El Dorado Hills housing project delayed as supervisors order new traffic study

A proposed subdivision of 10 homes in El Dorado Hills hit a setback Tuesday afternoon after county supervisors called for additional traffic evaluation.

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The El Dorado County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to have staff evaluate how the Serrano M5 development would affect traffic on Appian Way near Sangiovese Drive, where a gated community sits across from the proposed site.

Those supporting the three appellants — Dean Getz, Tara McCann and El Dorado Hills Community Services District Director Gary Kinghorn — expressed concerns about traffic on Appian Way, saying backups occur during busy hours. Nearby residents also said traffic backups at the gated community entrance could worsen if the development is built.

“It’s not uncommon to have 10-minute backups at the security gates,” McCann said.

The 10 single-family homes are expected to generate about 90 daily trips, according to an access and circulation analysis performed by Fehr and Peers. The report documented no injury collisions during the previous year.

Supervisors directed staff to work with the developer, Serrano Associates, to conduct a supplemental traffic engineering analysis. Once that is complete, supervisors will continue considering the three appeals. Supervisors set a 120-day deadline but did not make a decision on the appeals.

Getz expressed concerns about Serrano not following through with its original development agreement in El Dorado Hills. That agreement initially included a park that has yet to be built.

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“There’s no public restrooms, no pickleball courts, no tennis courts, no sports fields that are lighted (and) no splash pads in your largest master plan community that’s still part of unincorporated El Dorado County,” Getz said.

Pickleball and tennis courts are available at Heritage Park, according to the El Dorado Hills Community Services District park locator. Tennis courts are also available at Lake Forest Park, Stephen Harris Park and Promontory Community Park, which also has lighted sports fields. Public restrooms are available at multiple parks in El Dorado County.

Supervisor Lori Parlin backed Serrano regarding the park claim, saying she remembered a 2020 deal between the county, the developer and the El Dorado Hills Community Services District in which the developer provided land and $3.5 million instead of building the park.

Supervisors also discussed the park agreement and said the community services district may not be fulfilling its obligations under the deal. They directed staff to follow up with the district on its efforts to develop the park.

Serrano previously proposed building 20 homes on the site, but the project did not receive approval. The current proposal, approved by the county’s Planning Commission, includes 10 lots ranging in size from about one-half acre to nearly two acres, according to a staff presentation.

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