Napa grants tentative approval to Le Colline vineyard
Berry Eberling • 03.18.23
Vintner Dave DiCesaris has won Napa County permission to plant a smaller version of his proposed Le Colline vineyard, though it’s still too big for some opponents concerned about an adjacent nature preserve.
Le Colline at 300 Cold Springs Road near Angwin is the latest dispute about planting vineyards in local mountains. Some say strict county conservation laws protect the environment. Others deplore the loss of forests and woodlands in the watersheds.
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DiCesaris asked for 25 acres of vineyards with a total disturbed area of 32.7 acres on a 90-acre property. That included 24.5 acres of forest removal.
But county Planning, Building and Environmental Services cut back the request by about 5 acres. The recently released tentative decision said this alternative allows for bigger stream setbacks, avoids areas with higher biological value and provides for greater wildlife movement.
DiCesaris calculated the alternative comes to 20.6 acres of vineyards and a total disturbed area 26.6 acres. That includes 19.7 acres of forest removal.
Asked whether he is satisfied with this tentative county ruling for the required erosion control plan, DiCesaris said he must review the conditions of approval before commenting. The decision is to become final on March 24, which triggers the 10-working-days appeals period.
The 2019 draft environmental impact report by Analytical Environmental Services said potential impacts from the project can be rendered "less than significant." Still, the county received about 100 comment letters on the report, most expressing concerns about Le Colline.
A reoccurring theme is how the Le Colline project might effect adjacent, 177-acre Linda Falls Preserve, with its forests and a scenic waterfall where Conn Creek tumbles over volcanic rocks.
Kellie Anderson of the Linda Falls Alliance wrote one such response in 2019. She called the preserve biologically rich, geologically important, aesthetically valued and hydrologically fragile. She hasn't changed her mind.
“Our county land use policies lag far behind climate and environment reality and the approval of the Le Colline project above the treasured Linda Falls waterfall constitutes a crime against all Napa County residents,” she said in a recent email.
Erosion control plan decisions made by county staff can be appealed to the Board of Supervisors, so the Le Colline matter isn't necessarily settled.
“We won't let the project proceed and (DiCesaris) has only begun to get to know the strength of our community, region-wide recreational users of the preserve, wildlife advocates, watershed conservationists, affiliated agencies and local tribes in protecting the upper Linda Falls watershed resource from deforestation,” Anderson said.
Aruna Prabhala issued a statement on behalf of the Center for Biological Diversity.
“We are disappointed with Planning Department's tentative decision to still approve the Le Colline vineyard despite its troubling impacts on wildlife, water and the climate," Prabhala said. "Napa does not need more remote vineyards. Instead, we should be safeguarding our fragile ecosystems that have been battered by climate change, wildfire and extreme weather.”
The project has been a long time coming. One paper filed with the county has a date of 2014.
DiCesaris said the county assumed lead status for the environmental impact report from the state in 2017. This, combined with more protective erosion control modeling the county implimented in 2016, effectively restarted the application process. Then came fires and the pandemic.
"There is no doubt the 5 1/2 years the county has served as lead agency has felt like a decade, but since becoming lead agency, the county really took a deep dive into applying the new environmental rules to ensure our agricultural project is environmentally friendly," he said.
Attorney Tom Adams on behalf of DiCesaris wrote a 2019 letter telling the county that shrinking the project too much would make it financially impractical.
“This project is not a hobby,” Adams wrote. “It is a business that requires a significant investment made in reliance on loans and cash flow for it to be viable and to proceed to create jobs and generate tax revenue for the county.”
The county’s tentative decision involves certifying the project environmental impact report, approving an erosion control plan and adopting a mitigation monitoring and reporting program.
Decisions on erosion control plans are made by the Planning, Building and Environmental Services director or a designee. In this case, Michael Parker is listed as the designee.
Le Colline also requires a timber conversion plan and timber harvest plan from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. That decision is to follow the county's.
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