Community Design Standards Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The Community Design Standards Project is a community-based planning effort that will result in comprehensive objective design regulations for commercial, multi-family and mixed-use residential projects for the County's West Slope Community Regions and Rural Centers. These standards will address all aspects of construction and site design, and document architectural themes rooted in each community's building tradition. They will also provide conceptual site designs to demonstrate how the standards can be applied to the different kinds of sites present in the community and include objective performance standards (e.g. specific paint colors, minimum number and type of windows per building frontage, number and type of landscaping plantings to screen exterior walls, etc.) to assist staff and developers with implementing the approved standards. The project will be led by the Planning and Building Department's Long Range Planning Unit.   

The goal is to maintain and enhance the character of the County's existing rural and suburban communities. The Board of Supervisors directed staff to develop customized DSGs for commercial, multifamily, and mixed-use projects in the County's Community Regions and Rural Centers with that goal in mind. The DSGs will help community members have a clear understanding of what future development will look like in their community, while also encouraging high-quality, attractive building design.

The DSG will apply to new or substantially remodeled buildings that are designed for commercial, multifamily, or a combination of these uses (called mixed use). Examples of commercial uses include restaurants, retail stores, and offices. Examples of multifamily include apartments, townhomes, or condominiums. The DSG will not apply to single-family homes or agricultural buildings/barns.

No, the DSG will not create more development in your community. The goal of the DSG is to ensure buildings are designed in a way that fits the character of the surrounding community.

Projects designed consistent with the DSG that do not require any discretionary actions will be reviewed through a ministerial, administrative process. The DSG provides clear, objective design requirements to ensure new or substantially remodeled projects meet the design standards. Staff will verify compliance using application checklists. 

Projects that do not meet the DSG (or that propose alternative designs) must apply for and obtain a Design Review Permit (DRP). The DRP process includes environmental review (California Environmental Quality Act [CEQA]), public notification, review by a relevant advisory committee, and may also include holding a hearing in front of the Planning Commission. For details, please refer to Zoning Ordinance Chapter 130.51 (General Application Procedures) and Section 130.52.030 (Design Review Permit). 

Discretionary review involved subjective evaluation, judgement, or policy choices in review of a project. Review requires balancing interests and weighing competing policies in deciding upon a project. Discretionary projects include approvals such as zone change, General Plan amendment, or conditional use permit. Under CEQA, discretionary projects trigger environmental review as the County exercises authority in shaping the project's outcome, including potential conditions or denial.

Ministerial review is where review is in a prescribed, objective manner involving little or no personal judgement or discretion. If a project meets all objective DSG it is to be approved. Ministerial approvals are exempt from CEQA and include approvals such as building permits and final subdivision maps.

State streamlined ministerial projects, authorized by state legislation (e.g., Senate Bill 35, Senate Bill 423, and Assembly Bill 2011), are qualifying multi-housing developments that must be approved ministerially without discretionary review or CEQA, and usually within short defined review periods. Projects are reviewed against state streamlining qualification standards and all the local objective zoning, subdivision, and design review standards in effect and are exempt from CEQA under state law.

The DSG will only apply to the appearance or design of certain buildings. Traffic impacts from new development are reviewed by the County's Department of Transportation staff as part of a separate process. For discretionary projects, applicants must submit a project-specific traffic analysis, and all identified impacts will be addressed on a case-by-case basis. Traffic impacts from ministerial and streamlined projects are addressed differently. An applicant for a development project is required to pay the applicable Traffic Impact Fees (TIF) to address the project's impact on County transportation infrastructure, unless the project falls within an exemption. The proceeds from the TIF are used to pay for necessary projects listed in the County Capital Improvement Program, such as new or updated roadways and bridges, roadway widening, and intersection improvements.

Signs are not included in the DSG because the Zoning Ordinance already requires them to match the architectural style of the main structure(s) where the sign is located, including compatible materials, colors, and lettering. As a result, any new building designed under the DSG must also have signs that are architecturally consistent with that building.

Key project components include, but are not limited to the following:

• Development of Permanent Community-Specific Design Standards:  Beginning in mid-2025, the County will begin working with community members to create permanent community design standards for commercial, multifamily and mixed-use projects in each Community Region and Rual center based on the information included in the adopted Interim Community Design Standards documents.

• Stakeholder Involvement:  The County will be inviting people who live, work or do business in each Community Region or Rural Center (Stakeholders) to participate in community tours and provide feedback about what information should be included in the permanent community design standards. 

• Community Workshops:  The County and design consultant staff will create draft community design standards based on stakeholder feedback and information from the adopted Interim Community Design Standards.  Public workshops will be held in each community in order for community members to review the draft standards and provide feedback.

• Adoption - The County will finalize each set of proposed Design Standards, complete the necessary environmental review analysis, and present the documents to the Planning Commission and Board for adoption.

As a community-based planning process, the Design Standards’ outreach process includes a variety of opportunities and ways for the public to participate. See the list below for the project’s various types of outreach activities. Please take advantage of these many opportunities to learn, provide input, and help create standards and guidelines that perpetuate desirable commercial and multi-family development in your community.

• Public Workshops

Public workshops will be held to receive community input on a customized set of draft design standards for each Community Region.  At each workshop, staff and design consultants will receive input on architectural theme, character, and community-specific building and site design preferences.  For details, please check the project webpage for updated information.

• Planning Commission and Board Meetings

The County will conduct public hearings before the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors to consider adoption of each set of community design standards, as applicable. Community members are encouraged to attend these meetings.

• Public Review Drafts of Proposed Design Standards

Public Review Draft Design Standards will be made available to the public for review and feedback before each set of design standards is completed and prepared for final adoption.

El Dorado County is committed to involving the community in the planning process. The Design Standards process provides residents, business and property owners, development professionals, and other interested parties the chance to help define each communities’ desired character, architectural themes, and development characteristics that the design standards will be based upon. The project will reflect the communities’ preferences, and staff believes each citizen's voice is vital to identifying the key issues and aesthetic and character preferences that the standards should address.

Public input from every engagement activity will be meticulously reviewed and documented to ensure County staff and decision-makers have a full understanding of public sentiment when developing the design standards. To best ensure that the project reflects the communities’ priorities and preferences, public feedback will be considered throughout the process.

Visit the project webpage to learn more about the project, view the dates of upcoming meetings and public workshops and review meeting materials and draft documents. There will be many opportunities for public participation throughout the process. All public meetings, workshops, and draft standards documents will be posted on the webpage as information becomes available. To receive project updates, interested parties may also sign up for the project's email list on the link provided at the bottom of the main project webpage.