The promise of SDC: a community call to action

Reader opinion by Tracy Salcedo

It’s time for the state of California to keep its promises. It’s time for us to make sure that happens.

Since closure of the Sonoma Developmental Center in Eldridge was announced in 2014, a broad-based coalition of county officials and community members have been working diligently to ensure that in its next iteration, the property remains a viable Sonoma Valley treasure. The spectacular parcel encompasses more than 700 acres of open space abutting Jack London State Historic Park and Sonoma Valley Regional Park. It’s a critical wildlife corridor and a huge contributor to the health and well-being of neighbors in Glen Ellen and beyond. It also includes a campus comprised of about 140 buildings, some of which could seamlessly transition from current uses to similar use, providing housing and business opportunities for survivors of October’s wildfires and others.

Following release of the SDC closure plan in 2015, department officials and state legislators have repeatedly assured us the SDC site will not be “surplused,” or sold to the highest bidder. The state has also said it is committed to a robust community-driven land-use planning process. The SDC Coalition, spearheaded by Supervisor Susan Gorin and pooling the expertise and passion of county officials and a spectrum of community organizations including the Sonoma Ecology Center, the Sonoma Land Trust, the Glen Ellen Forum, the Glen Ellen Historical Society, and the Parent Hospital Association, has been building consensus on options that preserve the property’s extraordinary values as both open space and a redevelopment opportunity.

We are pulling our weight. The state is not in this alone.

Recently, the state indicated its interest in transferring SDC to Sonoma County. However, that offer did not include a financial commitment to help the county shoulder the costs of managing and caring for the property, or for land-use planning both in the interim and over the long term. This reticence would be difficult to swallow in the best of times, but for a county recovering from a natural disaster, a dearth of state funding makes the offer unworkable.

In the best-case scenario, the state would make good on its promises by retaining ownership of the property for the next several years while the land-use planning process takes place;

provide sufficient funding for ongoing maintenance and security; and transfer the 700 acres of open space lands now for state and/or regional parks.

Additionally, the state could allow interim uses on the site. This could both generate revenue to offset maintenance costs and, more importantly, ensure there’s a presence on the property to offset risks of vandalism and vagrancy. Precedents for interim use already exist in Bay Area communities, on San Francisco’s Presidio and on Treasure Island.

The key is uninterrupted transition from present use to a similar use: classrooms, residences, offices, recreational facilities and more could transition immediately, presenting an opportunity to revitalize, preserve, and protect this amazing asset.

And so we come to the call to action. The key is to spread the word. This isn’t a local issue. California has always been a leader in the preservation of its remarkable landforms and historic sites. From Yosemite to Malakoff Diggins, from the Presidio to Sugarloaf, from Anza Borrego to the Redwood National and State Parks, collaborations are possible. This can work!

We have a similar jewel to protect. The state of California has a promise to keep. Let’s make sure that happens. Find our more at Transformsdc.com

Tracy Salcedo is a member of the SDC/Eldridge Committee of the Glen Ellen Forum