We had a delightful discussion with Marlene Dehlinger, the coordinator for the Accountable Development Coalition (ADC). Guy Conner described the source of the ADC as the result of an allied organization, the Coalition for a better Sonoma County (CBSC) deciding that it had to stick with its purpose of helping with elections, and not entering into some large development questions themselves.

Marlene has been on the job for only four months, and she’s up to speed on the ADC’s efforts. She described the ADC being mostly involved in 1) monitoring public policy processes; 2) working with developers to improve their projects so that they can support them; and 3) opposing development they see as destructive to local conditions.

They’ve been influential in the SMART site planning over the last few years. They’re working on development of a CBA or Community Benefits Agreement with the SMART site developers John Stuart, and Michael Dieden. It includes affordable housing, green building requirements, living wage agreements and others.

The same type of CBA is being pursued with developers of Sonoma Mountain Village in Rohnert Park. The ADC worked hard on the Station Area Specific Plan (SASP), to get people to hearings and writing their own statements about the project.

The ASDC recently released their Green Building Policy Best Practices manual which will soon be on their website, which is www.accountabledevelopmentcoalition.org. They have been very active in the group assembling Santa Rosa’s new policy.

Marlene announced the fundraiser for the ADC on July 8 at Don Taylor’s Omelet Express in Railroad Square.

 Anne E. Seeley