SodaCanyonRoad | Yountville Hill
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Yountville Hill
Mary Ann Moffitt | Jul 17, 2014 on: Yountville Hill

Hi everyone,

We filed the notice of intent to appeal to the Board of Supervisors today. I sent the information below to the Yountville Sun and Peter Jensen at the Napa Register. We will submit the full appeal packet in the next 10 days. I will let you know how things are progressing and when will meet next.

We also asked today about Ca’Nani’s recent request for a permit modification. Planning Dept staff says that they have yet another major modification in the works, so they may wait to hold a public hearing for that. We asked to be notified when that comes forward.

Thank you for your great letters to the editor!!
Mary Ann



Save Yountville Hill, a group of concerned Napa County residents opposing the proposed Yountville Hill Winery, has formally submitted their intent to appeal the Planning Commission's recent approval of the project to the Board of Supervisors. The Planning Commission approved the controversial 100,000 gallon winery and 12,850 sq. ft visitor center in the Yountville hills following a tumultuous meeting in which commissioner Matt Pope altered his position in the final moments and supported the project. More than a dozen residents and well-known vintners objected to the scale of production, over-emphasis on hospitality and marketing, increased traffic, and the extensive cut and fill construction on the hillside. To build the winery, reception building, and hospitality center, the Planning Commission approved an exception to the conservation regulations for construction on steep slopes, setback variances and a view shed application. The project plan includes just 2.5 acres of grapes.

Save Yountville Hill argues the project is inappropriate for the steep, 10.9-acre parcel, and that the aggressive marketing plan bringing more than 50,000 visitors per year to the site will make traffic more hazardous in an already highly congested section of Hwy 29. Retaining walls several stories high and visible from the highway and surrounding areas will be needed to support the roads and new buildings; landscaping is expected to take years to fill in the walls and construction areas, a difficult task on the western facing, rocky slopes. The new visitor center is three times the size of the former bed and breakfast currently on the site.

For more information, please visit www.Yountville-Hill-neighbors.org