ST. HELENA, CA — The city of St. Helena commented Thursday on a potential ballot measure it has received for the November election from Noble House Hotels & Resorts for a 56-room resort planned at Charles Krug Winery in the northern part of the city, officials said Thursday.
The filing came after a series of general project discussions between Noble House Hotels and Resorts — owners of the Napa Valley Wine Train — and the city’s elected officials and staff. In those meetings, no specifics were discussed or provided and the first opportunity for city staff and elected officials to see the ballot proposal was Wednesday, according to the city.
“Giving the voters of St. Helena the final word on this proposal seems appropriate given its significance for the community, but I am concerned that using the initiative process will bypass environmental review,” St. Helena City Council Member Anna Chouteau said.
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The ballot initiative does not include data, plans and other submittals that would allow the Community Development and Public Works departments to thoroughly evaluate the project, the city said, adding that staff has requested such data but has not received it.
“While we are always pleased to see economic development proposals that have the potential to generate revenue for our community, we will need time to review the Noble House-financed initiative for the project at Charles Krug,” St. Helena City Manager Anil Comelo said. “The devil is in the details. We will analyze the proposal as best we can under the extremely short window of time we have been given to ensure that city rules and regulations are met. We will then provide the City Council with our assessment.”
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St. Helena Mayor Paul Dohring said economic development has been and will remain a priority.
“We have been focusing intensively on economic development in St. Helena over the last few years because we realize that environmentally responsible investment and public/private collaboration is vital to the delivery of City services and the preservation of our quality of life,” Dohring said.
City officials noted that a ballot initiative can be seen as a way to avoid a more robust public vetting and evaluation process because it circumvents review by the Planning Commission and City Council, putting the final decision into the hands of the voters.
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“We will carefully analyze the ballot language proposed by Noble House to ensure that it aligns with our community’s expectations, values and interests,” Dohring said. “As mayor, I will continue to make it crystal clear to Noble House that we fully expect an environmentally superior project and significant contributions to the City for infrastructure restoration, roadway improvements, sidewalk replacements, open space and trail enhancements, and the construction of employee housing.”
Patch reached out to Noble House and we will update this post if we hear back. The company is based in Kirkland, Washington. It offers destination weddings and its website includes Napa Valley Wine Train on its list of California attractions.
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