Plan for posh homes in El Dorado faces hurdles.(El Dorado County, California)

After a decade waiting for county approvals and fending off legal attacks by slow-growthers, Stefan Manolakas and Angelo Tsakopoulos are getting closer to the grand opening of a 1,200-home development near El Dorado Hills called The Promontory.

Maybe.

The developers are looking over their shoulders because El Dorado County has become a battleground between development interests and slow-growth advocates. Two legal attacks still threaten the project.

First, a lawsuit claims the county violated state environmental law in approving The Promontory earlier this year. Second, Measure Y, a traffic initiative passed by ballot in November, could also hamper the project.

"One gets caught in the political cross-fire, regardless of the merits of the project," Manolakas lamented. "It's just been tough - very, very difficult." …