The Sebastopol City Council reaffirmed its denial of the proposed CVS Pharmacy project Tuesday night, finding the project was out of sync with the city’s Main Street character. The council adopted a series of suggestions for design changes, should the developer decide to continue with the project. Was it the right call?

The CVS and Chase buildings, which would look unlike any others in the nation, were designed by Sebastopol architect Kevin Kellogg. But after six hearings before the Design Review Board and two before the City Council, the project still didn’t pass muster. ‘Yes they came back many times, but the focus should be on how good can we get,’ said Lynn Deedler, design board vice chairman.

A controversial proposal by CVS Pharmacy to build at one of Sebastopol’s most visible intersections was in limbo Wednesday after the City Council rejected its design plans. Now the developer, who declined comment, must decide whether to revise the design, give up the project already approved by the City Council after a year of discussion or consider legal action.

Windsor’s train station doesn’t have passenger rail service yet, but it’s already dictating how the town will grow over the next 20 to 25 years. Town planners have come up with a blueprint for development in a half-mile radius around the station, which is considered integral to a transit-oriented future in which people live and work within walking distance of trains and buses.

The contentious debate over the CVS Pharmacy project in Sebastopol is tinged with complaints of bias and free speech violations. Opponents sought to have Sebastopol City Councilwoman Kathleen Shaffer disqualified from the vote, contending that a misdirected email showed that she was biased in favor of the project. And they complained the mayor violated their rights to free speech by barring a slide show.

Dozens of people lined up Monday night to try to sway the Sebastopol City Council on a controversial CVS Pharmacy proposed for one of the city’s most prominent spots. The crowd of about 250 people was about 2-to-1 in favor, based on a show of hands, with supporters calling the project well-designed and a plus for business, and those against wanting something smaller and more fitting Sebastopol’s small-town character. The council will decide the fate of the project next month. What should it do?

Sebastopol loves a good debate, and little is as contentious in this west county city of 7,500 as development. Attention is now turned on the CVS Pharmacy project proposed for one of Sebastopol’s most visible corners.

Windsor’s Town Council on Wednesday unanimously approved Bell Village, one of the biggest developments proposed in Windsor in years. The mixed-use project, just east of the Town Green, includes 387 rental apartments and townhomes and 80,000 square feet of commercial space anchored by Oliver’s Market.

UPDATE 5:45 PM: Lowe’s has dropped out of a Petaluma development that would have given the city its only home improvement warehouse store and perhaps captured millions of dollars in sales tax spent in other cities. “Essentially the clock ran out on a project that could have broken ground in 2010,” said Marko Mlikotin, a spokesman for the project’s developer. But it also reopens the door for a Friedman’s Home Improvement store to return to Petaluma.

Spring Lake Village won approval for a major expansion of its senior community in east Santa Rosa Tuesday. The Santa Rosa City Council voted 6-1 to approve the project and overturn the September denial of the proposal by the Planning Commission.