Napa Valley city OKs warehouse project streamlining, rather than sending matter to voters

The American Canyon City Council voted 4-1 Tuesday night to approve Measure K.

Council member Mariam Aboudamous cast the only "no" vote, preferring instead to place the measure on the November ballot. The council had the option of approving Measure K or letting voters decide.

Measure K establishes a streamlined permitting process for new warehouses that comply with stringent environmental and renewable-energy standards. One such requirement is constructing the warehouse so all its annual electrical needs are met by solar panels.

American Canyon has a city code mandating that a new project is a qualified warehouse facility project that satisfies requirements for a sustainable environmentally efficient development project (SEEDP). The comprehensive declaration for such a sustainable project is issued by the city's planning director.

To qualify for Measure K’s nondiscretionary, or ministerial, process, projects also must be consistent with the city's general plan but are exempt from California Environmental Quality Act review and examination.

The ballot effort resulted from a three-and-a-half-year controversy over the Giovannoni Logistics Center, a proposed Buzz Oates project to build 2.4 million square feet of warehouses on 207 acres of industrial-zoned vacant land bounded by Green Island Road, the railroad tracks and Devlin Road. The City Council last year approved the estimated $400 million project.

Opponents to the measure, such as the Center for Biological Diversity, warned that it would be dangerous, would undo existing city codes and environmental policy progress American Canyon has already made. In a letter to city and county residents in late January, the Center for Biological Diversity said it was “deeply concerned” about the proposed ballot initiative because it “would eliminate local oversight and force approval of warehouse development without environmental review.”

Others encouraged the city to move ahead with a study of potential impacts.

Council member Mark Joseph said, "We gathered all the information surrounding this measure and the main project involved before coming to this decision point. We factored in everything we could think of and weighed the variables. Projects like this help us and our business partners improve the quality of life here. Some cities don't have enough revenue to pay for services."

He said the land involved for development has been zoned industrial longer than American Canyon has been in existence.

The project has been stalled by lawsuits from groups such as the Center for Biological Diversity and the Golden State Environmental Justice Center, along with a similar legal action by the city of Vallejo.

The City Council vote came after nearly three hours of public comment and discussion of the pros and cons. Mayor Leon Garcia, Vice Mayor David Oro and council members Mark Joseph and Pierre Washington voted to adopt the measure.

The ruling comes with a five-year stay, through Jan. 1, 2029, against amending or replacing Measure K, except by the initiative process.

The meeting included a fiscal analysis report on the potential impacts of the measure on city revenue, housing availability, agricultural land and open space that was ordered at the council meeting Feb. 6.

No significant negative or adverse outcomes were reported by the staff and City Council based on the 30-day study.

Valerie Zizak-Morais, president and CEO of the American Canyon Chamber of Commerce, said, "We have to get this project going and can't let environmentalists and cities around us tell us how to develop our land. We need more jobs, and developers want to do the right thing."

She noted that during the same time that the Giovannoni project has been held up, 23 other projects have been completed.

Garcia said he was “impressed and satisfied” with the project.

“Enough protections are built in to protect the environment,“ Garcia said. ”The next step is how to incorporate the things we have learned from this project as we move forward. It is a precedent-setting event, and at the same time a trial with an expiration date.“

He observed that in early 2000 the lack of housing was a big issue.

“Now we are building housing by the block. When it comes to protecting our land and its resources, our city is doing a wonderful job,“ Garcia said.