St. Helena Resort - Issues and Benefits

Key Issues

In accordance with Napa County’s Groundwater Management Ordinance (GMO), the applicant has collaborated with a reputable civil engineering firm to develop a water use proposal that adheres to county requirements of 0.3 acre-feet of water use per acre, which must be fully documented before any permits can be issued.
- This will be achieved by treating and recycling all non-potable water for landscape irrigation, toilet flushing, cooling systems and groundwater recharge, while reducing water use from the Charles Krug winery operations to offset all potable water used for the project.
The resort project would operate independently of city water and sewer connections.
- No public connection to city water distribution lines is anticipated.
  - Project would instead rely on existing, on-site wells (with a high water table based on a study of the water table).
- The project will not connect to the existing municipal water treatment (sewer) system, which has limited capacity for additional flows.
  - Instead, a new treatment plant (likely a membrane bioreactor or similar system) will be constructed in a basement facility within the primary resort building referred to as the “estate house.”

A new left-turn lane will be built for motorists traveling southbound on Deer Park Road to enter the project site.
Signage will also be installed on-site directing northbound drivers onto Highway 29, and southbound drivers travelling south of St. Helena onto Silverado Trail, to reduce congestion and improve safety at the intersection of Highway 29 and Deer Park Road.
A bicycle and pedestrian pathway will be created between the project site and Fulton Lane, running adjacent to the Napa Valley Wine Train tracks.
At least 25 courtesy bicycles will be made available to hotel guests, along with dedicated employee bike parking, to incentivize bicycling and other alternative transit.
Town-car or shuttle services are being considered for future hotel guests, to provide them with access to downtown St. Helena and other locations or experiences in proximity to the project site.

Project was designed to co-exist among surrounding vineyards and agricultural lands.
Most buildings are only 1-2 stories high to minimize visual impacts, and feature soft earth tones in harmony with the surrounding environment.
Photorealistic (conceptual) renderings demonstrate the minimal visual impacts the project would have from surrounding roadways.

Project will generate significant revenue to the city to fund municipal services, which include new city facilities, improvements to streets, sidewalks, and water and wastewater treatments plants.
Sources of income that will be generated by the project:
1. Additional property taxes paid by the hotel.
2. Sales tax revenue from the hotel and its guests.
3. Significant new source of Transient Occupancy Taxes (also known as “TOT”).
More than $3.3 million in total annual tax revenue anticipated in Year 1 of operations, growing to $6.3 million in new annual tax revenue anticipated by Year 5 of operations.
- This excludes other one-time permitting and impact fees paid as part of the project approval and construction that will provide several million more dollars to the City of St. Helena up front.

An 8-foot bicycle and pedestrian pathway will be created between the project site and Fulton Lane, running adjacent to the Napa Valley Wine Train tracks, creating new opportunities for residents to connect between north and central St. Helena in an area with limited pathways for cyclists and pedestrians.
- This new pathway will complement the new train depot and access point to Charles Krug Winery and the resort property area via the Napa Valley Wine Train.