Sonoma County supervisors move Chanate Road property to open space district

The Board of Supervisors has decided the fate of one portion of the county’s Chanate Road complex.

On Tuesday the board voted unanimously to protect the parcel containing Paulin Meadow by transferring it to the county’s agriculture and open space district. The vote passed without discussion.

Paulin Meadow, also known as Parcel J, totals 10.42 acres and stretches along Paulin Creek between the Paulin Creek Preserve and a flood control facility on the Sonoma County Water Agency Flood Control property, a county staff report said.

The open space district will add the meadow to its Paulin Creek Preserve and allow the public to use it recreationally, the report said.

Parcel J is part of the county’s larger, 72-acre campus on Chanate Road, which the county has been struggling to unload for years.

The property has sat mostly vacant since its primary occupant, Sutter Health, vacated the campus more than five years ago.

Potential sales to developers have fallen through over the years as vandalism, rising maintenance costs, a bruising court battle and the Rogers Creek seismic fault running under the property have proved burdensome for officials.

In August, the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to sell the property via Ten-X, an online real estate auction platform. It is the county’s fifth attempt to sell the land.

The board’s decision to auction the property included a commitment to preserve Paulin Meadow as open space.

Bidding will close on Nov. 9, and the board will have to decide whether to accept the highest bidder or reject all bidders on Nov. 16.

This article has been updated to correct information about when Sutter Health left the Chanate Road property.

You can reach Staff Writer Emma Murphy at 707-521-5228 or emma.murphy@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @MurphReports.