Texas Hill Reservoir Rezone Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Prior to December 2015, properties either completely or partially within the site of the proposed reservoir (Texas Hill Reservoir Take Line) were residentially-zoned. However, those residential zones had long been inconsistent with the County's Open Space (OS) General Plan Land Use Designation, which prohibits single family residential structures (including residential accessory structures).

On December 15, 2015, the Board adopted the Zoning Ordinance Update (ZOU) to make the Zoning Map consistent with the General Plan as mandated by state law. As part of the 2015 ZOU, all parcels within the Texas Hill Reservoir Take Line were rezoned to either Recreational Facility, Low Intensity (RF-L) or Open Space (OS) which prohibit residential uses.  Therefore, effective January 2016, all property owners within the Take Line were prohibited from applying for any residential building permits (all types).  

On March 17, 2020, after receiving confirmation from the regional water purveyor, the El Dorado Irrigation District (EID), that their agency had no plans for the foreseeable future to construct the proposed Texas Hill Reservoir project and therefore EID would support a rezone and General Plan amendment project for lands within the Texas Hill Reservoir Take Line, the Board of Supervisors directed Long Range Planning staff to process the required General Plan Amendment, Rezones and associated environmental documents.  As proposed, the project would re-allow residential uses on affected parcels consistent with the uses that were previously allowed per the Zoning Map before December 15, 2015 (File 20-0326, Attachment A).

To find out if your property will be affected by the project, please refer to Figure 1-7 (Existing and Proposed General Plan Land Use Designations and Zoning [by APN]) in the Notice of Preparation (NOP): texas-hill-nop-exhibits-_web-version_5-3-24.pdf (ca.gov) and see if your Accessors Parcel Number (APN) is included on the list of affected properties.  You can also look up your APN by street address at the Assessor's Online Property Information (edcgov.us). 

The proposed Rezone and General Plan amendment would not create any new parcels - There are no subdivisions or development plans proposed as part of the project.  The project would only rezone and redesignate existing properties within the boundary of the formerly proposed Texas Hill Reservoir (Texas Hill Reservoir Take Line) in order to allow residential uses on affected lands consistent with other residentially-zoned parcels in the vicinity.  

Visit the project webpage for project updates, including the anticipated project schedule, the status of the project's Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and upcoming public hearings by the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors.  To receive project updates, interested parties may also sign up for the project's email notification list on the link provided at the bottom of the project webpage.

On December 28, 2018, new state legislation was certified determining that “a project’s effect on automobile delay (traffic congestion) shall not constitute a significant (environmental) impact.” (California Code of Regulations Section 15064.3) Therefore, by state law, traffic congestion, or Level of Service (LOS), can no longer be considered a significant impact for purposes of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

However, CEQA Guidelines also require a project be reviewed for any potential conflicts with local transportation programs, plans, ordinances or policies addressing the circulation system, including transit, roadway, bicycle and pedestrian facilities.  Based on this requirement, the project will also be reviewed for consistency with the County General Plan, including the TC-X policies in the Transportation and Circulation Element that relate to automobile delay and roadway Level of Service (LOS).  Since automobile delay and traffic congestion can no longer be considered significant impacts under CEQA, an additional traffic study will be prepared separately from the project EIR.