UPDATE: We’re excited that Measure Q passed in the November 2016 election!
The City of Cotati in Sonoma County plans to renew its urban growth boundary (UGB) for another 30 years with the city-sponsored Ballot Measure Q in this election.
While Measure Q has the full support of the City Council and is likely to pass, Greenbelt Alliance realizes that we still need to inform and inspire the voters. We can’t risk losing such an important measure so we urgently need local grassroots action. Now is the time to let your Cotati friends and neighbors know to Vote Yes on Q.
Measure Q maintains and strengthens the General Plan policies that established Cotati’s current UGB, and continues to require voter approval for changes to the boundary.
Measure Q does not alter the location of the existing UGB; it simply gives Cotati voters the opportunity to extend its term for another 30 years until November 3, 2048. There is no cost to the city’s taxpayers to renew the UGB.
The City Council believes that the people who live and raise their families here should make the critical decisions about Cotati’s future development, and that’s why the Council has placed the proposed ordinance on the ballot.
The major purposes of the boundary are to:
- Protect Cotati’s distinct and unique character
- Prevent urban sprawl
- Protect the farmlands, greenbelt and open spaces around Cotati
- Protect wildlife habitat and groundwater recharge areas
- Discourage growth that sprawls into surrounding countryside
Cotati residents first approved the urban growth boundary in November 1998 for 20 years with 71% of the vote. As the City’s general plan was updated last year, Greenbelt Alliance urged the City to consider renewing its UGB in November 2016 instead of waiting until 2017 or 2018. Mayor John Moore, the other councilmembers, and city staff agreed.
Please get active on Yes for Measure Q by sharing information, downloading fact sheets, and learning more at the campaign’s website.
