Join us for a joint...
BOS and PLANNING COMMISSION
PUBLIC WORKSHOP on the 2021-2029 DRAFT HOUSING ELEMENT
A public workshop is scheduled as a joint meeting of the Board of Supervisors and the Planning Commission on MONDAY, JULY 19, 2021, at 9:00 a.m. at 330 Fair Lane, Building A, Placerville, CA and via Zoom to discuss the County’s draft Housing Element and how the County will provide an adequate housing supply in the future. Hope you can join us!
Instructions on how to join by zoom: click here
Press Release on Public Workshop: click here
Review Draft Housing Element 2021-2029: click here
El Dorado County often has a visceral relationship to housing. We all LOVE living here, and yet we rail against new development and folks moving into the area. Once we're here, we tend to want to shut the door and expect nothing to change. We don't want anything new to affect our quality of life in the slightest.
I get it. I was born here. My family has been here since 1850, and I once moved out of a house because a subdivision was going in across the street. Funny thing is, 13 years later, I moved back to my old neighborhood. And that subdivision? Let's just say my worst fears did not come to pass, and it is an important part of the community.
Assumptions are a funny thing. We hear "low -income housing" and what do we think about? (Let's just say, it's not good and we don't want it!). As I dug into this further, I was shocked to find that a "low-income house" in El Dorado County would sell for up to $430,000, and the income a family would need to qualify is $5,754 a month. (I can bet this challenges your assumptions. It did mine.)
El Dorado County's larger employers have a hard time recruiting and retaining employees because of our lack of housing as well as the exorbitant cost of housing, and families that would fit in that category are those that are serving our community ...we're talking teachers, new firefighters and law enforcement officers, small business owners, even our own kids who are beginning their lives! We must be open to making a place for them in El Dorado County! And we can do it in ways that work for our communities.
I'm excited that the Board has prioritized implementing Design Standards in our Community Centers and our Rural Centers so that anything that is built there reflects and enhances the charm and character of the community. Design really is everything, and we want that protection for our communities. Also, there are some really interesting housing options that we can explore that can make housing attainable. "Missing Middle Housing" incorporates bungalow courts, cottages, townhomes, duplexes and triplexes that can be easily integrated into our communities.
I am excited to explore some of these options to see how we can bring more attainable housing to our county while making sure it fits with who we are.
I encourage you to open your thought. We can do housing differently that makes room for those serving our community as well as our kids and parents. If we don't, El Dorado County is going to be an enclave for the rich...is that what we want?
Just some food for thought...
 |
|
Supervisor Wendy Thomas
If you have any questions, call my office: 530.621.5652
Email:bosthree@edcgov.us
|
|
