole page is filled with deluded conspiracy theorists. As someone who has read for a long time and not posted, I have finally reached overload with ICLEI whatever that is. Please editor, stop exposing us to this crazyness everyday. I am sure that you have noticed that your website is losing more and more people and posters every day?
What happened to you, Cotati was a small town that just wanted to stay that way…that was your justification for cityhood; to not be swallowed by Rohnert Park.
Cut funding to schools and roads, all stops out, it is roundabouts new train stations that count.
Well, hope you got a plan to pay for it because the State, and the Feds are tapped out.
What part of ‘WE DON’T WANT IT’ does the tight little ICLEI cabal at Cotati City Hall not understand.
The citizens did everything but hire a plane to do sky writing.
Eventually starting a petition.
But see, they don’t work for their constituents. You know, the ones that pay them. The ones they took an oath to and for.
They work for ICLEI.
The local implementation arm of:
United Nation’s Agenda 21 Sustainable Development.
The globalist plan for the New World Order, One world government.
In fact, they had the nerve to fly the UN flag outside a while back!
They work for, take directive from, and are accountable to…ICLEI.
That’s why it seems like they don’t care what you think or want.
Because they don’t.
It’s time to ask THE ICLEI QUESTION.
Steveguy:
You must not be familiar with the Circle of Mooch. It goes like this:
SMART mooches from the taxpayers of Sonoma and Marin County, and from MTC.
MTC mooches from Nine Bay Area Counties.
Nine Bay Area Counties mooch from the Federal and State Governments.
Federal and State Governments mooch from all taxpaying Americans.
Cotati mooches grants from Federal and State governments and from County, and City taxpayers.
SMART mooches from Cotati.
It’s a perfect circle.
Build a train station ? Isn’t that SMART’s obligation ?
I’m glad to hear that this project is moving forward. Cotati will really benefit from the SMART train station and the downtown revitalization plan. That will take the city into the next league table.
What an exercise in futility. The requisite signatures to put the no roundabout petition on the ballot have already been collected, and only a few more are need to put it to s apecial election. If the oversight board continues on this Quixotic fantasy, they will be publicly humiliated at the ballot box, now, and in the November election.