Sonoma County is taking another shot at getting its redevelopment plan for the former Sonoma Developmental Center property approved.
According to the Press Democrat, the county is hosting a public meeting on Wednesday, September 25, at Altamira Middle School to gather input for a new environmental study. The decision comes after a Sonoma County judge rejected the previous study, calling it “vague and open-ended.” That plan, put forward by a developer, included nearly 1,000 homes, a hotel, and commercial space.
A lawsuit filed by local groups argued the project was too large and that the traffic study didn’t adequately address wildfire evacuation concerns. The new environmental report is expected to be released around the new year. A second lawsuit, filed by the non-profit Sonoma Valley Next 100, claims the state is improperly moving forward with development without a proper plan in place and that the site has been abandoned and is vulnerable to vandalism and fire.