Local Officials and Nonprofits Making Moves to Secure SDC Land

Old apple orchard above Sonoma Developmental Center / Sonoma Ecology Center

The Kenwood Press is reporting on moves by Sonoma County officials, Valley ecologists and other interested parties to safeguard the open space contained on the Sonoma Developmental Center campus in the event of the Center's closure.

From the article:

"While nothing about the Center’s future is certain today, the 1977 Lanterman Act continues to set the policy of moving developmentally disabled people from institutional settings to smaller community residences. The huge centers dotted around the state are being de-populated and shuttered, with the lands they occupy being declared surplus and put up for sale. San Jose’s Agnews Developmental Center has been completely closed since 2010 and its 86-acres in the middle of Silicon Valley are on the market for $60 million. The state Department of General Services is drawing up requests for proposals from the general market, according to a spokesperson. The 300-acre Lanterman Developmental Center in Pomona is also in the process of winding down and will probably be on the market by 2014. No price has been set.

"While a lot of effort continues to be put into preserving the SDC by the parents and guardians of the 500 or so severely developmentally disabled still living there, other people and groups are concerned about what will happen if the SDC is closed and its lands declared surplus by the state.

(...)

"The parents and guardians of the residents who remain at SDC will continue to fight to keep the communal living situation. While the existing buildings and grounds need a lot of very expensive maintenance and rehabilitation or even replacement, patient advocates hope that some form of high level living and care facilities can be maintained on the property to provide the same level of care residents now receive.

"The SDC’s situation has not been lost on county officials or nonprofits that protect and preserve local land for parks and wildlife."

You can read the entire article online at The Kenwood Press web site: SDC - Looking ahead