I'm slightly biased against REI because I had an issue at their Southcenter location and a bike wasn't put together very well... you'd think that being at the flagship store, or one of the closest satellites, the quality would be top notch but that wasn't really my experience. Then again, it's not an issue of quality but rather consistency as you don't know how knowledgeable/experienced the mechanic is. I would trust a mechanic at a different local shop above any at REI as a general rule (but, there are exceptions).

The one year return policy is definitely a plus (although I'm still bitter that they reduced it to one year, granted I understand why). It seems like a sensible approach. That said, The C'dales are nice bikes and at least you get the dividend. I'd likely get a Novara unless I grabbed something else during a sale. Either way, everything on your list is good and it comes down to what you want to pay for it. Did you check to see if the flagship store carries c'dale? They don't have them at all locations.

I suppose Queen Anne is a big enough of a hill to justify the discs, but standard rim brakes would be OK too, especially with a pad upgrade to Kool-stop salmon pads.

I wouldn't bother with the Raleigh, mechanical disc brakes are good. Hydraulic disc brakes are more trouble than they are worth (especially the lower level variety). I wouldn't even touch hydraulic disc brakes below XT level after the experience I've had on two bikes with intro level hydraulics.

The Novara has better components and you get more for the money... but, you have to test ride. I personally can't stand the Sram style of shifter (thumb-thumb) and would take the cheaper shimano trigger and thumb style. Not to mention, hydraulic discs (ewwwwww!). But it definitely has the best components out of the bikes you listed. I guess on second thought, the Raleigh is the second best bike, but you are still stuck with hydraulic discs (really wish they didn't do that). The Novara would probably be my preference.