MikeBolen.com

If a slow growth initiative passes in June, at least three developers with projects on the outskirts of American Canyon and Napa will likely gain in the long run.

Proponents of the Responsible Growth Initiative say they want to curb residential growth in the unincorporated part of the county, particularly the proposed 3,200 townhomes at the former Napa Pipe property. But with more strict controls on county growth, the measure would create more pressure for large residential developments within the two largest cities in Napa County, Napa and American Canyon.

Based on a review of current development and zoning proposals, it appears three properties would become the likeliest to help satisfy state and regional requirements for market-rate and affordable housing.

• One, the 110-acre Ghisletta property near Foster Road in south Napa, is tentatively zoned to have as many as 1,000 dwellings, plus a 31-acre corporate park. The property is within the city of Napa’s Rural-Urban Limit line, but has not been annexed to the city. City leaders and the property owners are seeking to get the property annexed this year.

• Another, the 70-acre Edward Biggs property on the east side of Newell Drive in American Canyon, is slated by its Solano County owner for residential development. Lot lines on this property, part of which was previously owned by the Ghisletta family and others, were redrawn in 2007 so that it could better accommodate single-family homes. The land is just outside the city of American Canyon. The city is currently reconsidering the boundaries of its Rural-Urban Limit line.

• The third, the McGrath development, is just east of American Canyon’s city limit. About 500 homes and 150,000 square feet of commercial space are proposed for this 100-acre property. It is the site of a former cement factory, now owned by the Jaeger family.

The initiative would almost certainly spell the doom of the 152-acre 3,200-home Napa Pipe proposal. In addition to the likelihood that such a large project would exceed the county’s annual growth cap, a provision in the Responsible Growth Initiative calls for strict enforcement of a 35-foot height limit on buildings, far shorter than the seven-story townhomes proposed for Napa Pipe.

As a result, the measure would benefit other developers who plan fewer homes, or who might see their properties brought within the cities of Napa or American Canyon — where county growth restrictions don’t apply.

James Marshall, the Napa attorney who is the spokesman for the Responsible Growth Initiative, said he had no intention of making developers’ lives easier.

“I don’t know any of those people,” he said. “I know nothing about it, I obviously could not have had that in my mind when I started this initiative. There’s no doubt it will have an impact on property owners. There’s going to be some people who don’t benefit from this initiative and some people that benefit in some peculiar way. But what I’m looking at is the benefit of all Napa County residents.”

Source: Napa Valley Register