Landmark deal could solve Napa housing woes

Friday, August 15, 2003

By KEVIN COURTNEY
Register Staff Writer

In an agreement that has historic implications for development in Napa Valley, Napa County and the cities of Napa and American Canyon announced Thursday that they will share state housing allocations, airport area revenues and planning of future airport industrial growth.

The deal, which must still be approved by the Napa County Board of Supervisors and the two city councils, attempts to solve a multitude of thorny housing, revenue and growth issues that have had the cities and the county at loggerheads.

The tentative agreement could usher in a new era of cooperation between local government, resulting in shared strategies for tourism, improved parking in downtown Napa and better planning for burgeoning American Canyon, negotiators said. Perhaps most importantly, the agreement could help the county finally win state approval of its rejected housing plan.

Farmworker advocates sued the county last week, threatening to shut down development in unincorporated areas unless the county provides more affordable housing.

With a housing agreement between the cities and county, the county's housing plan could be certified by the state and the suit resolved, Supervisor Bill Dodd said Thursday.

Lawyers representing farmworkers in the suit against the county were briefed by county officials Thursday on the housing breakthrough. "They appeared to be impressed and pleased by the direction in which we are headed," said Howard Siegel, a county administrator.

Neil Herring, an attorney who filed the farmworker suit, could not be reached Thursday afternoon.

The state Department of Housing and Community Development is supporting Napa County's efforts to have cities meet some of its housing allocation, Dodd said.

The cities are proposing to help the county out of its housing bind by taking on more than half of the 1,969 housing units required by the Association of Bay Area Governments.

Napa would agree to accept 664 houses and apartments, while American Canyon would take 394 units.

This solution is consistent with the public's long-term support of policies that protect agricultural areas from development, with cities accommodating most of the housing, Dodd said.

In reality, Napa should not see an upsurge in residential construction, said Councilman Kevin Block, who helped broker the deal.

The plan merely calls for cities and counties to set aside land for residential use, but does not change existing zoning or approve new construction projects. Builders will only build what the market allows, but the county will get credit for Napa's greater housing potential, he said.

The current market for residential construction is depressed. During the first seven months of 2003, Napa issued building permits for 82 units.

The county is caught between state requirements that it take its "fair share" of the Bay Area's housing need and voter-approved growth policies that favor agriculture, not housing, in the unincorporated areas.

Under the new arrangement, Napa and American Canyon would shoulder some of the county's housing allocation, with the county agreeing to help pay the cost of providing municipal services for this housing.

Napa would get some of the county's revenue from new industries near the airport. The deal calls for American Canyon to negotiate a similar agreement.

In addition, the county would agree to help finance a parking garage near the County Administration Building in downtown Napa, which would free up parking for downtown shoppers and tourists. To come up with its share, Napa would use money from a new $10 million bond issue for downtown improvements.

Napa would get first crack at buying any downtown facilities that the county owns but no longer wants. In coming years, the Carithers building on First Street and the county corporation yard on the Napa River may not be needed for county operations.

Responding to city pressure, the county is agreeing to establish a parks and open space department that could provide more recreation opportunities for city residents.

The three jurisdictions would work on a common plan for new tourist developments. Napa and the county would share in planning new land uses along Highway 221 if industrial uses cease on the 160-acre Syar Industries property.

The county would continue to share developer housing fees for affordable housing projects in Napa and American Canyon.

American Canyon would receive county support for extensions of Devlin and Flosden roads. Those extensions could reduce congestion on Highway 29, which runs through the heart of American Canyon.

The county may also support future American Canyon plans to expand its borders, although the final decision would be made in coming years by the Local Agency Formation Commission.

At American Canyon's urging, the county would clean up unsightly industrial operations at the city's outskirts that violate county codes.

Dodd said last week's big raid on an operation that allegedly raised game fighting cocks was an example of this new spirit of cooperation.

The agreement between the cities and the county is under legal review. It is scheduled to be presented to the Napa City Council, the American Canyon City Council and the Board of Supervisors in late September.

Two committees of council members and supervisors negotiated the accords, which were two years in the making.

The current negotiators for the Napa agreement are Dodd, Supervisor Brad Wagenknecht, Councilwoman Jill Techel and Block. Dodd and Supervisor Mike Rippey will meet with Mayor Don Colcleaser and Councilman Ben Anderson to work out the American Canyon agreement.

Key staff members, including the planning directors and top administrators of each jurisdiction, were part of the negotiations.

"This is a fundamental change in the way of doing the public's business," said Block, who predicted more areas of agreement in the future.

Historically, the county resisted "fair share" housing allocations, in effect telling the state to "go to hell," Dodd said.

As last week's lawsuit indicates, the cost of not going along with state mandates can be terribly high, Dodd said. In theory, a judge could temporarily order a halt to construction, then require the county to build housing in the unincorporated areas, ignoring local land use plans, he said.

Napa completed a study last year that showed it can accommodate extra units from the county, Techel said. The Napa flood control project will provide new acreage for higher density housing, she said.

The proposed deal, which would be binding through 2013, is part of larger, countywide effort to bring the cities and the county together on issues of mutual interest.

The Countywide Community Development Strategy Task Force has been meeting every other month for nearly two years, bringing together staff and elected members from the five cities and the county.

Dodd announced the housing breakthrough between Napa, American Canyon and the county at the task force's Thursday morning meeting. It was greeting with applause.

"This deal is the biggest sprawl-busting measure ever achieved in this county," Block said afterward.