Board approves contract amendment to write permanent community design standards after yearslong effort

The El Dorado County Board of Supervisors on April 22 approved an amendment to a contract with planning consultant Minteer Harnish to develop permanent commercial, mixed-use and multi-family residential design standards and guidelines for the county's community regions and rural centers. The vote was 5-0.

Acting Planning Manager Thea Graybill told the board staff brought the item off consent for an "open dialogue and conversation" because of the project's scope and public interest. Graybill said the amendment builds on interim objective standards the board adopted in December 2024 and fills gaps for community-specific architectural styles, rural centers and added project coordination.

"Over the last decade, creating community-specific design standards has been one of the board's top priorities," Graybill said during her presentation. She said the interim standards were intended as a short-term measure and were developed primarily from work done in Shingle Springs; permanent standards require community engagement in each region.

Staff described several changes to the consultant scope and budget meant to reduce cost: bringing CEQA compliance and community outreach in house, removing some study sessions with boards and commissions, and reducing the number of architectural style packages for certain communities. Graybill said those and other changes produced roughly six figures in projected savings from earlier estimates.

Staff recommended the board authorize the chair to sign Amendment 2 to Agreement 5912 with Minteer Harnish, extend the contract term through Aug. 1, 2028, and raise the contract's not-to-exceed amount to about $707,245, with staff proposing to spread the cost across three fiscal years to lessen near-term budget impacts.

Supervisors and members of the public debated cost, timing and consultant choice. Several residents from Shingle Springs, Diamond Springs and Pollock Pines argued the county already had community work and historic guidelines and questioned reusing consultants rather than relying on prior community-produced documents. Chris Payne of Diamond Springs said he worried the county had "hijacked" existing community work. Other speakers including Kathy Lishman and Tara McCann urged robust local outreach and asked that engagement include residents as well as developers.

Supervisor Bearcamp, who moved the motion to approve staff's recommended option, emphasized beginning work promptly in Shingle Springs and then systematically moving to other community regions, while allowing each supervisor opportunities to check in with communities in their districts. Bearcamp's motion also directed staff to phase the work and return with community-specific updates, a path supported by other supervisors concerned about immediate budget pressures.

Supporters of the project told the board design standards can help preserve community character, attract appropriate economic development and improve walkability and environmental outcomes. Opponents or skeptics stressed cost and the need for clearer local control, especially for communities that consider themselves 'Tahoe-ish' in character (Strawberry, Kyburz) or that already have separate guidelines.

The board approved the contract amendment and associated budget plan by a 5-0 vote. Staff said they will return with implementation details, a phasing plan, and schedule of community workshops, and that they would proceed with the Shingle Springs region first as the most advanced starting point.

Ending: Staff estimates the project will be paid from planning and building funds spread over three fiscal years; exact line-item appropriations will be included in upcoming budget documents and returned to the board for adoption.