Supervisors order general‑plan audit and start housing‑element work after lengthy review
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Summary
After a 5‑year review presentation, the board directed staff to perform a detailed audit of the 2004 general plan and to begin procurement to update the county’s housing element (2029 expiration), with the audit intended to define scope, costs and whether a broader GP update and EIR are necessary.
El Dorado County supervisors on March 24 instructed planning staff to perform a detailed audit of the county’s General Plan and to begin the process of updating the housing element, steps intended to determine whether the county needs a full modernization of its long‑range land‑use framework.
Long‑range planning lead Tim Pitt told the board the general plan — adopted in 2004 with a 20‑year horizon — has seen meaningful targeted updates (safety, conservation and other elements) but that the county faces new priorities such as wildfire resilience, economic opportunity and housing affordability. “Reaching that milestone gives us an opportunity to refresh the framework of the plan,” Pitt said.
Several supervisors said they supported an initial audit before committing to a full, multi‑million‑dollar modernization. Supervisor Parlin urged staff to identify obsolete policies and to annotate the plan with state mandates and items that staff considers outdated before moving to a broad rewrite. “I want to see the audit first so we know what we’re looking at,” she said.
Staff estimated a wide range of consultant costs depending on the scope: focused work could be far below a worst‑case comprehensive update Placer County recently planned (roughly $4 million over five years); staff said an all‑in comprehensive update could approach several million dollars and recommended staging work. Planning staff also flagged scheduling needs for the county’s housing element, which must be current for state compliance (the housing element cycle requires work well before its 2029 expiration), and asked the board to allow an RFP now so consultant availability and cost escalation do not limit options.
The board voted unanimously to direct staff to (1) conduct a detailed evaluation/audit of the existing general plan and its updates, (2) return audit findings to the board for direction on modernization, and (3) initiate procurement and other preparatory steps to update the housing element so the county can meet statutory timelines.
What’s next: Planning staff will draft a scope for the audit, estimate costs and time, and return to the board with the audit report and procurement options; supervisors asked for clear options that separate audit results from any later decision to undertake a comprehensive rewrite.
