News

September 6, 2023 in Uncategorized

El Dorado Transit Workshop Monday September 11, 2023 in EDH

El Dorado Transit will host two workshops on Monday September 11th. A workshop Monday Morning in Placerville, and the second workshop will be in El Dorado Hills at the CSD Pavilion 6:30PM – 8:00PM

El Dorado Transit will be hosting 2 workshops for the public to provide input on their short-range transit plan update.

Details:

Please help the El Dorado Transit District shape its future services, routes, and schedules in western El Dorado County and Folsom.

Opportunities to provide input:

In Person Workshops on Monday September 11^th:

10:00a – 11:30a Placerville Library, 345 Fair Lane
6:30p – 8:00p El Dorado Hills CSD Pavilion, 1201 Harvard Way

For more information or if you have any questions, please reach out to Lucy Crocker at LucyC@LucyCompanyPR.com or 916-491-3161.

July 17, 2023 in Commercial DEIR Development General Plan Amendment Notice of Preparation Residential Town and Country Village El Dorado

Town and Country Village El Dorado NOP DEIR and Scoping Meetings

Two scoping meetings scheduled for August 8, and 9, 2023

El Dorado County has issued a Notice of Preparation of a Draft Environmental Impact Report for the proposed Town and Country Village El Dorado development project. The project site is located north of Highway 50 east of Bass Lake Road and south of Country Club Drive.

The Project Development Area consists of the northernmost and southernmost 30.3 acres of the project site, and would be developed with two hotels, retail services, two restaurants, a museum, an event center, associated parking, 56 residential cottages for employee housing, and an additional 56 residential cottages that may be rented on a daily or extended stay basis, which may require a conditional use permit.

A second project site of the development is “the Program Study Area” – this site consists of the central and easternmost 30.2 acres of the project site, and may include further development in the future such as additional hotels, medical facilities, senior housing, townhomes and cottages, and other uses allowed by the proposed zoning districts.

The project seeks the following entitlements:

General Plan Amendment

The General Plan Land Use Designation for the project site is Adopted Plan (AP). The General Plan designates the portion of the project site north of Country Club Drive as within the El Dorado Hills Community Region, and the area south of Country Club Drive as within the Rural Region. The proposed General Plan Amendment would modify the Community Region boundary to include the entire project site within the El Dorado Hills Community Region

Bass Lake Hills Specific Plan Amendment

The existing BLHSP land use designations for the project site are L.7-PD and L.2-PD. The BLHSP designates the portion of the project site north of Country Club Drive as L.7-PD [maximum allowable density of 0.7 dwelling units per acre (du/ac)], and the portion south of Country Club Drive is designated L.2-PD (maximum allowable density of 0.2 du/ac). The requested BLHSP Amendment would establish three new land use designations for the specific plan: Commercial (C), Multi-Family Residential (MFR), and Open Space (OS). Application of these proposed new land use designations would be limited the project site. These land use designations would be allocated to the project site as follows: 26.2 acres of C, 23.0 acres of MFR, and 7.6 acres of OS. In addition to changing the land use designations of the project site, the BLHSP Amendment would include content revisions to the BLHSP itself to accommodate the proposed project. As part of the BLHSP Amendment, a Fiscal Impact Analysis and update to the Bass Lake Hills Specific Plan Public Facilities Financing Plan (PFFP) would be completed. The PFFP sets forth a strategy to finance the backbone infrastructure and other public facilities required to serve the proposed land uses in the BLHSP.

Rezone

The current zoning designation for the entire project site is RE-10. The proposed project would require the approval of a Rezone from RE-10 to the following El Dorado County zoning districts: Community Commercial (CC), Multi-Unit Residential (RM), and Open Space (OS). Additionally, as required by the BLHSP, the Planned Development Combining District (-PD) suffix would be added to all the zoning district designations listed above.

Buildout of the Project Development Area of the project site would include two 150-room hotels, 112 residential cottages, retail uses, restaurants, an event center/museum, recreational amenities, and parking lots (see Figure 3).

Additionally, the Project Development Area would be developed with internal roadways and a new Class I Bicycle Path. Development within the Program Study Area of the project site is not currently proposed to occur concurrently with development of the Project Development Area; however, a maximum buildout scenario is included for program level analysis in the EIR.

Two Scoping Meeting dates:

Two scoping meetings – both open to agencies, organizations, and individuals – will be held to receive public comments and suggestions on the scope of environmental issues to be studied in the EIR. The scoping meetings will be held as follows:

In-Person Tue Aug 8, 2023 6PM
An in-person scoping meeting will be held: Date: Tuesday, August 8, 2023 Time: 6:00 PM Location: El Dorado Hills Fire Department Community Room 1050 Wilson Boulevard El Dorado Hills, CA 95762

Virtual Wed Aug 9, 2023 11AM
A virtual scoping meeting will be held: Date: Wednesday, August 9, 2023 Time: 11:00 AM Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86521211649 Call In Phone #’s: 530-621-7603 or 530-621-7610 Webinar ID: 865 2121 1649

EDH APAC encourages residents to attend one or both of the planned Scoping Meetings to provide comments, questions, and concerns. Comments will be addressed as required by law in the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and included in the Final Environmental Impact Report.

Project Documents

Project Documents and links are available on the EDH APAC project Document page:
https://edhapac.org/documents/town-and-country-village-el-dorado-pa21-0013/

May 1, 2023 in El Dorado Transit

El Dorado Transit Workshop May 3, 2023 in EDH

El Dorado Transit will host two workshops on May 3rd. The second workshop will be in El Dorado Hills at the CSD Pavilion 6:30PM – 8:30PM

El Dorado Transit will be hosting 2 workshops and a listening session this week for the public to provide input on their short-range transit master plan.

Details:

Please help the El Dorado Transit District shape its future services, routes, and schedules in western El Dorado County and Folsom.

Opportunities to provide input:

In Person Workshops on May 3^rd:

9:30a – 11:00a Placerville Town Hall (549 Main Street)
6:30p – 8:30p El Dorado Hills CSD Pavilion (1201 Harvard Way)

VIRTUAL Listening Session scheduled for May 4th

Virtual Listening Session on May 4^th: Please use this link to RSVP

For more information or if you have any questions, please reach out to Lucy Crocker at LucyC@LucyCompanyPR.com or 916-491-3161.

April 28, 2023 in EDH APAC Project Frontier

EDH APAC Submits Initial Review Findings on Project Frontier. EDC Auditor Harn provides updates regarding project’s Sales Tax forecast

Subcommittee Reviews Center on project impact concerns, consistency with Zoning and Land Use

EDH APAC submitted a letter to the El Dorado County Planning Department and the Planning Commission that summarized EDH APAC’s volunteer subcommittees’ initial review findings regarding Project Frontier CUP22-0016 DR22-0003. The Subcommittee findings were presented to EDH APAC members and the El Dorado Hills Community at an overflow meeting at El Dorado Hills Fire Department Station 85 on April 19, 2023.

While the reviews are the initial findings, concerns and questions provided by EDH APAC volunteers, the project itself is awaiting a submission to El Dorado County of a CEQA Analysis, and peer review of the Applicant generated DRAFT Transportation Impact Analysis Report. Review of the project’s Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for a 106% height allowance over the County Ordinance stipulated 50 foot limit will come before the County Planning Commission. No Review Hearing Date has been scheduled yet.

EDH APAC April 28, 2023 Email to Planning Department & Planning Commission

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EDH APAC April 26, 2023 Cover Letter to Planning Department & Planning Commission

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EDH APAC Subcommittee Reviews Submitted to Planning Department & Planning Commission April 28, 2023

County Auditor Controller provides EDH APAC with an update regarding Project Frontier’s potential Sales Tax revenue to El Dorado County.

EDC Auditor Controller Joe Harn submitted the following update to EDH APAC regarding questions about Project Frontier’s projected Sales Tax revenue to El Dorado County

EDC Auditor Controller Harn April 28, 2023 Letter to EDH APAC

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EDC Auditor Harn CDTFA Document to EDH APAC April 28, 2023

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EDC Auditor Harn Sales Tax Consultant to County Newsletter

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Auditor Harn previously provided an initial letter to EDH APAC regarding potential Sales Tax benefits to El Dorado County on March 14, 2023.

Additionally, Auditor Harn provided EDH APAC a copy of an updated Economic Impact Analysis Memorandum from consultants EPS on March 30, 2023. The updated Analysis was the result of a request from Auditor Harn for El Dorado County specific Sales and Property Tax estimates regarding Project Frontier.

To review all available Project Frontier public documents, visit the EDH APAC Project Document page for Project Frontier.

April 11, 2023 in CIP EDH APAC Planning Commission

EDH APAC Comment Letter to Planning Commission About Latrobe Road CIP Item

Comment Letter submitted to Planning Commission recommending tabling Latrobe Road CIP Item.

El Dorado Hills APAC submitted a comment letter to the Planning Commission regarding Agenda Item #2 on their scheduled April 13, 2023 Planning Commission Hearing. EDH APAC members, and many El Dorado Hills residents have concerns regarding the timing of adding a Latrobe Road widening project back into the County’s Capital Improvement Program, just three years after removing the project (then – CIP Project No: 72LATROBE) due to a finding that it was unwarranted in 2019/2020.

The timing concerns center on the staff recommendations that the new CIP #36105055 item is due to “growth in the EDH Business Park.” EDH APAC Subcommittee members have observed that the only significant growth in the El Dorado Hills Business Park that might justify traffic improvements has been the expansion of the John Adams Academy private school. The school has been a success welcomed by EDH residents, and has generated a significant traffic impact in the area, however without a traffic analysis it is uncertain if that one development has triggered the need for the expansion of Latrobe Road. John Adams Academy opened in El Dorado Hills in 2017, so some of its traffic impacts should have been known in 2020 when CIP Project 72LATROBE was removed from the CIP list.

It appears that CIP #36105055 would mostly benefit the proposed Project Frontier, which EDH APAC Subcommittees are still reviewing. EDH APAC Subcommittees are concerned that adding CIP #36105055 into the CIP would expose El Dorado County Taxpayers to more costs by shifting the funding burden away from the full impacts of the proposed Project Frontier development before it has been adequately reviewed and analyzed.

CIP project #36105055 proposes to widen Latrobe Rd between Investment Blvd and Golden Foothills Pkwy (south)

The EDH APAC comments to the Planning Commission recommend:

EDH APAC would propose delaying this action before your Commission before a thorough review has been completed. Considering that CIP 36105055 was removed as “unwarranted” just in 2020, it is fair to ask if it was short-sighted to remove the project at that time. If so, it may also be short-sighted to add the project back into the CIP without a comprehensive analysis of the impacts of Project Frontier in 2023.

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April 11 2023 Comment Letter [185.87 KB]

March 14, 2023 in Commercial Development Project Frontier

Project Frontier Applicant and County Auditor Controller Responses to EDH APAC

Project Applicants provide responses to EDH APAC comment letter submitted for February 16, 2023 TAC Meeting

The applicants for Project Frontier, a proposed distribution and sortation facility consisting of two buildings totaling four million square feet, to be located at the southern end of the El Dorado Hills Business Park on the west side of Latrobe Road between Royal Oaks Drive on the north, and Wetsel-Oviatt Road to the south, have supplied a response letter to the comments submitted by EDH APAC to the El Dorado County Technical Advisory Committee Meeting held on February 13, 2023. The response letter indicates that the project’s application for a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) to allow one of the project’s buildings to exceed current El Dorado County height limits, has been provided a determination by the County Planning Department that the appropriate decision making authority rests with the Zoning Administrator (Director of Building and Planning).

From the response letter:

The project applicant has applied for a conditional use permit to allow one of the buildings to exceed current height limits. A conditional use permit is a discretionary approval and the El Dorado County Zoning Code (“Zoning Code”) requires a noticed public meeting for a conditional use permit. Section 130.52.021 provides for the Zoning Administrator or Planning Commission to be the review authority for a conditional use permit, and “[t]he determination of the review authority shall be made by the Director based on the nature of the application, and the policy issues raised by the project.”
A conditional use permit is not required to allow the project uses. The Matrix of Allowed Uses in Table 130.23.020 of the County Zoning Code provides that “Wholesale Storage and Distribution,” the same use as the proposed project, is an allowed use in the Research and Development Zone. A local agency cannot selectively or arbitrarily require a discretionary approval for uses that the Zoning Code allows by right with a ministerial building permit approval.
The applicant understands that, because the proposed project uses are consistent with zoning, are allowed by right, and have been previously analyzed in numerous environmental analyses, the Planning Department has determined that the Zoning Administrator is the appropriate decision-making body for the conditional use permit that is limited to the proposed building height.

The full response letter addressing the items raised by EDH APAC is embedded here:

March 14, 2023 Applicant Responses to EDH APAC Feb 16, 2023 TAC Meeting Comments Letter

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EDC Auditor Controller March 14, 2023 letter to EDH APAC

El Dorado County Auditor Controller Joe Harn provided the following letter to EDH APAC addressing Sales Tax and Apportionment questions raised by EDH APAC.

Auditor Controller Harn’s letter is embedded here:

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Project Frontier Applicant Presentation at the EDH APAC March 15, 2023 6:30PM meeting

The project applicants will provide a project presentation and discussion at the Wednesday March 15, 2023 6:30PM EDH APAC Meeting. The meeting will be hybrid: in-person at EDH Fire Station 85 1050 Wilson Blvd, with virtual discussion via ZOOM, and streamed live on the EDH APAC YouTube Channel. The Room capacity does not exceed 100 guests. Meeting details and streaming links can be found on our March 13th meeting event page

EDH APAC Project Documents page updated with Draft Traffic Impact Analysis Report and all available project documents.

To read all public project documents, including the DRAFT Traffic Impact Analysis Report, visit the EDH APAC Project Documents Page for Project Frontier

October 13, 2022 in Transportation

El Dorado County Transportation Department October 12, 2022 Presentation to EDH APAC

Transportation Department Director Rafael Martinez provides details on maintenance funding, and Ballot Measures R and S

At the October 12, 2022 El Dorado Hills Area Planning Advisory Committee meeting, the El Dorado County Transportation Department provided a video presentation from department Director Rafael Martinez. In the presentation, Director Martinez discussed many elements of the Transportation Department’s responsibilities, the various sources of funding to the department, and how that funding is broken down to support road maintenance activities in El Dorado County. Additionally Director Martinez discussed the shortcoming in funding that was projected to be provided by the 2017 Senate Bill 1 (SB1) – the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017, and how state dollars that have historically been dedicated to providing local road maintenance funding has continued to shrink. Director Martinez provides detail on the El Dorado Count Ballot Measures R and S: Proposed Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) tax rate increase. Measure R would raise the TOT rate on the Western Slope from 10% to 12%, and Measure S would raise the TOT rate on the Eastern Slope (unincorporated Lake Tahoe area) from 10% to 14%. These are taxes mostly paid by visitors to El Dorado County from hotel, Bed & Breakfast, and vacation home rentals. The 2% increase on the Western Slope and the 4% increase on the Eastern Slope would be dedicated to road maintenance and snow removal.

DOT Presentation to EDH APAC by Director Rafael Martinez

View the presentation on the EDH APAC YouTube Channel

June 21, 2022 in Uncategorized

Transportation Department provides list of road Projects in District 1

Comprehensive list of road projects in and around El Dorado Hills

At the June 2022 El Dorado Hills Community Council meeting, District 1 Supervisor John Hidhal shared a list of area road projects and developments provided by the El Dorado County Transportation Department. Several items included in the list are either already in progress, or will begin in the near future.

The list is quite comprehensive, and covers both road projects and development projects that impact roads.

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June 9, 2022 in Central El Dorado Hills Specific Plan Planning Commission

Planning Commission June 9, 2022 CEDHAP Hearing – Commissioners vote to recommend project denial

Findings center on lack of General Plan Consistency, and El Dorado Hills public sentiment.

The El Dorado County Planning Commission held a public hearing to complete their deliberations on recommendations to the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors regarding the proposed Central El Dorado Hills Specific Plan. After a morning of receiving additional Public Comments (continued from the Planning Commission’s April 28, 202 2public hearing) the Commissioners heard additional updates from the project applicant, and from County Planning Staff.

After a lunch break, the Commission resumed their deliberative process, discussing issues among themselves, and providing their own opinions on many elements of the proposed Specific Plan. Eventually settling on concerns that the project as proposed was inconsistent with the Adopted 2004 Voter Approved General Plan, the commissioners first voted to not accept the Final Environmental Impact Report as complete on a four to one vote, with Commissioners Payne, Nevis, Harkin, and Vegna supporting, and Commissioner Clerici voting no. Following this, the Commissioners voted unanimously to provide a recommendation of Denial to the Board of Supervisors.

The project will move on to the Board of Supervisors for consideration. The Board of Supervisors does not have to accept the recommendation of the Planning Commission, and may, in fact, approve the project. No hearing date has yet been publicly announced.

The Meeting Minutes of the Planning Commission Hearing will be posted in the Planning Commission Documents section of the EDH APAC website when they are published by El Dorado County.

A Message to the El Dorado Hills Community from EDH APAC Chair John Davey

Many, many people have reached out to congratulate APAC regarding the Planning Commission decision to recommend denial of the Central El Dorado Hills Specific Plan to the Board of Supervisors – but to be honest, I don’t know that congratulations are appropriate, or warranted. I certainly join the majority in our community in thanking our APAC volunteers for their beyond-the-pale efforts in examining and reviewing the project. Additionally, many members of the community participated in providing feedback to the Planning Commission over several years, and their efforts should not go unrecognized.
As I mentioned again in public comments to the Planning Commissioners at the hearing, I really view our APAC finding of non-support, and the Planning Commission’s recommendation of denial as a failure – from all corners.
Failure from our community and APAC in conveying our concerns about the project in a way that the applicant and county planners could recognize that the project could have been modified in some beneficial manner that the community could support, and a failure from the applicant, planning staff, and the approvals process that this project took ten years to get to the Planning Commission with no meaningful compromises, that might have satisfied the community, and generated actual benefits that the community might have been able to support.
I absolutely take no joy in the project being recommended for denial by the Planning Commission. I believe it was the correct decision, but ultimately I regret the lost time of ten years, and squandered opportunities to find a recreational use for the former Executive Golf Course property, as well as the opportunity for needed multifamily housing in the Pedregal Plan area, to benefit our community.

My hope is that a community approach can be undertaken to generate a project (or projects) for the properties that respects existing zoning. One that our residents can support, that enhances the things we all love about El Dorado Hills, and that is a beneficial project for the property owner. Understandably many may perceive a sense of animosity between members of the community and the project applicant. That is unnecessary – this all revolves around a simple disagreement, and nothing more. It’s natural and healthy to have reasonable disagreements. What we do to resolve our disagreements speaks more about our community, than arguing about the issues.
JOhn Davey, El dorado Hills Area Planning Advisory Committee chair.

June 2, 2022 in Central El Dorado Hills Specific Plan EDH APAC

El Dorado Hills APAC Subcommittee submits finding of non-support for CEDHSP

Click HERE to see EDH APAC Findings Report

Planning Commission Public Hearing Scheduled for June 9th at 8:30AM

The El Dorado Hills Area Planning Advisory Committee submitted the findings of the APAC Central El Dorado Hills Specific Plan Subcommittee report to the County of El Dorado Planning Commission, and the El Dorado County Planning Department on Thursday June 2.

The Subcommittee Findings report is comprised of 68 pages of findings, concerns, and questions. Thirteen supporting exhibits were also included. The Report concludes with a finding of non-support, which is consistent with the Subcommittee report in January 2020, prior to a second recirculated Draft Environmental Impact Report being issued to address the new Vehicle Miles Traveled transportation standard that became part of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and law in July 2020, and two new suggested project alternatives.

The subcommittee draft findings report was approved unanimously by voting EDH APAC members at a special May 25, 2022 meeting. The past two weeks, EDH APAC volunteers have worked on formatting, layout and internal linking for the supporting documents.

As part of the public comments, EDH APAC submitted the following observation in a cover letter:

The goal of EDH APAC is to review proposed El Dorado Hills development projects with the intent of finding the best possible result for our community, for the applicant, and for the County. To provide community feedback on the future of development in our community. Our reviews result in one of three possible findings:

1) Support of the project as presented
2) Conditional Support based on recommendations and improvements in the proposed project
3) Non-Support of the project based on incompatibility, or overall negative impacts for the El Dorado Hills community

As we offered in our January 2020 findings regarding the CEDHSP, our result in 2022, again, is a recommendation of Non-Support. The project has not changed in any meaningful way.

A finding of Non-Support is essentially a failure. A failure of EDH APAC and the Community to convey the necessity of needed improvements or changes for the project to be a benefit for our community. And a failure of the applicant and the Planning Department to recognize the community’s concerns, to discover some middle ground, improvements or changes, that recognizes and respects the numerous legitimate community concerns of shortcomings, and injury that our community seeks to avoid.

All documents – report, exhibits, etc – submitted as public comment for the June 9, 2022 Planning Commission Hearing are cataloged on this findings page: https://edhapac.org/edh-apac-subcommittee-findings-cedhsp/. Each link will allow the website visitor to view the full document as a PDF, without having to download each document.

El Dorado Hills residents are encouraged to offer their own fact-based concerns and questions as public comment to the Planning Commission – comments may be submitted to planning@edcgov.us. Include the following in the subject line: Public Hearing: Agenda Item 3, Central El Dorado Hills Specific Plan.