Up to 56-room resort proposed near St. Helena may go to voters to decide
The fate of a 56-room resort planned at Charles Krug Winery in St. Helena may be decided by voters.
Noble House Hotels & Resorts, owners of the Napa Valley Wine Train, are pursuing a ballot measure for the planned resort, according to a news release Wednesday, that could accelerate the project’s timeline.
Krisi Raymond, a fifth-generation St. Helena resident, took the initial steps to get the measure on the ballot before a signature gathering period, according to the news release.
Should the initiative receive enough signatures, it would go before the St. Helena City Council to either put the measure before voters or adopt it outright.
The decision to pursue a ballot initiative follows meetings with city officials, community organizations and residents, according to the press release. The initiative would “put the project directly before the people and allow the city to reap the economic and financial benefits of the project sooner,” according to the news release.
Jamie Colee, CEO of Noble House, said in the release that the conversations led the group to conclude that locals and stakeholders want to see the project happen, and that a ballot initiative would allow it to move forward more quickly.
“The standard timeline for processing an application takes several years from start-to-finish just to secure the needed entitlements,” Colee said.
“During our community outreach to create more awareness about the project and its benefits, we’ve been encouraged by the idea shared by others that there is another path forward to provide more immediate impact and community benefit by allowing this project to be reviewed and decided on by the people.”
Noble House in October released a number of details about the project, which would be built on an undeveloped 8.5-acre parcel on fallow ground.
The plan, according to Noble House, includes 38 rooms spread among 17 one-story villas, and two two-story villas scattered around.
The plan also includes 12 additional rooms in a two-story estate house and two rooms in refurbished train cars.
The project would boast a spa, restaurant and other amenities, according to a Noble House project website.
If approved, the site would eventually bring in more than $2 million in tax revenue for St. Helena in its first year of operation, a sum that would grow to more than $3.4 million by year three, according to the website.
The project also wouldn’t use St. Helena city water or sewer connections; it would instead rely on existing on-site wells, and a new treatment plant would be constructed, the website says.
You can reach Staff Writer Edward Booth at 707-521-5281 or edward.booth@pressdemocrat.com.
