Fact-checking the claims of Save Rural Angwin

By Chad Kiltz

Following the lead of news organizations that fact-checked presidential candidate’s claims, here is a review of the facts about the revised Angwin eco-village and the claims made by Save Rural Angwin.

SRA claims to represent the entire Angwin community. It does not. A study group of Angwin residents met with Triad for two months recently and suggested improvements to the eco-village. The changes include a reduction in housing units from 380 to 275, the inclusion of a retirement center, and removal of housing units from the ball fields to preserve open space entering the community. Two community meetings held recently introduced the revised plan. The response from many residents has been positive.

Predictably, SRA opposes the revisions of the citizens’ committee. Let’s fact-check their stated reasons:

SRA claims the project will increase Angwin’s population by 43 percent. Untrue. The revised project is estimated to generate at most 900 residents — a 29 percent increase — over the next six-to-eight years. This increase would be several hundred fewer residents than Angwin’s highest population levels in the late 1970s.

SRA claims present residents will be forced to pay for the eco-village water and sewer systems when they need expansion. False. The eco-village infrastructure will extend to and service only the eco-village and the college. There will be no need for its expansion; the eco-village will not expand.

SRA says PUC will continue to develop after the eco-village. False. PUC will permanently preserve more than 1,500 acres (beyond the core campus) from future development. Upon approval of the eco-village, legal and binding deed restrictions will be prepared, which SRA has been invited to have its attorneys review to ensure that such preservation will occur.

SRA claims a buyer would pay $7,500 in annual homeowner dues for a $750,000 home. True, but only part of the story. Through our Local Preference Housing program, a buyer working outside of Napa County would pay that amount, a purposeful disincentive. A buyer working in Angwin or Deer Park would pay only $750 in annual dues, an incentive for local workers to live near their jobs. Other Napa County workers would likewise receive incentives on homeowner association dues.

SRA claims shuttle buses won’t work. False. SRA dismisses the fact that Angwin is a college town with well more than 1,000 students in residence the majority of the year. Colleges across the nation, both rural and urban, have incorporated shuttles into their transportation programs with successful results. With the addition of a retirement center, there will be even more demand for shuttle service.

SRA claims that the retirement center is a “shell game” that will end up being apartments, and that Triad has stated that local residents won’t be able to afford to live there. All false. Many people have asked for a retirement center to allow aging residents to remain in the community. It would be a natural fit with PUC’s nursing and medical training programs, and with St. Helena Hospital. It would not, however, convert well to an apartment building due to design requirements and the inclusion of specialized amenities for senior living and assisted care.

SRA claims the pre-approved 191-unit low income housing plan is superior to the eco-village, “protecting forest and farms.” False. It requires no EIR, no public hearings, and no traffic, water or any other mitigations. It does not protect the soybean farm it would be sited on, or forests, hiking trails or open space. It provides no community amenities included in the eco-village, such as a new grocery store, organic farm, community center, sheriff’s substation or retirement center. Unlike the eco-village, it would not be built to green standards and would not include permanent preservation of PUC lands, leaving the door open for future development. Because 115 of the 191 units would be required low-income housing, the subdivision would not generate any profit to fund PUC’s endowment or secure its financial future.

Please visit www.angwin-ecovillage.com for additional factual information.

(Kiltz is the Triad project manager.)

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