Napa Insider
Wine conglomerates continue to coil our vineyard land in a vice grip, further squashing the quaint Napa Valley of decades past.
N apa Valley is no stranger to growth and development, it’s become as prevalent as our world-class grapes, but at what point do our small towns morph from quaint and idyllic to overrun and over developed? Media alert: We are already there, folks. In St. Helena’s scantly populated 5,200-person town alone, there are four proposed hotel properties in various states of review and approval. We have the 65-room Farmstead project, the 79-room Inn at the Abbey, and the grand plans from real estate investor Antonio Castellucci for a 75-room hotel which, if approved, would land smack in the middle of town at the Bank of America/Adams Street location. And not to be bested by all of the above, we have Napa Valley Wine Train parent company Noble House’s hotel at Charles Krug Winery endeavor, slated to hit this year’s November ballot. All the while, affordable housing remains elusive for valley dwellers and the could-be employees needed to staff any one of these projects, let alone all of them. Add to that State Farm’s recent announcement that the company won’t be renewing 47% of its Calistoga homeowner policies and 27% of its St. Helena ones, the word kerfuffle doesn’t seem to cover it. As for my slice of the pie, my hometown of Calistoga continues to rise in notoriety (or is it infamy?) with the opening of Jean Charles Boisset’s Calistoga Depot where you too can score a slice of caramel-banana bread for a mere nine bucks. Pair that with a small $7 bottle of Fiji water and a $18 taco and you have successfully priced locals out. Thanks to the taste factor and neighboring bubbly bar railcar, I no longer care. The quest for survival As the little guy and gal fight for survival, wine conglomerates continue to coil our vineyard land in a vice grip, further squashing the quaint Napa Valley of decades past. Salacious sentiment, or truth talk? That’s for you to decide, but here are the numbers: The Grand Poobahs of vineyard land owners include Treasury Wine Estates with 2,649 acres; Silverado Investment Management Co./Nuveen/ Westchester with 2,500 acres; followed by Laird Family at 2,400; and Gallo and Constellation, with 1,500 and 1,189 respectively. But the land grabs are not relegated to the wine biz alone. In south Napa, the long awaited and debated Costco Warehouse is set to open this fall just in time to commandeer more land with its 157,417-square-foot store and nearly 14,000-square-foot gas station, spread across 16.4 acres at the corner of Kaiser Road and Riversound Way. While my kids are thrilled at the prospect of scoring jumbo, double pack boxes of Lucky Charms, I can’t help but feel this development will further taint the Napa Valley brand and simultaneously suck away business from underdog retailers and small-lot shops. The Napa Valley growth kerfluffle By Christina Julian
On the plus side for job seekers, the opening of the mega- warehouse could open as many as 300 new jobs, which sure is dandy as long as they don’t want to live here. But like all things Costco—there’s an answer for that! The warehouse is only one part of the larger Riversound Redevelopment project, which spans 152-acres of land, some of which has been approved for 945 new homes (140 designated for affordable housing), alongside plans for a boutique hotel, retail spaces and light-industrial-use operations. Like all good marketing brochures, Riversound’s is spinning a dream, with catchy declaratives, including: “Located at the gateway to the world-renowned Napa Valley Wine Region,” which illuminates the rub for me, if no one else. Is this the image we want to project to tourists entering our wine-filled wonderland: Welcome to Wine Country, don’t forget to stock up on cheap wine, booze and buckets of crunchy snacks? If you ask my husband, who for reasons unknown enjoys combing Costco aisles on weekends, that would be a resounding—yes! As for my wayward gal pals who come here to escape the banalities of everyday life and motherhood, that would be a hard no. But, like it or not, bulk food shopping in Napa is here to stay come harvest time. Soul savers Luckily, for every land grab and mega-corporate takeover, there are youth in the community geared up and ready to save our commodity-centered souls, including youth leaders of Napa Schools for Climate Action. This pack of student advocates are working to cut pollution from the source, stopping harmful emissions, and calling on every city within Napa County to pass a ban on dirty- energy infrastructure, i.e. gas stations. As a mother of tweens who ensures that the “diligence pays” catchphrase works its way into dinner conversation at least twice a week—it does. Over the last few years, the actions of these young climate activists have inspired cities to move the climate change mark in positive directions. The City of Napa made the 2030 net zero deadline a guiding principle in its General Plan, the Napa City Council passed a moratorium on new and expanded gas stations, and Yountville and St. Helena have passed bans. Perhaps another mission should be added to their docket: Save Napa Valley—from itself. g
After years in the technology and advertising trenches, Christina Julian traded city life for country and unearthed a new philosophy—life is complicated, wine and food shouldn’t be. Her debut novel, a romantic comedy called The Dating Bender , is now available. Learn more at christinajulian.com . You can reach her at cjulian@northbaybiz.com.
June 2024
NorthBaybiz 19
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