Plans for the future of the Sonoma Developmental Center campus have been in discussion since the facility closed in 2018.
Plans are in the works for the possible creation of a Center for Climate Action and Innovation to be located at the Glen Ellen site of the former Sonoma Developmental Center, county officials announced last week.
The center would serve as a hub for climate leaders, innovators and the public to collaborate in addressing the climate crisis. County officials on Feb. 2 released a business plan for the project.
The initiative is being funded by a $250,000 grant from the California State Coastal Conservancy.
The more-than-a-century-old Sonoma Developmental Center in Glen Ellen was shuttered by the state in 2018 and much of the land surrounding the main campus is in the planning stages to be developed for housing.
In January, 650 acres of the site’s open space was transferred into the jurisdiction of California State Parks.
Tennis Wick, director of the county’s planning department Permit Sonoma, described the business plan as “our latest progress” in SDC’s future.
“As we implement the state’s mandate to protect open space, construct housing and provide economic development, the Center for Climate Action and Innovation concept is already attracting interest that could result in employers returning to campus,” said Wick in the announcement.
The county announcement stressed that the business plan merely explores the feasibility of creating a climate center—and is not a proposal for a development project.
“The locations identified in the business plan are listed for reference as potential opportunities,” the announcement said. “All future development of the Sonoma Developmental Center must be consistent with the Specific Plan, approved by the Board of Supervisors on Dec. 16, 2022.”
To read the business plan, visit permitsonoma.org/longrangeplans
