From The Napa Valley Register’s NapaValleyRegister.com
By Barry Eberling
Cakebread Cellars can make more wine but Balloons Above the Valley can’t use an agricultural property to launch more hot air balloons.
Continue readingTwo new Napa County wineries approved for industrial area
From The Napa Valley Register’s NapaValleyRegister.com
By Barry Eberling
Napa County’s airport industrial area will continue to become a kind of wine country of its own.
The Napa County Planning Commission on Wednesday allowed two previously approved industrial projects to morph into wineries. Both will be in Napa Valley Business Park between the city of Napa and American Canyon.
Continue readingNapa County balks at amplified music request by St. Helena winery
From The Napa Valley Register’s NapaValleyRegister.com
By Barry Eberling
Rombauer Vineyards winery pulled the plug on its request to have amplified music at outdoor events after running into Napa County resistance.
Continue readingProposed 475,000-gallon Napa Valley winery raises size concerns
From The Napa Valley Register’s NapaValleyRegister.com
By Barry Eberling
Frank Family Vineyards wants to build a Napa Valley winery in the Rutherford area, though the proposed scale is giving critics and some county Planning Commissioners pause.
Continue readingNapa County’s Cain winery request involves detective work
From The Napa Valley Register’s NapaValleyRegister.com
By Barry Eberling
Cain Vineyard and Winery located atop the Mayacamas Mountains is trying to clarify what its four-decade-old use permit actually means, leading to a kind of history detective exercise.
Continue readingAmplified music a sticking point for Rombauer winery request to Napa County
From The Napa Valley Register’s NapaValleyRegister.com
By Barry Eberling
Napa County will give Rombauer Vineyards and its neighbors a chance to solve concerns over proposed winery changes before stepping in itself, with amplified music high on the list.
Continue readingIs new Placer County winery, brewery ordinance equitable?
From Gold Country Media’s GoldCountryMedia.com
Despite four expert legal opinion letters citing fatal flaws in the environmental analysis and significant resident opposition, Placer County Supervisors approved changes to a countywide winery and brewery ordinance claiming to support Placer agriculture.
Continue readingNapa County takes initial look at proposed Highway 29 hotel
From The Napa Valley Register’s NapaValleyRegister.com
By Barry Eberling
A plan to build a rare, new Napa Valley hotel outside of the cities is receiving close examination long before reaching its day of judgement, with housing for employees among the concerns.
The Napa County Planning Commission on Wednesday held a “scoping session” for The Inn at the Abbey. This proposed 79-room hotel in several buildings would be at the Freemark Abbey winery complex on Highway 29 north of St. Helena in the unincorporated county.
Continue readingNapa County seeks middle ground in Whitehall winery/neighbor dispute
From The Napa Valley Register’s NapaValleyRegister.com
By Barry Eberling
Whitehall Lane Winery and its neighbors couldn’t resolve a dispute about the winery’s proposed, outdoor evening events, so the Napa County Planning Commission settled the matter.
Continue readingNapa County gives split decision in Bremer winery stream case
From The Napa Valley Register’s NapaValleyRegister.com
By Barry Eberling
Another Bremer Family Winery brouhaha, this one over a barn and other structures built too close to a stream, landed in the laps of Napa County planning commissioners with the subtlety of a live grenade.
Continue reading