Napa Activism
In early 2014 a developer proposed a winery next to our remote farm on Soda Canyon Road. Wineries are no longer wineries, of course. They are tourist attractions and entertainment venues. They are not good neighbors for those seeking rural tranquility. The prospect was the beginning of 9 years of community activism pushing back against the tidal wave of developers hoping to profit from Napa's rural splendor in one way or another, killing that splendor in the process. Projects have been slowed but few halted. Fortunately for us, in early 2023 after a court ruling in our favor, the developer dropped the project.
The cause célèbre of the era was the proposed development of 2500 acres of woodland in the eastern hills into 39 vineyard estates to be called Walt Ranch. The project was developed by Craig and Katherine Hall, owners of the Hall winery in the Valley, representing Craig's Texas development syndicate. In addition to opposing the project, members of Napa's activist community also put Measure C on the ballot to enact more even stringent controls on the development of Napa's rural legacy. The measure barely lost but was close enough to convince the Supervisors that they should take the concerns of their residents a bit more seriously. After years of hearings, neighborhood angst, court cases and appeals, the Hall's got their use permit but eventually decided, after two major wild fires impacted the property, that the estates would probably not pencil out. Shortly after receiving the permit, they sold the property to the Napa Land Trust.
In early 2014 a developer proposed a winery next to our remote farm on Soda Canyon Road. Wineries are no longer wineries, of course. They are tourist attractions and entertainment venues. They are not good neighbors for those seeking rural tranquility. The prospect was the beginning of 9 years of community activism pushing back against the tidal wave of developers hoping to profit from Napa's rural splendor in one way or another, killing that splendor in the process. Projects have been slowed but few halted. Fortunately for us, in early 2023 after a court ruling in our favor, the developer dropped the project.
The cause célèbre of the era was the proposed development of 2500 acres of woodland in the eastern hills into 39 vineyard estates to be called Walt Ranch. The project was developed by Craig and Katherine Hall, owners of the Hall winery in the Valley, representing Craig's Texas development syndicate. In addition to opposing the project, members of Napa's activist community also put Measure C on the ballot to enact more even stringent controls on the development of Napa's rural legacy. The measure barely lost but was close enough to convince the Supervisors that they should take the concerns of their residents a bit more seriously. After years of hearings, neighborhood angst, court cases and appeals, the Hall's got their use permit but eventually decided, after two major wild fires impacted the property, that the estates would probably not pencil out. Shortly after receiving the permit, they sold the property to the Napa Land Trust.
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