Large chunk of Sonoma Developmental Center land to be transferred to State Parks

As debate has raged over reinvention of the historic Sonoma Developmental Center property near Glen Ellen, preservation of the site’s expansive open space has been a rare point of agreement.

That goal is officially headed toward reality following an announcement Thursday that approximately 650 acres of SDC land will be transferred to California State Parks. The transfer, the largest addition to state park lands in Sonoma County since 2010, will swell the size of Jack London State Historic Park to more than 2,200 acres.

“I think it is a big day,” state Sen. Bill Dodd, whose district includes the beloved and battled-over site, said in an interview. “This is good news for Sonoma County. Because with budgets the way they are, we’ve seen these types of things go south. That property could probably be monetized. I’m just really pleased for the local communities that had this vision all along.”

Those advocates include the Sonoma Land Trust, Sonoma Ecology Center, the Bay Area Open Space Council and many individual citizens who have expressed concern over a potential loss of habitat, recreational opportunities and, perhaps most crucial, a wildlife corridor that helps link the Marin Coast to Blue Ridge and Lake Berryessa, in the rugged terrain of eastern Napa County.

Without the Glen Ellen corridor, explained Sonoma Land Trust Executive Director Eamon O’Byrne, apex predators like mountain lions, foxes, coyotes and badgers wouldn’t be able to adequately roam and reproduce.

“Sonoma Mountain is ecologically and culturally one of most important places within Sonoma County,” O’Byrne said. “Transfer of this open space, I believe, cements that. Not only by adding to the open space people have access to, but by improving buffers.”

The land trust has had two overarching objectives for the SDC land, he said. One is ensuring that development of the core campus is done in a way that is “permeable for both humans and the natural world.” The second is securing the open space for future generations.

The first goal, O’Byrne conceded, is a long way off. “But Objective Two has been accomplished,” he said.

The nonprofit has $500,000 earmarked for trail alignment and improvement, mapping and access upgrades at the new parkland, according to O’Byrne.

"We’ve just been waiting for this moment to partner with State Parks and Jack London State Park Partners,“ he said.

Jack London Partners, a local nonprofit, stepped in to manage the state park in 2012 when budget cuts threatened to close it, and has maintained that role ever since.

In a press statement, state Sen. Mike McGuire and state Assemblymember Damon Connolly also applauded the land transfer.

State Parks has not yet produced a map of the area to be ceded to its jurisdiction, according to Deputy District Superintendent Matthew Allen. But it includes most of the open space that makes up the property, including the wildlife corridor, which will be preserved.

“We’re really excited at State Parks to be stewarding this land,” Allen said in an interview. “We’re excited to work with the local community, help bring this property into public use and provide another resource for outdoor recreation.”

He confirmed that access along Orchard Road will be enshrined in the deal. Since the institution closed its doors in 2018, members of the public have enjoyed hiking the road that leads from the historic buildings of the campus center, past the SDC cemetery and Fern Lake, and up to the orchard planted during Jack London’s lifetime.

From there, visitors can explore the totality of Jack London State Historic Park, including the ruins of Wolf House and an arduous climb to the Sonoma Mountain ridgeline.

The state has treated the road’s eastern access point as an unofficial public right of way. The transfer of land to State Parks should make it official.

“It will probably be one of the first things that happens,” Allen said. “It’s low-hanging fruit.”

The deputy superintendent cautioned that the full process will have numerous steps, including public messaging and the development of service agreements. The most substantial hurdle will be a general plan amendment process, run through the State Parks Commission and involving community engagement, tribal consultation and the drafting of an environmental impact report.

There is no timeline for that process, though Allen said State Parks intends to create a website to keep people informed.

Eventually, the state plans to install informational signs, portable restrooms and garbage cans on its new parkland.

Sonoma Developmental Center currently encompasses 945 acres in total. Since the 2018 closure, it has mostly sat dormant, awaiting plans for redevelopment. As the state formed a plan, it allowed Sonoma County officials to help shape the property’s future, a rarity in the dispensation of former institutional land.

That partnership is ongoing, Allen said. State Parks has been meeting with Sonoma Land Trust representatives over the past couple of months, and has a meeting set up next week with Sonoma County Regional Parks Director Bert Whitaker.

A little more than a year ago, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors approved a specific plan for SDC that included construction of up to 620 housing units — a mix of free-standing houses, townhomes and apartments. Last April, the California Department of General Services selected Napa developer Keith Rogal and the Grupe Company as co-developers of the site. The state and Grupe/Rogal remain in negotiations.

Applying a “density bonus” allowed under California law, Rogal has said he plans to construct 930 units there, as well as a four-story hotel, a four-story “innovation center,” another roughly 80,000 square feet of nonresidential construction and 3,060 parking spaces.

Those plans remain unpopular to many residents who cherish Glen Ellen’s bucolic scenery and harbor fears about congested wildfire evacuations. The preservation of 650 acres of open space is sure to be better received.

“I don’t think everybody’s gonna be happy with everything, but I hope this demonstrates that the state’s intentions with this property are genuine,” Dodd said. “We wanted to make sure the interests of the locals, in regard to the open space area, be committed to immediately. That’s mission accomplished.

“I don’t expect that to change the hearts and minds of people who are not fully satisfied. But it should demonstrate some good faith.”

You can reach Phil Barber at 707-521-5263 or phil.barber@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @Skinny_Post.