Controversial new St. Helena winery project denied

The Vida Valiente winery, proposed for roughly 18 acres in the hills northeast of St. Helena where a fire-destroyed single-family house once stood, will not be moving forward.

The proposal was shot down during a contentious two-and-a-half-hour Napa County Planning Commission hearing Wednesday afternoon .

Those opposed to the project said it was in a fire-prone area on a rural road, and building a winery there would represent a public safety risk.

Supporters, however, argued that county staff had recommended approval and the project had cleared the county’s substantial hurdles for winery development.

The commission ultimately denied the project in a 2-1 vote, with commissioner Andrew Mazotti absent. Planning commission member Heather Phillips recused herself from the hearing as she’s a partner in a business that sells grapes to a winery connected to the applicant.

Dave Whitmer, the commission’s chair, cast the single vote not to deny the project.

The winery, proposed for 407 Crystal Springs Road, requested to produce up to 30,000 gallons of wine annually and to host up to 29 marketing events each year with 120 visitors a week via a use permit.

To do that, the winery would build a new 17,622 square-foot building, along with a new 13,675-square-foot wine cave, according to the staff report.

The commission had delayed taking action on the project in December after it appeared the project was in a deadlock that would have caused it to fail if forced to a vote, with two commissioners opposed to it and two supporting it.

By Wednesday, those opinions hadn’t changed.

Planning commissioners Kara Brunzell and Megan Dameron said they opposed the winery, largely because of concerns about safety and fire risk.

Dameron said Tuesday that if the project was proposed elsewhere, such as the Napa Valley floor, she would support it. She also said she’d support a winery in the proposed location, as long as it didn’t have visitation.

But the project, as it stood would create a public safety problem, she said.

“This is not about being pro- or anti-agriculture,” Dameron said. “This is simply about public safety. Not every location in the Napa Valley is ideal for hosting events, and this is one of those locations.”

You can reach Staff Writer Edward Booth at 707-521-5281 or edward.booth@pressdemocrat.com.