It has been a year since the neighbors discovered that a developer (HomeCA, Gina Wasdyke) was planning to build two commercial Substance Use Disorder (SUD) facilities in our rural residential neighborhood in Rescue. Since then, we have peeled this onion, and this group has worked hard to inform the greater community about the idiocy of placing these types of facilities on these two parcels off Deer Valley Road.
A lot has happened during the last 12 months, and today these two parcels are still owned by HomeCA, but no permits have yet been granted. Our community efforts have helped highlight to El Dorado County (EDC) officials the negative impacts these developments would have on this corner of EDC, and EDC Counsel has requested HomeCA answer some tough questions (link). HomeCA continues to dodge these questions, and as of today, they continue to ask for a Zoning Exemption. We believe EDC will not grant this exemption without further investigation, and we await next steps from HomeCA.
Our efforts have been instrumental in delaying these developments, and we remain hopeful that, with continued pressure, we can prevent them altogether. Thank you to everyone who has supported us—your voices have made a real difference!
As of this point, we’re unsure what HomeCA’s next steps will be. We can only hope that, as they evaluate the costs of conducting a full CEQA review and Environmental Impact Report, they will recognize the high expense and low return of pursuing these parcels for such a project. HomeCA has already admitted that they have “never done a project like this before” (link) which raises questions about their decision to prioritize cheap land over selecting a more appropriate location for these types of facilities.
We’re hopeful they’ll reconsider and find better-suited locations for these care centers—places that would actually serve the patients they intend to support while minimizing harm to our community.
As we head into the new year, there are new faces on the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors. We’ve already had some initial conversations with the new members, but come January, we’ll need to show a united front and reaffirm our commitment to stopping this development. Stay tuned for a call to action—we’ll need your help to send a clear message to the Board and ensure that this misguided project is stopped for good.
Rescue Deer Valley! 