Apr 29, 2014![]() "To insure that the intensity of winery activities is appropriately scaled, the County considers the remoteness of the location and the amount of wine to be produced at a facility when reviewing use permit proposals, and endeavors to ensure a direct relationship between access constraints and on-site marketing and visitation programs" - Napa County Winery Definition Ordinance 33,000 sf of caves 100,000 gal/yr 22,000 people/yr 6 miles up a winding dead-end road Mountain Peak WineryFact Sheet Our Concerns Site Plans Our Petition Our ConcernsThis is a beginning list of issues and concerns for the residents of Soda Canyon Road raised by the Mountain Peak Vineyards project as proposed . 1) Overall size/scope of the project is NOT commensurate with the rural location (i.e. overall project size, gallons permitted, enormous caves, large buildings, everything must be downsized). 2) Increased worker and visitor traffic to MPV will increase risk for accidents, cause further deterioration of the already poorly maintained roadway. 3) Fire Safety: Increased traffic on the road will contribute to an increased likelihood of fires. Soda Canyon and the Rector plateau are an extremely hazardous fire danger area. As a one way road serving a large area, evacuation is impeded or impossible in the event of a fire. 4) Tasting Room Hours must be more limited: MPV is currently proposing to be open until 6pm. Any visitor center in such a remote location should be closing no later than 4:00pm. 5) Limit the marketing events hours. MPV is currently proposing to stay open until 10pm for these events which is unacceptably late. Nighttime events create noise and light impacts in a remote area whose very character is silence and darkness at night. The road is also much more hazardous in the dark. 6) Reduce the number of permitted guests. Number of permitted guests and hours of visitor center operation should align closely with the permit of another nearby winery operation. 7) Water availability and stream pollution concerns. The sheer size of proposed MPV operation may potentially cause surrounding wellsand springs to go dry. 8) Environmental concerns: Removal of dirt and rock to build 35,000 sf of caves and placement of their spoils on the MPV property will create environmental hazards for the creek (i.e. silt into the creek, harm fish and other wildlife). This could also create water pollution issues for neighbors and the downstream water supply for the town of Yountville. 9) Dust concerns: Creation of dust during long construction period may adversely impact neighbors' animals, crops, and health. 10) Precedent: The approval of this project sets a bad precedent that will pave the way for several other large scale wineries to be established on Soda Canyon Road. Thank you to all of those who were able to attend the neighborhood meetings to show your support. We appreciate your efforts and look forward to working with all of you as this project progresses. Please do not hesitate to contact us with questions and other concerns, as we very much encourage the input and support from everyone in our Soda Canyon community, as well as the greater Napa community, that will be adversely affected by the MPV project and other, future projects of similar size. PostsYou must log in to add comments | Share this topic 1 comments
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