Developers
April 2023: DGS Picks Rogal/Grupe to Redevelop SDC Planning Site
Information about Developers (Eldridge Renewal, LLC), their proposal, and the SDC land-use planning process will be posted on this page in chronological order with the most current posts being located near the top.
Indeed, a picture is worth a thousand words. This photo of protesters on the SDC campus highlights local concern regarding wildfire evacuation should Rogal/Grupe realize their vision for the SDC core campus. But wildfire evacuation is only one of the many reasons why a large segment of the local community objects to the Eldridge Renewal proposal. To learn more, SCROLL DOWN the page.
This letter to the editor of the Sonoma Valley Sun authored by Will Shonbrun sums up quite succinctly public opinion regarding building urban-style density on the SDC core campus : A Stupid Idea for Its Time.
2025: Rogal proposal moves forward: What's the problem?
Builder's Remedy Limits Public Input
The completeness letter of 3/6/25 issued to Eldridge Renewal, LLC by Permit Sonoma finds the Rogal application complete for purposes of AB 330 (Builder's Remedy).
According to AI Overview: The Builder's Remedy, a provision of California's Housing Accountability Act, limits local government's ability to deny housing projects based on local zoning or general plan standards if the jurisdiction doesn't have a compliant housing element. This can curtail public input by restricting local officials' ability to consider community concerns and preferences when reviewing housing development proposals. Here's how it can limit public input:
- Reduced Local Control:The Builder's Remedy allows developers to bypass local zoning laws for affordable housing projects, potentially leading to developments that don't align with local planning goals and community preferences.
- Limited Ability to Deny Projects:Cities and counties that don't have a compliant housing element can't deny projects based on zoning or general plan inconsistencies, even if those inconsistencies are seen as detrimental to the community.
- Reduced Opportunities for Public Hearings and Review:While local agencies still have to process applications for Builder's Remedy projects, the streamlined process may limit opportunities for public input and review, especially compared to traditional development processes.
- Potential for Unplanned Growth:The lack of local control over development can lead to rapid increases in housing density without the city's input or control, potentially causing unforeseen consequences for residents and the community.
- Focus on Affordable Housing:While the intent of the Builder's Remedy is to incentivize the creation of affordable housing, it can be seen as prioritizing this goal over other community planning goals and public input.
High Density Impacts Wildfire Evacuation
One big problem with the Rogal/Grupe (Eldridge Renewal) proposal being deemed "complete" for purposes of the Builder's Remedy is that the SDC planning site is adjacent to a high fire hazard severity zone (Sonoma Mountain). Building 1,000 or so homes, plus a hotel, plus commercial space in this area is bound to negatively impact everyone's ability to swiftly and safely evacuate in the event of a fast-moving wildfire.
Wildfire evacuation is a time of panic and fear during which chaos can easily ensue. CalFire warns that evacuations are complex, dire situations that do not conform to standard traffic evaluation. Accidents and abandonment of vehicles were key factors in Paradise (a town that had PLANNED and practiced for evacuation). However, it appears Paradise practiced for evacuating from traditional smaller, fires. Does Sonoma County’s evacuation plan for Sonoma Valley model for fast-moving wind-driven fires? Does it model for a wind-driven firestorm moving from west to east or only from east to west (as Sonoma Valley wildfires have historically moved)? Does it model for a wildfire starting on Sonoma Mountain?
According to the Sonoma Area Fire Evacuation (SAFE) Study recently commissioned by the Valley of the Moon Alliance (VOTMA), an evacuation of Sonoma Valley residents in the event of a wildfire could take four hours of gridlock or longer, with available roads insufficient to service evacuation demand. If the Sonoma Developmental Center is built out as currently planned, evacuation times on Arnold Drive and Route 12 will take 4.5 hours or more.
SAFE Study results provide a more accurate picture of the hazards faced during an emergency evacuation than previous studies. For example, the County agency Permit Sonoma commissioned a traffic study in connection with the proposed development of the Sonoma Developmental Center (SDC) into a site with 960-1200 residences, a 160-room hotel, a conference center, and other facilities. The EIR produced by the County consultants projected that the SDC development would add only 90 seconds to the evacuation time out of Eldridge. The EIR concluded that there was no need to alter any emergency evacuation plans, despite effectively doubling the population and vehicle load.
For more on this subject, click on the button below.
Development Impacts Wildlife Corridor
The Sonoma Valley Wildlife Corridor, a pinch point in a larger wildlife corridor connecting Marin County’s coastal prairies to Berryessa-Snow Mountain National Monument, runs adjacent to and through the Eldridge campus, which has been blessed with a light human footprint that has nurtured harmonious coexistence with the wild creatures who share the space.
Enter Eldridge Renewal and its plans to build 990 dwellings (plus boutique hotel, plus commercial space), including rows of attached three-story apartment buildings barricading Arnold Drive and a four-story resort hotel adjacent to the core of the wildlife corridor. Demolition. Construction. Lights. Traffic. Noise. An influx of thousands of people into a new city erected in a rural landscape. Wildlife will be trapped on Sonoma Mountain with no easy way to reach the forage that sustains them and the diversity that enables their species to survive.
Organizations like Sonoma Mountain Preservation have long advocated for a scaled-back alternative to high-density redevelopment on the campus — an alternative that would support the wildlife corridor and surrounding open space rather than destroying it. We know the transformation can be visionary, not business as usual. The deal isn’t done. Together, we can do the right thing by the land, the Sonoma Valley Wildlife Corridor, and each other.
Lack of Adaptive Reuse Threatens Historical Resources
SDC is an incredibly significant historic and cultural site. The historic buildings and landscapes are severely threatened by the current development plans. Rather than erasing the site's unique heritage by building a thousand new homes, adaptive reuse preserves the architectural integrity and cultural legacy that define the campus, which has been recognized as a historic district at both the state and national levels.
Adaptive reuse is not only more cost-effective and energy efficient, but it also significantly reduces the environmental impact associated with new construction, making it a better choice for climate resiliency.
We need to start thinking seriously about building solutions that are effective in reducing our carbon footprint. Techniques such as Second Skin Technology-already proven globally-allow for non-invasive, environmentally friendly upgrades that transform older buildings into carbon-negative assets, supporting affordable housing and reducing the carbon footprint.
Preserving and adapting these historic structures fosters walkable, vibrant communities, promotes healthier lifestyles, and supports local economies through tourism and creative reuse-demonstrated by successful projects like New York’s High Line and San Francisco’s Ghirardelli Square. As the saying goes, “the greenest building is the one that is already built,” and by embracing adaptive reuse, we honor the past while building a more sustainable and resilient future for the SDC campus and the broader community.
The SDC campus represents an irreplaceable piece of California’s historic and natural environment. Its future should not be dictated by short-term development profits, but by a vision that respects the past, embraces sustainability ,and protects this historic and ecological treasure for future generations.
Rogal’s Plan for SDC future: 990 units + hotel + commercial
Keith Rogal's Development Plan Application for the SDC Planning Site
For a detailed summary of Rogal’s plans for the future of the SDC core campus, please read the Project Description Letter. Additional application documents can be accessed by clicking on the ACCESS PLAN DOCS button.
The Applicant proposes to redevelop the site with residential, commercial, and institutional uses, as well as public gathering and recreational spaces. In sum, the project includes:
• 990 residential units with a diverse array of styles of attached and detached residential homes, apartments, cohousing, and independent living residences. The apartments and homes will range from 500 sf to 3,200 sf per unit and 200 of the 990 total units on-site will be affordable to lower income households;
• Approximately 130,000 sf of commercial uses, including office, retail, research and development, micro-manufacturing and other uses that form an active jobs center for the broader Sonoma Valley;
• A 150-room hotel and associated amenities (approximately 120,000 sf in total) with a parking structure;
• Approximately 67 acres of outdoor public parks, active recreational areas, and open space areas including walking trails, sports fields, children’s playgrounds, dog parks, a community center and gym, and riparian corridors;
• Various public infrastructure and utility network improvements;
• Approximately 3,030 parking spaces for automobiles (on-street and off-street) and commensurate outdoor parking spaces for bicycles distributed throughout the site; and
• A designated area for a new fire station and evacuation command center.
The Rogal/Grupe tentative map above differs greatly from this (more or less current as of 2025) map of the SDC core campus.
CLICK ON THE BUTTON BELOW to access the Rogal/Grupe Development Plan Application for the Sonoma Developmental Center.
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