Expansive distro site project proposal not sitting well with many in El Dorado Hills
A massive, proposed distribution center has many in El Dorado Hills feeling frustrated and concerned about what may be constructed near their homes in the not-so-distant future.
If Project Frontier, as it's called, is given the go-ahead, the facility would be built on a vast swath of land that sits west of Latrobe Road and Royal Oaks Drive, just south of Highway 50, and next to the El Dorado Hills Business Park.
According to El Dorado County, the land has been zoned for a development of this sort for over 40 years.
Developers of Project Frontier have said their facility would add 1,500 to 2,000 jobs to the local economy and it would generate millions of dollars in additional property tax revenue.
The project, however, is being met with backlash and concern in the community.
Many sounding-off on community-focused social media pages have said that they didn't become aware of the project, or how the town could be affected by it, until very recently.
One of the main issues raised by people in El Dorado Hills is the size of the distribution center itself. Estimates put the facility at roughly 4.8 million square feet. The development company said the site would include two buildings with a total footprint of about 1.7 million square feet.
Developers have applied to get a conditional use permit from the county that would allow them to build higher than what that site’s current zoning parameters allow for.
Then there’s the issue of traffic. The impact on Latrobe Road is one that planners have addressed. On Project Frontier’s website, they claim the site would, “Bring substantially less morning and evening traffic than envisioned in County plans due to off-peak day and night start times."
Part of the project also entails expanding Latrobe Road, one lane in each direction.
“Just the scope of it, it's startling to a lot of people,” said John Davey, chair of the El Dorado Hills Area Planning Advisory Committee (APAC). “Can't get our heads around how the traffic impacts are going to be mitigated.
APAC is a community advisory group that provides feedback and resident input to developers, the planning commission and county supervisors.
The group hosted a community meeting Wednesday, where the project planners made a presentation and answered questions.
In a statement to KCRA 3, developers said:
"Dermody Properties appreciated the opportunity to present to the community [Wednesday] and looks forward to continued engagement with the community throughout this project."
After the meeting, many community members still weren’t sold on the idea, and Davey said he understands the concerns expressed.
“We've only been looking at this for a little while, and typically we take several months to review projects,” he said. “This is just really fast.”
Davey said that the next step in the process is that the project is set to go before the county’s zoning administrator on April 19.
“The zoning administrator has the opportunity to approve or deny,” he explained. “It’s the authority that rests with the zoning administrator."
As an El Dorado Hills resident himself, Davey sees the upside of the project and the potential financial gains it could bring to the community.
“This could be a significant, positive impact for the county,” Davey said.
He also sees why residents may not be quick to embrace a project of this scale.
As of now, a construction start date has not yet been determined if the project is approved, according to Project Frontier.
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