On the bubble in Angwin

Upvalley residents weigh in on possible changes to their country town

By JAY GOETTING, Register Staff Writer

A lot of Angwin residents are hoping someone will burst their bubble.

More than 100 people, most of them Angwinites, turned out Wednesday evening for a meeting designed to provide input into the on-going Napa County General Plan revision process.

There was much discussion about the "Angwin Bubble," a crudely drawn boundary around Pacific Union College and the developed areas of Angwin. The bubble is meant to define the areas that might be subject to increased development or impacts from development, but the map may not be entirely in conformance with what is truly out there.

Napa County Planning Director Hillary Gitelman described it as having been drawn with a big, fat magic marker during an earlier General Plan revision.

County planner John Woodbury termed the bubble "probably the least accurate depiction of reality in the General Plan."

The plan, the county's road map to the future, was last updated in 1983.

Only one of the 21 members of the General Plan steering committee, Guy Kay, was on hand, but it was the citizenry the session was meant for, and they took advantage of their time together to voice concerns about Angwin's future.

The balance is shifting in the once heavily Seventh-day Adventist community, perceived by some to be a "company town" for Pacific Union College. As more people from outside the area move in, pressures increase for added housing, commercial and service-oriented businesses, recreation and other amenities.

Also on the upswing is a strong controlled-growth sentiment. One speaker said he would like to see the community remain, as one speaker put it, "Small Town USA."

The county can take land out of the development bubble, but if any is added to the bubble it would trigger a vote under Measure J, which requires any changes to zoning in areas designated for agriculture to be approved by the voters.

Resident Kellie Anderson hopped from table to table pointing out that a large parcel, much of it forested, is being eyed for housing by the college. Part of it is in the bubble and part outside. Anderson advocated for removal from the bubble and retention of open space.

While one person said Angwin does not want to become another American Canyon, several inquired as to whether eventual incorporation as a city might be the answer.

That seemed to garner little support, with one participant pointing out Angwin doesn't have a sufficient tax base to provide necessary services.

Resident Robin Lail suggested developing only where current infrastructure is available, and several others voiced concern over water and sewer availability in the future.

Nearly every one of the small focus groups formed as part of the meeting said trees are the essence of Angwin's identity. Some participants urged restaurants and commercial and recreational uses for "grownups, not just students."

With Angwin identified by county leaders one of four major areas in the county where housing can be added, one speaker said the county must take care "not to dump the riff-raff on us. We don't want to become the dumping ground for the county's housing needs."

There was a handful of residents interested in Lake Berryessa, Pope Valley and other Upvalley and out-of-the-valley regions, but the future of Angwin dominated the conversation.

"We'll sift through conflicting ideas," said Gitelman at the end of the session. "We'll need more meetings to narrow it down."

A draft of the plan should be ready for circulation around the end of the year. The entire General Plan update process could take another two to three years.

Napa Valley Register Copyright © 2009