El Dorado County Local News: Land Use & Development


All Local Land Use & Development News articles contributed by our local media allies and other local newsrooms.

Image caption: The 1965 law known as the Williamson Act has been responsible for keeping about half of California's farmland out of the hands of developers.
The Williamson Act: How the Law That Protects California’s Farmland Works

The Williamson Act, passed in 1965, now keeps more than 16 million acres of farmland out of the hands of developers. Here's how the law puts the brakes on the development of California agricultural properties.

Image caption: Does California’s signature environmental law protect the state’s scenic beauty, or cause more problems than it solves?
CEQA: The Surprising Story of CA’s Key Environmental Law

The California Environmental Quality Act, CEQA, is both the state’s signature environmental legislation, and is also often named as the villain in the state’s housing shortage. But the story may not be that simple.

Image caption: The Baldwin Hills area in South Los Angeles is one region where a state conservancy would keep open land accessible to the public.
California’s 10 State Conservancies: How They Protect Parks and Open Land

How California’s 10 state conservancies buy up open land and shield it from developers to preserve the natural environment for public use.

Image caption: Since 1972, the California Coastal Commission has ruled over the state’s shoreline.
California Coastal Commission: Where It Comes From, What It Does

What is the California Coastal Commission? How one of the state’s most powerful agency protects public access to the state’s scenic coast from Mexico to Oregon.

Image caption: How California reclamation districts turned millions of acres of wetlands into fertile agricultural land, starting in the earliest days of the Gold Rush.
Reclamation Districts: Turning ‘Swamps’ Into Farmland

California has used reclamation districts to turn millions of acres of unusable swamps into fertile agricultural land, starting in the earliest days of the Gold Rush. Here’s how it happened.

Image caption: Zoning laws tell you what you can and can't build on the property you own. How does government get away with that?
How Zoning Laws Shape California and Society

Zoning laws determine what can be built and where. These laws have shaped California, but are they really just tools for social engineering? The history of zoning is closely tied to racial segregation, as well as the state's shortage of …

California Local Pin Marker From Local News Matters...

07/24/2024
California Forever’s announcement July 22 that it has decided to pull a ballot measure that would have let voters decide on a controversial planned city in rural Solano County drew swift reaction from political leaders and opponents.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

07/24/2024
What happens when voters take to the ballot to thumb their nose at state housing law? Courts haven’t offered a clear answer.

Tahoe Daily Tribune logo From Tahoe Daily Tribune...

07/22/2024
Image for display with article titled Homewood to Begin Major Forest Health Project This Summer

Homewood Mountain Resort is prepping to start its Hazardous Fuels Reduction Project after the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Governing Board unanimously approved it earlier this summer.

California Local Pin Marker From SF Gate...

07/22/2024
On July 22, California Forever announced it was withdrawing its initiative to amend the Solano County General Plan off the November ballot and would instead begin working with the county through the normal, though less expeditious, process.

California Local Pin Marker From Mountain Democrat...

07/19/2024
A settlement agreement was reached in the suit filed by Mountain Area Preservation against the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency workforce housing policy.

California Local Pin Marker From Mountain Democrat...

07/17/2024
The future of a 62 acre parcel of land owned by El Dorado County in the middle of the larger BLM Cronan Ranch Regional Trail System is under discussion by county and BLM officials.

Tahoe Guide logo From Tahoe Guide...

07/15/2024
Image for display with article titled Defend Your Space With Fire Guide

Tahoe Fire & Fuels Team reminds homeowners of the importance of creating and maintaining defensible space. University of Nevada, Reno Extension’s Living With Fire Program published a new Living With Fire Defensible Space Guide on how to keep resident spaces safe.

Tahoe Daily Tribune logo From Tahoe Daily Tribune...

07/11/2024
Image for display with article titled Lake Tahoe Restoration Act 10-Year Extension Passes in the Senate

Senator Catherine Cortez Masto's (D-Nev.) legislation to extend the authorization of the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act for 10 years passed the Senate on July 10.

Folsom Times logo From Folsom Times...

07/10/2024
Image for display with article titled Removal of Select Folsom Boulevard Landmark Oaks Approved 4-1

The future of some landmark oak trees along Folsom Boulevard was a top item on the agenda at Folsom’s City Hall Tuesday night as the City Council held its first meeting of July.

California Local Pin Marker From Georgetown Gazette...

07/10/2024
A five week workshop with information for landowners affected by wildfire is being offered by the the University of California Forest Stewardship program team from July 16 through August 6. Sessions are once a week over Zoom.

California Local Pin Marker From Mountain Democrat...

07/10/2024
Completion of a fiber-to-the-home broadband Internet project was announced by the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians and technology partner Cal.net.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

07/02/2024
Nearly every major environmental group in California opposes a bill that would modify the state’s signature environmental law to speed up upgrades to power lines. Supporters say it would help free the state from fossil fuels and make the grid more reliable, but opponents fear it would damage state parks.

Tahoe Daily Tribune logo From Tahoe Daily Tribune...

06/29/2024
Image for display with article titled Mechanical Forest Thinning Project to Begin on the West Shore

The USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit is scheduled to begin mechanical forest thinning (fuels reduction) on Monday, July 1, 2024, on approximately 355 acres located on the West Shore of Lake Tahoe near Blackwood Canyon and Paige Meadows.

Tahoe Guide logo From Tahoe Guide...

06/28/2024
Image for display with article titled Ultimate Tahoe Family Summer Bucket List

The Tahoe Sierra is an adventureland of fun family friendly activities to enjoy from easy hiking trails to free concerts, movies and shows.

Tahoe Guide logo From Tahoe Guide...

06/28/2024
Image for display with article titled Help Fund Hotel Demolition

Tahoe Fund is launching a fundraising campaign to fill a $200,000 funding gap in California Tahoe Conservancy’s efforts to demolish the Motel 6 building, restaurant and parking lot that sit within the Upper Truckee River watershed in South Lake Tahoe.

Tahoe Daily Tribune logo From Tahoe Daily Tribune...

06/27/2024
Image for display with article titled Forest Service Begins Restoration Activities at Burke Creek

In April 2024, the USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit in partnership with the Nevada Tahoe Conservation District, issued the final decision for restoration activities to restore the natural function of Burke Creek and Rabe Meadow.

California Local Pin Marker From Village Life...

06/27/2024
The El Dorado County Planning and Building Department-Planning Division has released a draft environmental impact report for the 280 acre senior housing development proposed to be built on Green Valley Road near El Dorado Hills.

California Local Pin Marker From South Tahoe Now...

06/26/2024
$24 million in federal funds have been granted to expand the popular trail.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

06/25/2024
A push to bolster housing production in California's coastal communities in recent years has led to heated battles over potential state reforms. Below, a veteran elected official believes the debate has created a false choice between housing and protections. The opposing view: A former attorney for the Coastal Commission says the state Coastal Act has failed to deliver on what it envisioned.

California Local Pin Marker From South Tahoe Now...

06/25/2024
In the June 16 meeting of the South Lake Tahoe City Council, the conclusions of the report commissioned by the city to explore the impact of the proposed vacancy tax were discussed, and disputed.
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