Board approves $550,150 grant to kick off Grizzly Flats rebuild program with Homemade Sacramento

The El Dorado County Board of Supervisors voted 4-0 April 7 to authorize a Caldor Fire Grizzly Flats homeowners rebuild program and to use $550,150.75 from the county’s affordable housing special revenue fund to support the work. Planning and Building Director Karen Garner presented the plan, which pairs homeowners with Homemade Sacramento and local volunteers to build predesigned 750-square-foot Title 25 homes and fill financing gaps with forgivable county loans.

Garner said Homemade Sacramento “has agreed to contribute a minimum of 50% through volunteers of labor and materials,” and described a structure in which resident contributions and donated labor/materials go into a special account; any unused monies at project completion would be returned to the affordable housing fund. Price Walker of Elliott Homes, speaking for Homemade Sacramento, told the board the organization expects to exceed the 50% minimum and that builders are committed to starting two homes May 4.

Supervisors pressed staff for guardrails: an income‑eligibility threshold (lower income defined at 80% AMI), a longer owner‑occupancy requirement (board direction moved references from three to five years), a prohibition on subordinating the county’s deed of trust, and an explicit restriction against converting units to rentals during the loan period. The board authorized the director to execute deed restrictions and promissory notes and directed staff to modify Exhibit A of the resolution to reflect those points prior to signature. The motion passed 4-0 with Supervisor Lane absent. The program initially targets roughly 12 homes and aims to count the units toward RHNA low‑income totals where applicable.