One of the defining issues of my last few years as Supervisor has been housing and development in the Sonoma Valley. First District constituents recognize the immense need for affordable housing in the Valley, but also express hesitation and concern around plans for larger scale development projects, including the Sonoma Developmental Center (SDC). Here, I want to share my thoughts on the Eldridge Renewal project submitted by Keith Rogal and Grupe Company, the developer selected by the state Department of General Services for the redevelopment of the SDC. 

First, a bit of historical background: on December 16th, 2022, the Board of Supervisors approved the Sonoma Developmental Center Specific Plan and Environmental Impact Report. The approved specific plan included 620 units of housing, with the expectation that density bonuses could see the total number of units end up slightly higher. Most recently, on February 16th, 2024, the developer submitted their proposal to Permit Sonoma, for a project including 920 units of housing, of which only 124 will be deed-restricted units. In a response letter sent on March 15th, 2024, Permit Sonoma, after reviewing the project proposal, deemed it incomplete. Their reasoning included disagreement as to how the number of affordable units is calculated as part of the density bonus, the placement of a hotel in the northwest corner of the campus along the wildlife corridor, the overreliance on single family detached dwellings, and underutilization of missing middle housing typologies. 

As you might imagine, I have my own concerns, and I’m glad to see many of them reflected in the comments from Permit Sonoma. Given my own experience losing my home in the 2017 fires, and knowing that experience is shared amongst many Glen Ellen neighbors of the SDC, I remain very concerned about the plan’s lack of understanding of defensible space, as well as of how the increased number of units, beyond those approved in the approved SDC Specific Plan, will impact evacuation time in the case of future fires.

Now, the developer has time to respond. I remain hopeful that the developer will incorporate the comments shared by Permit Sonoma and keep the SDC Specific Plan, which our Board approved after receiving extensive community input over many years, front and center. On March 20^th of this year, I cohosted a First District County Housing Update with Permit Sonoma, who provided an informational update on the county Housing Element, the General Plan, the Springs Specific Plan, and State Housing Law, and answered community questions. Among my takeaways from this meeting was the reminder of one final overarching concern I’ll share here which is that, because the SDC developer’s project preapplication was first submitted when the county did not have a certified Housing Element, they are only required to participate in five total public workshops or meetings as part of the project approval process. This includes meetings of the Board of Supervisors, the Planning Commission, and even First District advisory bodies, which would be meetings of the Sonoma Valley Community Advisory Council, the Springs Municipal Advisory Council, and the North Sonoma Valley Advisory Council. This was not the county’s decision, but rather a requirement under state law.

Five is not a large number of meeting opportunities to provide comment, and I want to make sure the public is aware and remains engaged throughout the approval process. I plan to keep you informed through my newsletter on upcoming meetings, when they are scheduled, and opportunities to provide comment. Please stay tuned.

Resilient Landscaping - On April 23rd, The Resilient Landscapes Coalition is partnering up with Safer West County to present a virtual workshop on Landscape Maintenance in the Defensible Space Zone. All of the details can be found on the registration page at the link below. Additionally, you can see other upcoming workshops by visiting their website and navigating to their Events page.  

RESCHEDULED - State Route-37 Solano Pavement Repair Project: 55 hr. Full Highway Closures on State Route-37 between State Route-29 (Vallejo) and State Route-121 (Sonoma) Weekends of April 19, April 26, May 3, & May 10, 2024 Starts Friday, April 19 at 9:00 PM

SOLANO and SONOMA COUNTIES – Caltrans is scheduled to alternately close eastbound and westbound State Route 37 (SR-37) on four consecutive weekends. Due to weather, the new starting date will be of Friday, April 19, 2024. During the 55-hour weekend full highway closures, Caltrans will perform major pavement repair work on eastbound and westbound SR-37 between Solano and Sonoma counties. One traffic direction on SR-37 will be worked on at a time. Detours will be in effect. All work is weather dependent. 

Sonoma County Supervisors approve updated tree ordinance - The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved an expanded version of the county’s tree protection ordinance, which will preserve more of the county’s trees and help to combat climate change given that woodlands pull carbon from the atmosphere.

The updated Tree Protection Ordinance protects more native species, lowers the size threshold of protected trees to support forest health, and exempts removals for public safety, defensible space and basic property maintenance. A second ordinance specifically enhances protections for oak woodlands, a sensitive and valued natural resource.

Continue reading at the link below for more information.

Springs MAC - Join the Springs Municipal Advisory Council on the second Wednesday of each month at 6:30pm.

Next Meeting: Wednesday, May 8th at 6:30pm.

North Sonoma Valley MAC - Join the NSV MAC on the third Tuesday of each month at 5:30pm.

Next Meeting: Tuesday, June 18th at 5:30pm.

Sonoma Valley Community Advisory Committee - The Sonoma Valley Community Advisory Commission advises on local planning projects in the Sonoma Valley, and hears informational items on other areas of interest. Join the SVCAC on the fourth Wednesday of each month at 6:30pm.

Next Meeting: Wednesday, April 24th at 6:30pm.