Permit Sonoma releases final redevelopment plans for Sonoma Developmental Center

Permit Sonoma has released the final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and Specific Plan that will guide the redevelopment of the Sonoma Developmental Center (SDC). The final Specific Plan incorporated public comments to the draft that enhance protection for the more than 700 acres of open space and ensure that affordable housing is built before or at the same time as the market-rate housing.

“With the release of the final Specific Plan and EIR, we are nearing the finish line on this once-in-a-lifetime process,” said Supervisor Susan Gorin, whose district encompasses the SDC. “I am optimistic that through this last community engagement process, which includes hearings at the Sonoma Valley Citizens Advisory Commission, Planning Commission, and finally the Board of Supervisors, we will end up with a plan that fits the needs of the Sonoma Valley while responding to the major challenges facing our county, including housing affordability, workforce development, climate adaptation and wildlife preservation.”

If enacted, the County says the final SDC Specific Plan would be a transformative effort that charts the future of the Sonoma Valley. The plan includes:

• 1,000 housing units with 283 units of affordable housing.
• Open space protection for 700 acres and preservation of Sonoma Creek.
• More than 900 jobs that will provide diverse living-wage jobs in an economy dominated by agriculture and hospitality.
• Walkable core with transit, pedestrian and bike paths to provide alternatives to automobile use.
• Institutional uses focusing on research and education driving employment.
• Commercial, recreational, and civic uses for residents, employees and the greater Sonoma Valley.
• The Environmental Impact Report found that the proposed SDC Specific Plan achieves the goals of the redevelopment including providing more housing and affordable housing, protecting the open space, and being more economically feasible and providing more economic development than the alternatives with similar environmental impacts.
• The final plan expands protection for wildlife and SDC’s open space. New additions to the plan require that the developer expand the wildlife corridor before there is occupancy on the east side of Arnold Drive.

Definitions of what could be allowed in the open space were restricted to better reflect the intent of the plan. Comments from groups such as the Sonoma Ecology Center and the Center for Biological Diversity were incorporated into new policies to further protect wildlife.

The final plan also addresses community concerns about the project’s phasing. New requirements in the final plan strengthen protections for the affordable housing by requiring its construction at the same time as other residential units. These stronger policies ensure that all aspects of the plan’s housing is built.

Until its closure in 2018, the Sonoma Developmental Center provided services to people with developmental disabilities for more than 120 years and at one time was the county’s largest employer. The property includes a historic campus, agricultural lands, and vast open space resources but will require an estimated $100 million to pay for rehabilitation and infrastructure costs. State law requires the redevelopment to prioritize housing, especially affordable housing and housing for people with developmental disabilities and be economically feasible.

The Sonoma County Planning Commission will consider the final EIR and Specific Plan at an Oct. 27 hearing. Subsequently, the Board of Supervisors is scheduled to hear the plans for SDC on Dec. 16.

To read the Sonoma Developmental Center Specific Plan and the final Environmental Impact Report, visit sdcspecificplan.com/documents.