Sandy Ericson | Jul 11, 2014 on: Tourism Issues

[Email from Sandy Ericson of the St. Helena Window sent to supervisors and commissioners]

Dear Supervisors and Planning Commissioners:

In view of the recurring requests for greater tourism facilities and the accompanying community backlash, this may be a good time to review the Butler Report, a famously quoted study and an effective "head's up" for geographic areas contemplating the growth of tourism. It is an area fraught with unintended consequences for those new to the game. For instance, this spring, within the City of St. Helena, citizens successfully used the Referendum process to defeat a revision of the Small Winery Ordinance which opened neighborhoods to commercial wineries and events. At some point, this will likely happen on the County level as well.

Sandra Ericson
St. Helena

Here is a synopsis of the Butler Report:
Butler Report Synopsis
the full paper is here
The SHWindow Tourism Page