To: Honorable Mayor and Members of City Council
From: Vincent Smith, Community Development Director
Prepared By: Erin Morris, Planning Manager
TITLE:
Title
Proposed Greenwood Mansion Café and Winery Project at 499 Devlin Road, in the Unincorporated South County Industrial Area
LABEL
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommendation
Authorize the City Manager to send a letter to the County of Napa to agree that the proposed development of the restaurant component of the Greenwood Mansion Cafe and Winery Project at 499 Devlin Road, by the owner Vinum Cellars, Inc., is consistent with the terms of the Memorandum of Agreement between the City and the County Regarding Regional Housing Needs Allocations for Future Housing Element Planning Periods, dated August 25, 2015. The proposed development (as summarized in letters dated September 11, 2019 and September 12, 2019, attached to this report) will include a Conditional Use Permit and Specific Plan Amendment to be issued by the County for the South County Industrial Area (Napa Valley Business Park).
Body
DISCUSSION:
Background
On May 21, 2019, the Council considered a proposal from the Applicant, Vinum Cellars, to establish an 840 square foot restaurant in the lower floor of an existing office building. The restaurant would include approximately 20 indoor seats and 25 outdoor seats on new decks. In addition, the proposal included a 920 square foot wine tasting area with approximately 30 seats serving wine produced by Vinum Cellars and on-site wine production to occur in a new 680 square foot building adjacent to the main building. The upper floor of the existing building would continue to be used exclusively as an office. Approximately 15,000 square feet of existing lawn adjacent to the building would be converted to vineyards. Wine production, ancillary wine tasting, and office uses are allowed under current County regulations. A Specific Plan Amendment is required in order to allow a restaurant.
Under the initial proposal, the restaurant use was proposed to operate seven days per week and special events were proposed. At the May 21, 2019 meeting, some members of the Council had questions about the proposal to operate the restaurant on the weekends given the project’s overall goal of serving people who work within the business park and the City’s interest in ensuring that the business park remains an employment center and not a visitor/tourist oriented area. The Council continued consideration of the item for further information.
Revised Project Description
On September 12, 2019, City staff received a revised proposal from the Applicant to eliminate the proposed weekend hours of operation for the restaurant, and to eliminate special events. The revised hours of operation would be Monday through Friday from 6:00 AM to 8:00 PM. The Applicant has also included additional on-site parking to address concerns expressed by neighboring property owners.
Analysis
The 1.17 acre site, located on the northwest corner of Devlin Road and Airport Boulevard, is designated Industrial Park in the County’s Napa Valley Business Park Specific Plan. While light manufacturing, wine production, and office uses are allowed by right, the proposed establishment of a restaurant use would require a Specific Plan Amendment and Conditional Use Permit. Under the 2015 Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) Sharing Agreement, the County agreed to limit development in the South County industrial area to be consistent with 2013 planning requirements, unless the City agreed to a change in the planning requirements. The fundamental question is whether the proposed development is inconsistent with the overarching purpose of the 2015 RHNA Sharing Agreement to restrict land uses in the South County industrial area to ensure that new visitor/tourism oriented urban uses are focused within cities and not within the unincorporated County.
Staff has reviewed the revised proposal provided by the Applicant and the materials provided by County of Napa and determined that the addition of a small restaurant in this location could be found acceptable because of the limited size and the revised hours of operation to coincide with weekdays when the business park is active with employees and business visitors.
FINANCIAL IMPACTS:
No direct financial impacts to the City have been identified with this application.
CEQA:
The Community Development Director has determined that the Recommended Action described in this Agenda Report is not subject to CEQA, pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Division 15060(c).
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
ATCH 1 - Memorandum of Agreement Between the City of Napa and Napa County Regarding Regional Housing Needs Allocations for Future Housing Element Planning Periods
ATCH 2 - Letter from Napa County dated September 12, 2019, and proposed Conditions of Approval
ATCH 3 - Letter from Applicant dated September 11, 2019
ATCH 4 - Public Correspondence
ATCH 5 - Previous Agenda Summary Report and attachments
ATCH 6 - Plans
NOTIFICATION:
None required.