What is this thing called the Oxbow District?

The concept was born six years ago with the opening of Copia: The American Center for Wine, Food and the Arts. City planners envisioned transforming the low-key neighborhood along First Street between Soscol Avenue and Silverado Trail into a major cultural and commercial draw.

Although Copia established a cultural beachhead, supporting development was slow to come. Blame the attacks of Sept. 11 and the tourism slump that followed, city officials say.

Development is now occurring at a fast clip. The 160-room Westin Verasa hotel is halfway toward opening, joining Copia, Napa Valley Wine Train and the River Terrace Inn. A 351-room Ritz-Carlton is in the offing.

And this weekend the first phase of Oxbow Public Market opened, offering edible evidence that the Oxbow District may indeed become a lively 21st century appendage to Napa’s historic downtown.

It will take months before the market is 100 percent occupied and the full impact of its artisanal food suppliers, wine tastings, farmer stalls and casual dining is known, yet Oxbow Public Market developer Steve Carlin is boldly predicting a million visitors a year.

Locals will lead the pack, said Carlin, but the tourists will surely follow to experience something unique to the Napa Valley, if not most of America.

One million visitors would be a phenomenal accomplishment. In the euphoric days before its 2001 opening, Copia predicted 300,000 visitors annually. The food and wine center tallied its millionth visitor last month.

It’s clear now that city’s expectations for the birth of the Oxbow District and the resurgence of downtown were far too rosy, said Cassandra Walker, the city’s economic development manager. “It’s taken a really long time to get here. Longer than I thought,” she said.

Oxbow Public Market should give attendance at Copia a shot in the arm, Walker said. The synergy between these side-by-side food- and wine-themed attractions should be considerable, she said.

Both operations should attract a similar demographic — “people either living here who have a penchant for wine and food or visitors looking for a Wine Country experience,” said Arthur Jacobus, Copia’s president.

Copia, which will offer free admission during January and February, is considering permanently dropping its admission fee, but no decision has been made, Jacobus said. Adult admission is currently $5. It was once $12.50.

Merchants have tempered expectations about the impact of Oxbow Public Market, having learned a lesson in 2001 with Copia, said Craig Smith, executive director of the Napa Downtown Association.

There is less hype this time, yet the market’s benefit to all of downtown should be significant, he said.

Just as Trader Joe’s helped to redefine Bel Aire Plaza, Oxbow Public Market could go a long way to realizing the promise of the Oxbow District, said Harry Price, a downtown developer.

“One project will not make a town,” said Price. That said, the market will bring a “new energy” to downtown, he said.

The Oxbow Public Market is one of a half-dozen commercial projects under construction that will add 600,000 square feet to downtown and the Oxbow District, Price said.

Unless there is an economic downturn, Price said, he wouldn’t be surprised if there were another 600,000 square feet proposed in the next half decade, with the Oxbow District getting its share.

Development will be inhibited as long as the area is at risk of flooding, Walker said. Construction of flood defenses, including a new First Street bridge over the Napa River and the relocation of Wine Train tracks over a planned flood bypass channel, represent a near-term obstacle, she said.

Tom Finch, owner of Filippi’s Pizza Grotto on First Street, opposite Oxbow Public Market, said the market would go a long way to integrating the district with the downtown core.

“I am pretty happy where I am right now,” said Finch, who expects the market to be a big draw.

Guests at the River Terrace Inn should flock to the Oxbow Public Market, said Jeff Whitehead, the hotel’s general manager. “The guest we have is pretty discerning. They’re looking for an experience you can’t have just anywhere,” he said.

The Downtown Trolley connects his hotel with Oxbow Public Market and Copia, Whitehead said. When the river trail is completed, his guests will be able to stroll a short distance along the waterway to get there, he said.

“It’s all reaching critical mass,” Joe Salerno, president of the Napa Downtown Association, said of all the new hotels and commercial buildings in the greater downtown.

Merchants are working with the city on ways of encouraging more visitors to walk between downtown and the Oxbow District.

When all the construction associated with the flood project is done, there will be more retail development along First east of Soscol, Walker predicted.

Copia is trying to put together a commercial development plan for its south parking lot.

The county’s corporation yard on Water Street, bordering Copia and the river, could someday come into play. The county may abandon the property in 2012 if it buys a leased site on California Boulevard, officials said.