The county’s latest plan for developing the SDC campus

Permit Sonoma, Sonoma County’s planning agency, has released its latest a project description for development on the 900-acre Sonoma Developmental Center.

The county said the latest iteration incorporates feedback from community workshops, public surveys and stakeholder meetings following the three alternatives published on Nov. 1, 2021.

In the County’s words, the updated project description calls for: 

• Preserving more than 700 acres of open space, Eldridge Cemetery, the Main Building, and Sonoma House;
• Expanding the existing wildlife corridor and protections along Sonoma Creek;
• Constructing between 900 and 1,000 units of housing;
• Creating about 250 units of deed-restricted affordable housing; Generating approximately 1,000 jobs through office and local retail uses;
• Establishing new community facilities for fire services, youth and active recreation;
• Building new fire resilience measures;
• Maintaining the net building area of the current site

The State of California, which owns the site and wants to sell it off by the end of the year, has charged Sonoma County with charting the future of the property. State law requires the redevelopment to prioritize housing and be economically feasible. 

See the plan here.