A call to action at the Sonoma Developmental Center

By Teri Shore —

Now that the State of California has suddenly decided to sell the 180-acre historic campus at the Sonoma Developmental Center (SDC) in Glen Ellen separately from the 765-acres of open space lands on the publicly-owned property, it is time to immediately transfer those lands to state and county parks. At a recent protest at SDC about 75 people carried signs with that message: Keep Our Open Space Lands in Public Hands! Transfer Open Space Now! Everyone supports the permanent protection of the open space–county, state, and community– so it is hard to understand why it hasn’t happened.

Since the facility was closed in 2018, elected officials at the county and state have said that the entire 945-acre property would be sold to a master developer, who would be then expected to protect the open space. Selling it to a developer to then re-donate back to the parks seems crazy since we the people of California own it already. 

Then to the surprise everyone following the fate of the SDC, the state’s commercial real estate division (Department of General Services) suddenly put the core campus up for sale in mid-May in the middle of Sonoma County’s planning process—with the date of August 15, 2022, to decide on a buyer. Protection of the open space remains in limbo. The state’s Request for Proposals (RFP) to sell the core campus outlined expectations for potential buyers and overlapping timelines that undermine Sonoma County’s specific planning process, which remains incomplete. The Environmental Impact Report for the county’s proposals for the SDC site isn’t due out until July 25. 

The timing of the sale announcement indicates that public comment received so far by Sonoma County — all of the input into what was touted as a community-driven process — can be ignored if a developer is chosen by the state prior to adoption of the specific plan (which hasn’t even been finalized). Hundreds of people and groups have already submitted letters calling for immediate protection of the open space lands and objecting to the scale of the development and provided detailed comments on the scoping for the EIR. 

“It’s like buying a car without looking under the hood,” Arthur Dawson, a historical ecologist and community leader from Glen Ellen, told the Press Democrat during a June 6 protest (pictured). Dawson is also chair of the North Sonoma Valley Municipal Advisory Council, which wrote a detailed briefing paper about the future of SDC that was supported by local jurisdictions and thousands of concerned citizens. 

Permit Sonoma, the county’s planning agency, is advocating for a new town on the SDC site that would degrade the Sonoma Wildlife Corridor, generate vast greenhouse gas emissions from Vehicle Miles Traveled, and put thousands more people in a high wildfire risk area with 1,000 new housing units, a hotel, restaurants and retail, and commercial offices. 

The protest took place on the same day that the state planned a tour of the campus for developers, on Monday, June 6. The state’s change in course to sell the campus separately could actually be a good move for conservation, as it makes even more sense that the open space lands to be transferred to state and county parks for permanent protection now. 

It is time to take action, to write letters and call elected officials at the state and at the county, Permit Sonoma, California State Parks, California’s Department of General Services, Governor Newsom. Letters to the editor are also powerful.

It’s time to ask for:

• Transfer all open space acreage outside the campus to California State Parks immediately. This public land should not be sold into private hands!
• Hold a public, in-person meeting with all decision-makers so stakeholders can be heard.
• Recognize and incorporate the community’s vision for redevelopment of the site:
  • Preservation of the open space and the integrity of the Sonoma Valley Wildlife Corridor
  • Creation of truly affordable workforce housing that is safe, sustainable, and appropriately scaled to the rural character of the surrounding community
  • Recognition of the historic legacy of the SDC, including its tribal connections and its links to individuals living with developmental disabilities
  • Redevelopment that supports climate resiliency
  • Redevelopment that keeps all Sonoma Valley residents safe in the event of wildfire by recognizing the constraints imposed by nature and exacerbated by inadequate roadways and building in the wildland/urban interface

Visit eldridgeforall.org https://eldridgeforall.org/ for information on how to contact your elected officials, sample letters, and ongoing updates about the SDC redevelopment process.