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Board splits 3-2 to award $1.54M REAP 2 subaward to Habitat for Humanity amid utility capacity concerns
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Summary
On April 28 the Calaveras County Board of Supervisors awarded $1,541,566.31 in REAP 2 subawards to Habitat for Humanity's Eureka Oaks project. The 3-2 vote followed extensive discussion about project readiness, water/sewer capacity in San Andreas, RHNA credit and whether funds should instead support infrastructure upgrades.
The Calaveras County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 April 28 to award the county's full REAP 2 subaward ($1,541,566.31) to Habitat for Humanity Calaveras to accelerate the Eureka Oaks development in Angels Camp, after staff presentations, applicant pitches, utility warnings and public testimony.
Cathy Gallino, economic and community development staff, summarized four applicants competing for the REAP 2 funds and reviewed staff rankings. Morgan Gauthier of Habitat for Humanity Calaveras described Eureka Oaks as a shovel-ready, 107-unit development that would deliver low-income and workforce homeownership opportunities and said infrastructure and financing layers were largely in place. "This is literally weeks away from starting our first home builds," Gauthier said, asking the board to prioritize project readiness and speed in fund deployment.
Speakers representing other projects (Stanislaus Regional Housing Authority's Foothill Terrace and Reed Mandalay) described their proposals and the work done to make them construction-ready, but multiple commenters and utility representatives raised concerns about the capacity of local water and sewer infrastructure to serve new development in San Andreas. Matthew Roberts, general manager for Calaveras Public Utility District, cautioned that utility connection and upgrade costs can be significantly higher than early estimates and urged early, thorough coordination so that projects do not stall or shift costs to ratepayers.
Board members debated the trade-offs between speed and geographic distribution of impact. Supporters of awarding the funds to Habitat emphasized immediate deployment of homes, local economic benefits during construction and the project's readiness to move forward. Opponents cited unresolved infrastructure constraints in San Andreas, the potential for funds to be used within a city jurisdiction without the county receiving RHNA credit for affordable units, and the risk that awarding money to a project without guaranteed hookups would delay vertical construction.
After discussion a motion to award the total REAP 2 subaward to Habitat for Humanity passed on a 3-2 roll call. Dissenting supervisors said they would have preferred splitting funds or allocating more toward utility infrastructure to address capacity constraints.
Next steps: staff will implement the board's direction to award the funds to Habitat and will engage with applicants and utility partners about implementation and any conditions tied to infrastructure coordination.
