Saint Helena panel removes 1,000-foot alcohol buffer, corrects ADU size note

The Saint Helena Planning Commission voted unanimously on Nov. 4 to adopt ordinance ZOA 25-005, deleting a 1,000-foot automatic prohibition on alcoholic beverage sales near schools and updating a residential development table footnote to reflect an 800-square-foot accessory dwelling unit (ADU) allowance.

Planning staff presented the amendment as a correction to inconsistencies in the city’s zoning code. The staff report said the 1,000-foot buffer, carried into the 2023 zoning update by a consultant, effectively prohibited new alcohol sales in most of the downtown core, including existing tasting rooms and the A&W property now offered for sale. Staff recommended removing the fixed setback and instead adding a finding that the deciding body must consider the distance of a proposed alcoholic beverage establishment from public or private schools, nursery school, preschool, or daycare facilities.

The amendment preserves existing…