A lawsuit was filed yesterday in Napa Superior Court by concerned Napa residents and property owners of the Soda Canyon Community challenging the County’s recent approval of the Mountain Peak Winery.
MOUNTAIN PEAK WINERY – A Dangerous Precedent
On August 22, 2017, the Board of Supervisors issued their final decision approving Mountain Peak Winery. Mountain Peak Winery is located 6.2 miles up the dilapidated, dead-end Soda Canyon Road on top of Atlas Peak in the rural and pristine Rector Watershed. The Project, which can only be described as a leviathan event center, is the largest ever approved in Napa County when considering the remoteness of the location and access constraints.
WHY SHOULD THE COUNTY’S DECISION ON THE MOUNTAIN PEAK WINERY MATTER TO YOU?
Because the Project sets one of the most dangerous winery precedents to date and opens the floodgates to unbridled expansion into all of our remote and rural hillsides and watersheds throughout Napa Valley.
JUST HOW BIG IS THE PERMITTED PROJECT?
- 100,000 gallons of wine per year (largest production capacity of all post-WDO, that is, since 1990, hillside wineries)
- 33,424 square feet of caves ((3rd largest of all hillside wineries, and 5,000 square feet larger than an average Best Buy retailer))
- 14,575 visitors a year (largest ever by 3x when considering the Project’s location on a dead-end road)
- Use of about 15,200 gallons of water a day (largest ever by 3x when considering the Project’s location on a dead-end road)
- Increase of 40,000 car trips a year on the Soda Canyon Road, a road that in the three-year period from 2014-2016 experienced 639 emergency incidents (drunk driving incidents, fires, vehicle collisions, etc.) as reported by the Napa Sheriff’s Department, CHP, and CalFire.
For more information on the Project, please visit:
WILL THIS PROJECT AFFECT THE WATER SUPPLY OF ANY LOCAL COMMUNITY?
Yes, very possibly Yountville! The Project will remove nearly two million cubic feet of earth, the entirety of which will be redistributed nearly on top of two blue-line streams that feed directly into Rector Canyon and the Rector Reservoir, which serves as the water supply for the City of Yountville and the State Veteran’s Home. Yet, the County said – unbelievably – that an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) was not necessary!
IS THERE ANYTHING WE CAN DO?
Yes. It is critically important that we act now. Concerned Napa Valley residents who are property and vineyard owners have filed a lawsuit challenging the County’s reckless decision.The lawsuit is going to be expensive and you can help by your financial contribution.
This is a pivotal moment for Napa County, and support at this time could make the difference in securing beautiful open space long into the future. When we prevail, a clear message will be sent to the County and developers that these types of event-center-projects do not belong in our watersheds!!
HOW CAN YOU HELP PROTECT RECTOR AND OTHER REMOTE WATERSHEDS IN THE FUTURE?
Join Protect Rural Napa for a fundraising dinner on Friday, October 20, 2017. Space is limited, so we encourage you to inquire soon! Click here for the invitation
If you are unable to attend, PLEASE consider giving a donation to Protect Rural Napa.
You may donate via Paypal by clicking here:
You may also send a check to:
Protect Rural Napa Education Fund
P.O. Box 2385
Yountville, CA 94599
Help fund the effort to stop this precedent-setting Project and protect all of our rural hillsides and watersheds!