State and Local Agencies Move Forward

SDC Land to be Added to Regional Park

by Philip Sales

By December 2001, Sonoma County hopes to take title to 42 acres of land now controlled by the Sonoma Developmental Center (SDC). This property forms a scenic corridor along California Highway 12 on the eastern boundary of the SDC lands.

This strip of land is south of the existing Sonoma Valley Regional Park. Its addition to the park will permit the county to expand its trail system, protect a segment of an existing wildlife corridor and preserve the land in perpetuity. It is habitat for hawks, woodpeckers and other animals that are found among the many oaks. The grass and woodland rises to a ridge overlooking the SDC lands to the west.

The county parks department is in discussion with the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District to work out details. An Environmental Assessment is being completed. A purchase agreement is being finalized. The acquisition must go through Project Review Committee so that the county's Permit and Resource Management Department (PRMD) can determine whether it conforms to the requirements of the county's General Plan.

This addition to our park system has been "in the works" for at least four years. It is sometimes puzzling for citizens to understand that eight to ten agencies and departments in local and state government must come to an agreement before such an endeavor can go forward. Then, a project team must shepherd the proposal through a complex process before the job is done.

Although the 42-acre property was “surplused” by the state legislature more than ten years ago, various attempts to acquire it from the State Department of General Services (DGS) were stymied by the fact that it was a low priority with DGS. DGS only began to take an active interest in the property when SDC's Parcel 2 (see the article on page 2) was being discussed in l996, and this property was to have been folded into the transaction. However, interest quickly focused on Parcel 2 and the upper property, Parcel l. The 42 acres, because they were not physically connected, were placed on the back burner.

Following personnel changes at the state level in l999 and 2000, Assemblywoman Pat Wiggins pushed hard for the project. At a meeting with Assemblywoman Wiggins,

Supervisor Mike Cale, and district and regional park staffs last February, the acquisition became an official project and things are moving faster.

An appraisal, a legal description of the 42 acres, and a trail easement to the south boundary of SDC are now in the works. Because the land is being transferred from state to county ownership, a lot line adjustment is currently being processed through PRMD.

Thanks go to all involved in helping to preserve more of the Sonoma Developmental Center for future generations.