Napa County is wine country, and that becomes obvious to anyone driving through Napa Valley, as there is no longer room for any more vineyards on the flat floor the valley given that most of the 350 Napa Valley wineries and vineyards have settled there. This then necessitates that any further development of vineyard land will be going up in topography and climbing the surrounding hills and mountain ranges which line Napa Valley. Such is the current case with vineyard projects totaling one thousand acres have been submitted to the county for approval.
There are a total of five local wineries which make up the Napa County vineyard expansion submissions, with one of those having already had its plans approved and is beginning its development. The remaining four are in various positions of pursuing their applications. As part of the process, those wishing to develop the land must perform environmental impact studies on the land, water, trees, and wildlife, and public access concerning easements for a bike trail and fire access, as well as proposals to mitigate any environmental impact.
Napa County looks for plans to strike a balance between preservation and development, so that the environment is thoroughly honored, while allowing Napa's economic prosperity to flourish. Paramount to any proposal is the preservation or opened space which people identify with Napa Valley and enjoy immensely. If all four of the remaining applications have done their homework properly and made the necessary investments in the requisite details of their plans, approvals could be due as early as the middle of the current year and the surrounding Napa Valley east side hills will be expanded by five new vineyards.
