RESCUE, Calif. — More than a year after county officials rejected a controversial affordable housing development in Rescue, the same project has resurfaced with a new name and a significant legal advantage.
San Diego-based Affirmed Housing Group has refiled its proposal for what is now called the Green Valley Family Apartments, a 128-unit, 100% affordable housing complex planned for a 5.27-acre parcel at the southwest corner of Green Valley Road and Bass Lake Road. The site sits directly across from Green Valley Elementary School.
The project is largely unchanged from its previous iteration—formerly known as Bass Lake Family Apartments—which the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors denied in late 2024, citing concerns over traffic congestion, wildfire risk and broader environmental impacts.
State law reshapes the approval landscape
This time, however, the developer is proceeding under Assembly Bill 2011, a California statute that took effect in July 2023 and allows certain affordable housing projects on commercially zoned land to bypass discretionary local approvals.
The law enables what is known as “ministerial” or “by-right” approval, meaning local agencies must approve qualifying projects if they meet objective standards, including affordability thresholds and prevailing wage requirements.
A more recent measure, Assembly Bill 693, further narrows the scope of environmental review. Under AB 693, agencies are largely limited to analyzing impacts occurring directly on the project site—excluding broader concerns such as regional traffic or wildfire evacuation constraints that contributed to the project’s earlier rejection.
“These laws are designed to remove local barriers to housing production,” said a spokesperson for Affirmed Housing Group in a statement. “California’s housing shortage requires consistent, statewide solutions.”
Project details and scope
Plans for the Green Valley Family Apartments call for five residential buildings totaling approximately 122,508 square feet. Of the 128 units, 126 would be reserved for low-income households, with two units designated for on-site management.
The unit mix includes:
- 62 one-bedroom apartments (approximately 617–642 square feet)
- 32 two-bedroom units (approximately 915 square feet)
- 33 three-bedroom units (approximately 1,238–1,258 square feet)
The developer is also seeking a concession to eliminate commercial space requirements, despite the property’s commercial zoning, which typically mandates at least 30% non-residential use.
Local concerns persist
Opposition remains strong among some residents, including members of the Bass Lake Apartments Opposition Alliance, a community group formed during the initial proposal.
Critics argue that state laws like AB 2011 undermine local planning authority and fail to account for infrastructure limitations in rural communities.
“State mandates are overriding the realities on the ground here,” a representative of the group said during prior public comment. “Traffic, fire safety and school impacts don’t disappear just because a law says they should.”
What happens next
The project entered a new review phase in early 2026, with a Technical Advisory Committee meeting held March 30 to evaluate the updated application.
Under AB 2011, the county faces strict timelines—often between 60 and 90 days—to determine whether the project meets objective standards. Failure to act within that window could result in automatic approval.
State officials have also signaled increased enforcement against jurisdictions that improperly deny qualifying housing developments, including potential legal and financial penalties.
For El Dorado County, the revived proposal sets up a familiar but legally altered debate—balancing local concerns over infrastructure and safety against mounting state pressure to accelerate housing construction.
