SVCAC turns down event center at Stornetta corners

July 26, 2018 by Fred Allebach

While everyone went to the same-night hospital hearing Wednesday night, the Sonoma Valley Citizens Advisory Committee (SVCAC) heard a “Request for a Use Permit and Design Review for a new 60,000 case winery and tasting room with up to 20 promotional events a year on a 58.65 acre parcel.” The applicant listed on the packet is Fremont Ranch LLC.

The parcel is located at the former Stornetta dairy property at the corner of Hwy 121 and Napa Rd.

The applicant proposed 20 “agricultural promotional events” per year, all private. There would be four events up to 500 guests, ten events up to 275 guests, and six events up to 80 guests. As well, there would be invitation only winemaker dinners and food pairings, plus participation in regional wine industry events.

Public comment

There were two public comments. Kathy Pons of Valley of the Moon Alliance, pointed out that a county event ordinance is in the works to put a moratorium on event centers. That such an ordinance is even contemplated shows what we all know, that wine-tourism events have become problematic and controversial in the county.

In my public comment, I noted that event center/ winery applicants have been coming forth for years with consultant reports saying there are no problems with traffic, water and greenhouse (GHG) gas emissions. Yet there are problems with increasingly scarce groundwater use, traffic congestion, and inadequately accounted for transportation GHG emissions. However, given that this region is one of five premier Mediterranean climate wine growing areas in the world, I suggested that systemic costs to the environment and to locals, particularly Area Median Income locals, could be offset by such event center and tourism-hospitality projects, by more equitably sharing the benefits so tourism workers can live here, by not greenwashing GHG emission costs, and by more conservation-oriented, scaled-down water use. If higher density is the future, it has to be made to work.

Traffic

Traffic was a topic commissioners delved into from multiple angles, pointing out that Sonoma is essentially an island with few roads in and out. Traffic congestion has become a real problem in Sonoma Valley, and the large scale of a proposed event center adjacent to Sonoma would funnel even more traffic onto 121 and Napa Rd. This congestion is in addition to already growing problems in the North Bay with Hwy. 37. People are seeking to avoid traffic troubles, and new work-around routes through Sonoma Valley shift the problems here.

The applicants said they would just be capturing traffic that was already going by anyway, but in retrospect, this doesn’t make sense, as all events are private and by invitation, and thus attended by people who would not be coming anyway.

Groundwater

Water supply is from an existing well that has a groundwater level of 6’ below the surface. At 6′ below surface, this existing well is in a surface aquifer, which is better for sustainable use, as local surface aquifers are responsive to natural recharge. This well would presumably be for landscape and vineyard irrigation. According to the agenda item packet, a new well would be drilled for domestic use.

Since the project’s Water Availability Analysis was not submitted with the SVCAC meeting packet, no information was given to the SVCAC on whether the proposed new well would be drilled into the deep aquifer system at the project site. If the existing well is not of suitbale quality or adequate for domestic use, it is reasonable to assume (given lack of packet materials) that since the property is adjacent to the Napa-Sonoma Marsh, that surface aquifer existing well water is too salty for drinking. This means a new well would be drilled into the deep aquifer, which at that location might be close to or below sea level. Such a deep aquifer well would be less sustainable because there is no appreciable natural recharge of deep aquifer well withdrawals; once acre feet are used from a deep aquifer source, that water is gone. A below sea level well in the Napa-Sonoma Marsh area might not bode well for long term use as drinking water.

The applicants have a good water plan for recycling and recharge, and appear ready to take progressive water steps.

Project not approved

The project was turned down turned down by the nine voting SVCAC members present with a seven to one vote, with one abstention. The motion to deny the project was made on the basis of too much traffic, too many events, too intensive a use in terms of size and scale, and not enough information on water. A motion to approve the project did not get a second.

Apparently, the applicant submitted their consultant’s Water Availability Analysis to the county, and the county report to the SVCAC merely said the water supply is OK. Something is not right in the order of operations here. The SVCAC cannot approve a large project with no water details.

The SVCAC recommendation is advisory only, and represents the opinions of Sonoma Valley commissioner stakeholders. In the past, the SVCAC has approved similar projects. The vote and project denial could represent a growing citizen feeling that the wine-tourism-hospitality combine has gone too far, and that enough is enough. Alternately, SVCAC commission composition could simply currently be weighted to prefer resident’s vs. commercial interests.

City and country commissions and electeds certainly have tensions in their allegiances to commercial vs. residential interests, with the perceived purpose of government falling out on a spectrum along those lines of allegiance.

Post script

The applicant team, in post hearing conversation, was interested in the notion of how expanded benefits to locals and environment, in a triple bottom line way, could work to the benefit of all. Apparently, the project’s owning family is motivated by more values than just money, so maybe a refiguring of this project will be a chance to tip the wine-tourism-hospitality combine to a more sustainable profile where it doesn’t appear that the 1% is always running off with all the goods, with local governments beholden to them for crumbs of tax money funding, while the locals bear all the costs.

Next up

The next step for the project is to present to the county planning commission. For those interested in following the process, contact PRMD at PermitSonoma@sonoma-county.org   and ask to be notified regarding PLP16-0046, Applicant Name: Fremont Ranch LLC.