The development plans for Sonoma Developmental Center are something of a moving target, and will affect Bennett Valley. The project has scaled up significantly since last summer, and Sonoma Mountain Preservation, another local citizen's group, recently published this update. With permission, the VOICE is re-publishing here.  

Update on SDC

By Sonoma Mountain Preservation

Sonoma Mountain Preservation’s concerns about how intensive development on the 180-acre campus of the former Sonoma Developmental Center (SDC) will impact the things we care about on Sonoma Mountain — the health and viability of the Sonoma Valley Wildlife Corridor, the integrity of Sonoma and Mill Creeks and their riparian edges, access to surrounding open space, and protection of viewscapes, dark skies, and the rural qualities that enhance everything about the property — prompted our participation in the lawsuit challenging the validity of the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) accompanying the SDC Specific Plan.

Those concerns were amplified in late August when the developer chosen by California’s Department of General Services (DGS) did an end run around the already problematic Specific Plan and submitted a new plan to build 930 homes on the campus (an increase of 310 units), relocate the proposed resort hotel in the wildlife corridor and include a conference/event center as part of 410,000 square feet of commercial development. The plan was submitted under the auspices of SB 330, the so-called builder’s remedy legislation that allows developers to fast-track their projects and skirt environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

The submission adds complexity to an already complex situation, but the upshot is that the lawsuit challenging the SDC Specific Plan’s EIR is separate from, and not impacted by, the developer’s new submission under SB 330.

Whether 620 homes or 930 homes, redevelopment on the campus must be significantly scaled back to protect Sonoma Mountain’s natural and cultural treasures. The SMP Board of Directors continues to prioritize advocacy for scaled-back development on the campus and will keep supporters posted about ways to help ensure its transformation is right-sized.

https://sonomamountain.org/support-the-lawsuit-to-save-sdc/

https://scaledownsdc.org/news