Sonoma County is committed to a proposed climate action center as part of its redevelopment strategy for the historic Sonoma Development Center property in Glen Ellen.
The county released a business plan for the Climate Action Center on Wednesday, calling the concept “a way for key stakeholders, leaders, and the private sector to work together to find new responses to the ongoing climate crisis.” location.”
The effort is funded by a $250,000 grant from the California Coastal Conservancy.
“This business plan represents our latest advancement in the future of SDC,” Permit Sonoma Director Tennis Wick said in a news release. “As we implement state mandates to protect open space, build housing, and provide economic development, the Center for Climate Change Innovation Center initiative is already garnering interest and the potential for employers to return to campus. be.”
Sonoma Developmental Center, the state's most residential treatment facility for mentally and physically disabled people, closed in late 2018. Founded in 1883, it has long been one of the area's largest employers.
The state, which owns the 945-acre site, is negotiating with Rogal & Partners and The Group Company, a partnership selected by the Department of General Services to oversee the redevelopment, which could include up to 930 homes. It's inside.
The scale of the project has been criticized by many residents in the Glen Ellen area.
In announcing the climate hub's business plan, the county emphasized that no clear development projects are included yet.
The idea for a climate change hub was proposed at the Coastal Conservancy two years ago by longtime board chair Doug Bosco, a former North Coast congressman and Santa Rosa attorney.
“I think the attack on climate change needs a place,” Bosco said at the Jan. 25, 2022, meeting. “Investors from the best scientists, engineers, inventors, foresters, entrepreneurs and environmentalists will be invited to create a research institute where synergistic innovation and focus will be directed to the most important challenges of our lifetime. I envision a place to set up.”
The Coastal Conservancy is a state agency that protects and restores land and waterways to support local economies along California's coast. $500 million was allocated by the state Legislature in September 2021 to support climate change adaptation and research.
Bosco is an investor in Sonoma Media Investments, the parent company of The Press Democrat.
Reach Phil Barber at 707-521-5263 or phil.barber@pressdemocrat.com. I'm @Skinny_Post on Twitter.
