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Neighbors ask Saint Helena to monitor Napa County hotel proposal near Sulphur Creek, citing fire, traffic and water concerns
Summary
A neighborhood group told the council a developer has proposed a large hotel in the woods west of Saint Helena near Sulphur Creek. Speakers raised fire-safety, traffic, water-supply and environmental concerns and asked the city to gather facts and coordinate with Napa County; staff agreed to monitor and provide an information memo.
A representative of about 20 neighbors near Sulphur Creek asked the Saint Helena City Council on Feb. 11 to watch a Napa County hotel application that residents say would place hundreds of guests, staff and diners in a wooded canyon west of Saint Helena.
The speaker said the proposal could generate as many as 500 or more vehicle trips per day on narrow, curving roads and through Spring Street, and raised concerns about fire risk to nearby neighborhoods, the adequacy of proposed water wells and wastewater systems, availability of fire suppression, parking runoff and environmental effects to Sulphur Creek and the species it supports. The speaker noted the project lies outside city limits and, as proposed, would pay transient occupancy taxes to Napa County rather than to Saint Helena.
The group said it has retained an attorney to review developer entitlements that date to the 1980s and asked the council to instruct city staff to gather facts and coordinate with county planning staff. Mayor Doreen said she was not ready to advocate for or against the project but thought it "behooved the city" to have staff monitor the project and report back. Staff said the city—s Director DeRosa has joined the county mailing list and staff would provide an information memo to council as soon as practicable.
ENDING: Council directed staff to prepare an information memorandum and to maintain communication with Napa County staff; no formal action was taken and the matter remains under county review.
