Hotel proposed for near Highway 29 and First Street

By KEVIN COURTNEY
Napa Valley Register

A 16-room inn with a three-story waterfall is being proposed for a key location at the entrance to downtown Napa.

The waterfall, which would be lit at night, would become a landmark for motorists turning off Highway 29 at First Street, said architect Chris Craiker.

The inn is planned for the vacant quarter-acre lot at the northeast corner of California Boulevard and First.

In 2005, property owner Charles Gonzales of Menlo Park got city approval for a nine-room, Craftsman-style inn on the site. The inn was never built.

“Unfortunately, nine rooms just didn’t pencil out,” Craiker said. “It takes 16 rooms to make it work.”

The new design calls for eight hotel rooms and eight extended-stay units with kitchens, with a manager’s unit tucked into the fourth-floor attic.

To accommodate parking, ground-level spaces for 17 vehicles would be topped by two floors of guest rooms at the Clay Street side of the property. The entrance would be off of Walnut Street.

The waterfall would be an eye-catcher, creating a “ceremonial entry to Napa,” Craiker said.

Mindful of environmental concerns, Craiker said “waterfalls have come a long way. They can be energy conserving.” The cascade would be powered by high-efficiency, low-energy pumps, he said.

The Planning Commission will review Craiker’s pre-application proposal Thursday night at City Hall.

Craiker’s design runs up against General Plan limits on building mass at that location, city planner Kevin Eberle said. The earlier design for nine rooms was close to the maximum allowed site coverage, he said.

To avoid this restriction, Craiker is suggesting that the eight proposed extended stay suites be considered as single occupancy residences, not hotel units.

Next week’s discussion is expected to focus on technical issues such as these, said Marlene Demery, the city’s interim planning manager. Until they are settled, Craiker cannot submit a final design for staff review, she said.

Craiker describes the new design as Craftsman, but with a contemporary flair. The facade of the lower two stories would be covered with stone squares, with stucco on the third story. Metal roofing would clad the attic.

The 2005 design called for a smaller building, described at the time as looking like a “large home.”

The new design, with 16 guest rooms, will function more as an “inn” than a motel, Craiker said. It will have the accoutrements of a B&B, including a breakfast room and on-site manager, he said.

In his written description of the project, Craiker called it a “high quality, luxury facility.”

Craiker, who said he had a small ownership interest in the project, operated the 1801 Inn at Jefferson and First streets for seven years in the 1990s.

The entrance to downtown at First Street and Highway 29 is destined to have more tourist-serving amenities, he said. California Boulevard between First and Second streets is zoned for a hotel. A 46-room project was approved for the site in 2001. The project was never built, but the permit remains valid, Eberle said.

Embassy Suites, which occupies the north end of the freeway exit, has submitted an application to build some 40 additional rooms close to the intersection, Eberle said.

Two small inns are located at California and Second Street.

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