Wednesday night Zoom: last chance for public input on SDC?

Sonoma County has its plan for the development of the Sonoma Developmental Center, the empty and deteriorating facility on 900-plus acres just south of Glen Ellen.

The resulting site specific plan presents variations of a master plan combining housing, hospitality, support infrastructure, and preservation of wild space and historic structures. The state is in a hurry to find a buyer for the facility, and has stipulated that the resulting development be ‘financially feasible’ for private enterprise, so no governing agency is stuck with costs of improvements of maintenance.

In perhaps the last chance for live public input, the plan will be the focus Wednesday, November 17, of a joint  meeting of three county boards: the Springs Municipal Advisory Council; North Sonoma Valley Advisory Council; and the Sonoma Valley Citizens Advisory Commission.

Access the 6:30 p.m. meeting here: https://sonomacounty.zoom.us/j/96931443054?pwd=UFAxc2o1bHRTRW9waWxSR2NCdDZqZz09

Among many critics is the Sonoma Ecology Center, which says the plan does not adequately address pressing environmental issues, including climate change and the biodiversity crisis.

“If we want to succeed at solving the most pressing environmental issues,” the SEC wrote this week,  “we must find solutions that address multiple challenges simultaneously: environmental, social, and economic. “Following are some of our recommendations, which are not adequately reflected in the current alternatives.”

Another controversial element is how many ‘affordable’ homes will ultimately be built, and effect on traffic.