County general plan upgrade gets rolling

By John Waters Jr.
Editor

Braving the rain and cold Jan. 4, Napa County District 3 Supervisor Diane Dillon dropped in on the Calistoga City Council to drum up support for the county General Plan update process.

"We want to let people know that this is the time for people to get involved," Dillon said. "The county is sponsoring a set of workshops specifically to get the public involved."

The last General Plan update was completed in 1983, and supervisors have set aside $1 million to be spent this year to start a process that is expected to take at least three years. The meeting in Calistoga on Wednesday essentially gets that ball rolling.

"It's expensive, but it's worth it," said Calistoga resident and Napa County Planning Commission Vice Chair Bob Fiddaman, last summer. "Since we (only) do it every 20 years, let's do it right."

Fiddaman also worked on the General Plan update for the city of Calistoga. He was appointed by Dillon two years ago to represent the entire third district.

Last August, county planning commissioners outlined some of the items they felt should be included in the document, which has seven mandatory elements. The plan will contain land use, circulation, open space, noise and safety elements, to list a few. County planners may also include sections dealing with a host of other issues, such as agriculture. Currently, Napa County has ten elements in its General Plan, and combines conservation and open space into a single element. Beyond those required by the state, other elements of the Napa County plan will include growth management, school facilities, scenic highways and seismic safety.

Back in 2003 the county Board of Supervisors approved spending up to $1.6 million dollars to complete a Baseline Data Report (BDR). The BDR will provide current information on the environmental and resource conditions in the unincorporated areas of Napa County. Once completed, the report will supply a majority, if not all, of the base data needed to perform the General Plan Update. The prerequisite to a General Plan Update, the BDR is expected to be completed in the spring.

"I don't think the process is going to wipe the slate clean and to develop an entirely new General Plan," Fiddaman said. "It's going to be up to the Board of Supervisors, but I think there needs to be a thorough, meaningful update."

Parts of any new General Plan could eventually end up before voters. For example, a Measure J vote could be required if the plan contains changes to lands currently zoned for agriculture.

The role the wine industry plays, such as whether the continued development of wineries is right for the valley, was a recurring theme during last summer's discussions with commissioners, Fiddaman said. Although community input will be crucial to the process, a consultant will become a principal player in the plan preparation.

In discussions last summer, Debra Blodgett of Winegrowers of Napa County stressed the importance of the wine industry. Without it, she cautioned, the vineyards could make way for houses.

"This is the beginning of a fairly long process," Fiddaman said. "If people are interested in the future of the Napa Valley, these early meetings are a good opportunity for people to voice their two cents directly to the people who are going to be doing the work."

Several meetings will occur Upvalley in coming months, including the following:

* Jan. 19

Calistoga Community Center

1307 Washington St.

* Jan. 26

St. Helena Fire Dept.

1480 Main St.

St. Helena

* March 16

Pacific Union College

Rooms A and B of dining commons

One Angwin Ave.

Angwin.

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