Despite opposition from agricultural and environmental groups, Wilcoxson persuaded voters to allow him to add food preparation and wine tasting to his current operation.

“I guess a lot of people like what I’m doing,” Wilcoxson said. “I give back to my community. My pumpkin patch is something that people really look forward to.”

After the final election night tally of 143 precincts, Measure K was winning 57 percent to 43 percent. There are still some mail-in ballots to be counted, but those are not expected to change the outcome of the vote.

“I would say, ‘Congratulations. The people of Napa have spoken,’” said Supervisor Mark Luce, who signed a ballot argument against expanded commercial uses on a property zoned for agriculture.

County voters have turned down many requests over the years for commercial activity on ag lands, Luce said. But adding more year-round uses to Stanly Lane Marketplace struck most voters as reasonable, he said.

While the Napa County Farm Bureau had opposed Wilcoxson’s plans, it was always about principle, not personality, Sandy Elles, the bureau’s executive director, said Tuesday night.

“He’s a likable businessman. He has a pumpkin patch the community loves,” Elles said. “It wasn’t about Billy the person. It was about land use and protecting agriculture.”

Wilcoxson had estimated he would spend $60,000 to promote Measure K with signs, advertising and legal costs. His opponents fought back mostly with letters to the editor.

“With many other big development issues facing the county, we didn’t put a lot of energy into communicating with voters the danger of cumulative impacts to farmland conversion,” Elles said.

The development potential at Napa Pipe, in Angwin and on Ghisletta lands in south Napa — not to mention the county’s review of its general plan — were all higher Farm Bureau priorities than the pumpkin patch expansion, she said.

Wilcoxson easily won a 1996 vote to place a produce stand on Stanly Lane. He created a pumpkin playland at Halloween and sold trees at Christmas, while eventually opening a store year-round.

“I really try hard,” said Wilcoxson, who said he was hurt by critics who called his business an eyesore. With the positive vote on Tuesday, “it makes me fired up to keep going, that’s for sure.”

Wilcoxson said he would like to have food preparation going by summer, making Stanly Lane Marketplace a convenient place for locals and tourists to get a casual meal.

The possibility of inviting wineries to offer wine tasting will take longer to take shape, he said.