Advisory panel mulls new rules on Napa winery expansion

An advisory panel on Tuesday recommended Napa County refrain from adopting new regulations that would prohibit the net loss of vineyard acreage at wineries seeking permits to build or expand on their property.

The Napa County Agricultural Preservation Committee voted for the proposal during its meeting. It was the only item approved during a debate on issues that ranged from regulating the parcel size for new wineries to the role of estate grapes in winery production.

The 17-member panel was appointed by Napa County Board of Supervisors and the Planning Commission to investigate and report back recommendations on how ?the county can better control winery development and expansion, which has reached a crisis level in the county of 140,000 residents. Its report is due by the end of ?August.

The committee is similar to a working group that Sonoma County officials have assembled to provide ideas on how better to regulate promotional events at wineries and tasting rooms and policies on over-concentration of wineries in areas such as Sonoma Valley, Dry Creek Valley, and Westside Road. The Sonoma County panel will have its first meeting on June 10.

The Napa County panel has a high threshold to adopt a recommendation so it can reach a broad consensus from its members representing growers, vintners, environmentalists, community members and others. It requires a supermajority of 12 votes for adoption, and all recommendations will be considered again at the end of the process as part of the panel’s final report.

Items considered on Tuesday may come up again at a later date, said David Morrison, director of Planning, Building and Environmental Services. Two proposals fell one vote short necessary for adoption: whether to retain the existing 10-acre minimum parcel size on all new wineries; and whether to establish a small-winery use permit for new facilities located on parcels from 10 to 40 acres.

The panel will tackle additional issues in the coming months, such as non-agricultural use of vineyard and winery lots; temporary events; and variances in the permitting process.

In addition, the Napa County Planning Commission is having its staff review three other ?proposals that could limit the impact that tourism is having in the county.

Community activists contend that Napa County’s more than 450 wineries are sufficient and that vintners have moved from producing wine to making their wineries into event centers, bringing clogged streets and worsening the quality of life.

The proposals include whether to establish a “visitor matrix” to guide the permitting process; greater restrictions on the use of outdoor patio areas by wineries; and new rules over outdoor signs.