Picture courtesy of the Sonoma Developmental Center- Eldridge Facebook page
Upwards of 75 protestors let their voices be heard outside the 945-acre former Sonoma Developmental Center property in Glen Ellen. They stood outside the property on Monday, the same day the California Department of General Services invited prospective developers to take a self-guided tour of the land. The state is trying to sell the land off. But, residents of Glen Ellen and other communities in the Sonoma Valley are against a redevelopment plan that calls for as many as a thousand housing units to be built on the property. They argue it would overwhelm roads during wildfires and reshape the community in a negative way. The protestors also say Sonoma County officials are ignoring their concerns.