Sonoma Developmental Center (SDC) is at a turning point, and what happens next will shape Sonoma Valley for generations.
SDC is a jewel. Once the site of a visionary institution to care for California residents with developmental disabilities, it also encompasses a wide swath of scenic and ecologically-significant land, situated in the heart of Sonoma Valley. Its transition offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
At Sonoma Ecology Center (SEC), we’ve been deeply engaged in ensuring that this unique site serves both people and nature in the best possible way. This is the first in a series of installments on The Ecology Blog about our vision for SDC, the work we’ve done to protect its ecological and other values, and what comes next. We hope this information will help you make your voice heard as opportunities for input arise.
From the beginning, SEC has taken a pragmatic, solutions-focused approach. We know the campus will be redeveloped, and we also know that, with the right design, it’s possible to redevelop the campus while respecting the land and benefiting people. That’s why we’ve engaged with all interested parties—state and local agencies, developers, environmental experts, and community members—to find where there is common ground. Because one of SEC’s core organizational values is collaboration, we don’t join lawsuits, even when, as in a recent case, we agree with most of the lawsuit’s claims and provided some of the information it was based on. Instead, we’ve focused on making actionable, science-based recommendations that shape what’s possible. The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) is an effective framework for advocating for legally binding protections and requirements, ensuring that the site’s biodiversity, water resources, and wildland connectivity are preserved, and when possible, enhanced.
One of our key principles is to seek multiple-benefit solutions. At SDC, multiple uses are not necessarily mutually exclusive. It’s possible, with the right design, to build housing that’s affordable and advance economic innovation, while also protecting habitat. Precious land for the site’s regionally significant wildlife corridor, open space, and creeks can be protected if buildings are clustered together, taller instead of wider, and multi-unit instead of single-family. SEC continues to work to articulate these possibilities and influence the site’s design to achieve multiple-benefit outcomes.
In the coming months, we’ll dive into specific ways SEC is working to influence the SDC planning process—such as securing wider riparian buffers, demonstrating the presence of protected species, assuring a wider wildlife corridor that’s free from buildings, roads, and trails, getting wildlife-friendly campus design requirements, and advocating for water management that provides abundant water to natural systems. We’ll also explore how the site could be part of diversifying Sonoma Valley’s economy, lead in responding to the climate crisis, and help address the affordability crisis.
Stay with us as we continue this series. There will be times when your voice can make a difference, and we’ll let you know when to speak up. If you haven’t already, sign up for SEC’s email list so that, together, we can help ensure that the future of SDC reflects the best of Sonoma Valley.