Springs MAC tackles Mattsons projects, SDC update

The Springs MAC, the Municipal Advisory Council that acts as a bridge for communication between the county and Springs-area residents and businesses, meets monthly on the fourth Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. This week’s agenda is packed with topics of interest, including the coming Day of the Dead and other holiday events, updates from the Fire Safe Council and a 15-minute presentation from Cheryl Johnson, director of the Sonoma Valley Community Health Center, on the current status of COVID-19 vaccinations and testing.

While most of these are regular features and reports for the Springs MAC – chaired by longtime resident and former El Verano Elementary School principal Maite Iturri – two presentations in particular are expected to draw audiences.

One is an update on the SDC Specific Plan, the county’s program to gather public input and create a coherent, practical plan for the future of the Sonoma Developmental Center. The SDC, almost 900 acres in the heart of Eldridge, presents opportunities for a wide variety of uses – affordable housing, historical recognition, business parks or other development. Also high on the local list of preferred alternatives is open space: The property is bisected by a “wildlife corridor” between Sonoma Mountain and the Mayacamas, an essential component of a healthy natural ecosystem.

Irving Huerta, the Permit Sonoma planner for the SDC Specific Plan, will be at the meeting to provide an overview of the plan, its current status and projected future. He’ll make a presentation and answer questions from the council members and the public.

Following the SDC discussion, another Permit Sonoma employee, project manager Daniel Crowley, will give a project update on the various Mattson properties in the Springs area. Crowley last spoke to the Springs MAC in May with a similar overview, as several of Mattsons’ properties have public space of community interest. Set for a 15-minute presentation, the agenda does not specify what updates Crowley will bring to the Springs MAC meeting.

Learn more at sonomacounty.ca.gov/Springs-Municipal-Advisory-Council; join the discussion at zoom.us, meeting ID 985 4530 4964, passcode: 404502. For viewing purposes only, visit Supervisor Gorin’s Facebook page at facebook.com/susangorinD1.