Sonoma Mountain is central to Sonoma County’s ecology. If the wildlife connectivity is cut off, our biodiversity will unravel.
Sonoma Mountain is central to Sonoma County’s ecology. If the wildlife connectivity is cut off, our biodiversity will unravel.
~John McCaull, Sonoma Land Trust
Dear Mountain Lovers,
Community consensus is that the three Sonoma Developmental Center “alternatives” released on 11.1.21 are unacceptable for numerous reasons.
They do not protect the natural systems—creek setbacks, wildlife corridor, dark sky requirements—or address the impact of traffic and people on those systems. This is SMP’s #1 priority.
They ignore community input from the past eight years, and fail to address climate, sustainability, and wildfire threats.
They propose huge new development (density 3 to 4 times more than the adjacent neighborhoods, with more houses than Temelec, Chanterelle, and 7 Flags combined) in the midst of an existing wildlife corridor and rural area.
The analyses are purely economic, not taking into account sustainability or our low-income housing crisis (only 25% of proposed housing is low income). Instead, all three include a hotel - a carrot for developers.
The housing proposed does not provide for our local workforce, seniors, or special needs, all requested by the community many times.
Even the economic assumptions are questionable: rebuilding after the fires sent construction costs to $800 per square foot and above, yet all three alternatives use $350/SF average for new construction and $565/SF for “reuse” construction.
Our next step as a community is proposing a 4th alternative, a 4th way. SMP, the Glen Ellen Forum, Sonoma Land Trust, Sonoma Ecology Center, North Sonoma Valley Municipal Advisory Council, and all the groups working on private proposals are working non-stop on this 4th way. We strongly urge you to provide input and get involved:
Register for 11.13, 11.16, or 11.17 presentations. Ask your questions, state what you want to see (even if it's for the umpteenth time!): https://www.sdcspecificplan.com/meetings