A major home developer is rethinking how communities are built in wildfire-prone areas and the future is taking shape in El Dorado County.
KB Home has unveiled Stone Canyon, a new community in Cameron Park designed specifically with wildfire prevention in mind. Developers say it will be the first wildfire-prepared neighborhood in Northern California and only the second in the nation to meet rigorous safety standards from the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS).
Unlike traditional developments where fire mitigation is often added later, Stone Canyon was designed from the ground up to reduce wildfire risk.
"It's the first community in Northern California to meet IBHS's individually home and community-level standards, and it's just the second home in the nation to do so," said Nam Joe, Sacramento Division President for KB Home.
At first glance, the homes may look like any other new build, but the safety features are built in. Homes are spaced at least 20 feet apart and include Class A fire-rated roofs, ember- and flame-resistant vents, and fire-conscious landscaping, such as gravel instead of mulch, to create defensible space.
County leaders say this type of planning is essential.
"It's the future of the State of California," said El Dorado County Supervisor George Turnboo. "We need to make sure contractors are actually looking at these designs so we can build homes that make sense for where we live."
IBHS leaders say wildfire-resistant construction not only protects homes but could also impact insurance availability, especially in high-risk areas like El Dorado County, where premiums have surged and coverage has become harder to secure.
"We're really facing a wildfire structure-ignitability crisis," said Steve Hawks, Senior Director for Wildfire at IBHS. "As long as we keep experiencing these high-intensity destructive wildfires, that has downstream effects on things like insurance."
Hawks says building new homes or retrofitting existing ones to survive wildfires could make them more insurable.
"When we can build homes to be more survivable, we can make them more insurable," he said.
For residents already living in the area, the effort brings some peace of mind.
"We are so prone to fires here in California," said Cameron Park resident Cheryl Hayes-Bartlett. "It's great to have something that would hopefully mitigate fire, if not control it."
KB Home says homes in the Stone Canyon community will start in the high $700,000s, with a total of 24 single-story homes planned.
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