Residents urge El Dorado County to deny two proposed substance-use treatment facilities in Rescue/Deer Valley

Dozens of residents and community groups told the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors on Feb. 25 that two proposed substance-use disorder treatment facilities — proposed at 2761 Sands Road and 3480 Deer Valley Court in the Rescue/Deer Valley area — are inappropriate for their rural locations and should be denied.

At open forum, speakers representing Rescue Deer Valley and other local groups said the proposals — advanced by an organization identified in public remarks as Home California / Native Directions — conflict with county zoning, pose serious wildfire and evacuation risks, and would strain local roads, water and septic systems. Chris Silva, identified as a spokesperson for Rescue Deer Valley, said the groups asked the county to “deny these commercial building permits” and asserted the projects did not meet local zoning rules.

The concerns coalesced around three issues: zoning and land-use consistency, fire- and medical-emergency response, and infrastructure (roads, water and wastewater). Multiple speakers said the sites are in high-severity fire zones with a single narrow access road that would make evacuations and emergency response difficult. Resident John Figuarito told supervisors that “this project…