Open space not included in DGS RFP
This undated statement was sent by Supervisor Susan Gorin's office on June 23 to Arthur Dawson, Chair of the North Sonoma Valley Municipal Advisory Council. While this Joint Statement is reaffirming, local open space advocates contend that it in no way secures in perpetuity the land in question. State law referred to in this statement, Government Code Section 14670.10.5, the legislation that enabled the planning process and provided funding, makes it abundantly clear that final authority for all decisions regarding SDC open space rests with the Director of DGS based on what he/she finds to be in the best interest of the state: "A transfer, sale, or final disposition of any portion of the property or property interest authorized pursuant to this section shall not occur until the director has determined that the county has granted necessary approvals to rezone the property, approved a specific plan or plans for the property, and approved any necessary development agreements needed for disposition of all or any portion of the property, or the director has determined that the transfer, sale, or final disposition is in the best interests of the state. "
WE MUST REMAIN FULLY ENGAGED AND TAKE NOTHING FOR GRANTED!
Are Our Efforts Having An Effect?
June 22, 2022: DGS has just released a revised RFP timeline bringing it more in line with Permit Sonoma's anticipated release of the Draft EIR (Aug 8) and finalization of the EIR and SDC Specific Plan sometime in November of this year.
Read about the June 6 protest in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat: https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/protest-in-glen-ellen-over-sdc-redevelopment/
June 7: Reasons for Protest
Seeing that 1) the Specific Plan Draft EIR (Environmental Impact Report) hasn’t been released (coming out sometime in late July); and 2) consequently, the public has not had an opportunity to provide input on it (two steps necessary to finalizing the SDC Specific Plan), it is truly shocking that on May 17 the CA Department of General Services (DGS) released its Request For Proposal (RFP). Why? Because DGS is now asking developers to prepare bids to purchase the 180-acre core campus with no concrete project description, no comprehensive site plan (which should have been part of the Notice of Preparation for the required environmental impact report per CEQA), no public comment on the Draft EIR, and no real guarantees that SDC open space will remain in the public trust or even open to the public.
What does this mean? It means developers are left to come up with their own plans with NO PUBLIC INPUT. The state’s Request for Proposals (RFP) outlines expectations from potential buyers and overlapping timelines that undermine Sonoma County’s specific planning process, which remains incomplete. This means public comment received so far by Sonoma County — all of our input into what was touted as a community-driven process — won’t be finalized and incorporated into plans before a developer is chosen by the state prior to adoption of the specific plan. The RFP does not specify how the ~750 acres of open space that surround the core, which elected officials and bureaucrats have always promised would be preserved as public parkland, will be dealt with. The fate of the SDC’s precious natural resources - and public access to those resources - remains in limbo.
In light of this total breakdown in the SDC Specific Plan process, a small group of community activists called for a peaceful Protest In Support of Stopping the Eldridge Disaster! (PISSED!). Having advocated for years to preserve SDC open space and protect the wildlife corridor from being undermined by overdevelopment of the core campus, organizers of the PISSED! Protest have 4 critical demands of County and State officials:
Approximately 75 people attended the PISSED! Protest on Monday, June 6 at 12:30pm on the SDC campus at the main entrance to the SDC (intersection of Arnold Drive and Harney). Protesters gathered on the day DGS had invited interested developers to tour the SDC property.
HOT OFF THE PRESS. READ ALL ABOUT IT!
Tracy Salcedo has written an excellent article, Focus on the SDC: Open space and the public trust, explaining why the DGS Request For Proposal (RFP) constitutes a betrayal of the public trust and paves the way for all of the SDC land - core campus and open space - to forever be removed from public ownership. Christian Kallen further details problems with the RFP in his article, Sonoma Developmental Center up for sale. You'll find these two articles in the Kenwood Press (June 1, 2022). Read them!
BY THE WAY...
The official website for the SDC Specific Plan (www.sdcspecificplan.com) has a page where all official documents are supposed to be posted. According to the website, documents are routinely posted at the TOP of the Documents page in the order they are released to the public. Hence, the most recent docs can, in theory, be found at the top of page. HOWEVER, to date, the DGS RFP (May 17, 2022) has been buried at the very BOTTOM of the sdcspecificplan.com DOCUMENTS page as the last item in Background Documents, which date back to 2015. The RFP has been out for an entire two weeks. Hard to believe that burying it in such an unlikely location could be a simple mistake. Update: As of several days ago, the DGS RFP is now accessible on the sdcspecificplan.com HOME page.
WANT TO KNOW MORE? Listen to THE FATE OF SDC RADIO SHOW: https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/archives.ksvy.org/KSVY_2022-06-03__16_00_01.mp3
Sonoma Developmental Center Specific Plan
This NOP solicits guidance from responsible, trustee, and federal agencies about the scope and content of environmental information to be included in the EIR related to the agencies’ statutory responsibilities. The agencies will use the County’s EIR when considering their permits or other approvals related to the Project. The NOP also provides an opportunity for other interested parties to provide the County information they may possess or comments on environmental issues they see as being germane to the EIR.
In response to broad public rejection of the Sonoma County Planning Team's proposed alternatives for the SDC Specific Plan, the North Sonoma Valley Municipal Advisory Council has written a letter to Sonoma County Supervisors. Support their efforts by signing this petition. Click below to sign.
Presented at NSVMAC Meeting, 12/15/21
Download PDFDuring the the two months between release of Project Alternatives and settlement on a Preferred Plan, the public is encouraged to review the alternatives and provide comments to the County via the County website. If you care about the future of the SDC, now is the time to speak up!
Please take a look at the SDC Specific Plan project website for new content, such as a recently developed Community Engagement Strategy and an Ambassador Toolkit, meant for community members to share with their neighbors.
The Adaptive Reuse Potential Evaluation (March 2021) "outlines initial assessments for potential for adaptive reuse, preservation, and redevelopment of existing structures, with the goal of defining the intersection of historical significance and reuse/adaptability potential that will inform subsequent work, including preparation of alternatives." This 63-page report builds on work done by WRT in 2017.
The Key Informant Interviews Report (Feb. 2021, revised March 2021) "summarizes findings from interviews with key informants on topics related to the Sonoma Developmental Center (SDC) Specific Plan."
These and other important documents pertaining to the development of the SDC Specific Plan can be found by clicking on the button below.
Click on the link below to read a summary of the November 14, 2020 virtual community workshop hosted by Dyett and Bhatia and Sonoma County.
Read the Summary Report from the June 15, 2019 Eldridge Visioning Workshop held at Hanna Boys Center and hosted by the SDC Coalition. You can find the full report on our "Downloads" page.
The SDC Planning Advisory Team has been selected. Follow this link to read member bios:
Dyett & Bhatia, a San Francisco-based urban and regional planning consulting firm, has been hired by Sonoma County to help prepare the SDC Specific Plan and Program Environmental Impact Report: http://dyettandbhatia.com
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Joint Statement on SDC Open Space and Amended Timeline for DGS Request for Proposal (RFP)