Napa Planning Commission Recommends General Plan 2040 with Changes to Foster Road and Linda Vista Bridge – September 1, 2022
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Napa Planning Commission Recommends General Plan 2040 with Changes to Foster Road and Linda Vista Bridge – September 1, 2022
The Napa Planning Commission held its regular meeting on September 1, 2022, at 5:30 PM in City Hall Council Chambers. The main agenda item was the continued public hearing on the City of Napa's General Plan Update (Napa 2040), including certification of the Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR). After hearing extensive public testimony from 19 speakers and deliberation, the Commission voted 4-1 to recommend that the City Council adopt the General Plan with two key modifications: designating the Foster Road mixed-use area as Greenbelt and removing the Linda Vista Bridge extension from the plan. The recommendation also includes certifying the EIR with a Statement of Overriding Considerations for three significant and unavoidable impacts (air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, and agricultural resources).
Consent Calendar
- No items were presented for review.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Nearly all 19 public speakers opposed the Foster Road development and/or the Linda Vista Bridge extension. Specific concerns included seismic safety (earthquake fault lines), traffic congestion, loss of the scenic southern gateway, water scarcity during drought, wildfire evacuation risks, and the bridge's historic infeasibility.
- Speakers for the Napa Working Families Coalition (including Tim Frank, G. Anthony Phillips, Danny Bernardini, and Glenn Lovall) urged adoption of policies on prevailing wages, project labor agreements, child care, and rent stabilization, though staff noted these are better addressed outside the General Plan.
- Kara Verner of the Napa County Bicycle Coalition requested binding multimodal level-of-service objectives and a 10% mode share target for bicycling and walking by 2035; staff felt existing policies in the bike plan were sufficient.
- Carol Barge and others praised the GPAC for designating Napa Oaks as greenbelt, while Eve Reiser and Mary Reed highlighted that 1,210 residential units would bring over 3,000 new residents and 2,000+ cars to an area with narrow roads and limited emergency access.
Discussion Items
- General Plan Overview: Planner Michael Walker reviewed the document's history, community outreach since 2018, and the three significant and unavoidable EIR impacts. He emphasized that the plan is visionary and does not approve specific projects.
- Foster Road Properties: The Foster Road Mixed Use designation (covering 78 acres, with potential for up to 1,210 units plus commercial space) has been in city plans since 1975. Walker noted the land is not needed for the current RHNA cycle (which requires 835 units) but may be considered for future cycles (next cycle target approximately 2,700 units). Commissioners debated the implications of downzoning versus leaving the designation pending a master plan.
- Linda Vista Bridge: The bridge (connecting Robinson Lane and Linda Vista) has been in plans since 1966. Staff suggested keeping it as a study corridor for potential emergency, pedestrian, or bicycle use, but Commissioner Masaro, who initially proposed moving it to “long-term,” later supported removal after hearing public testimony.
- Commission Deliberation: Commissioners Hurtado, Kelly, Masaro, Shotwell, and Huether each expressed positions. Hurtado supported removing the bridge but not changing Foster Road. Kelly opposed both projects, citing urban sprawl, climate impact, and that market-rate housing would not serve local workforce. Masaro and Shotwell aligned with removal of both. Huether changed his earlier stance, stating he could not support development on Foster Road and would rather see it remain greenbelt.
Key Outcomes
- Motion: Commissioner Kelly moved to (1) adopt a resolution certifying the Final EIR with a Statement of Overriding Considerations and findings of fact, and (2) adopt a resolution recommending approval of the Napa 2040 General Plan to City Council, with the modifications that the Foster Road Mixed Use designation be changed to Greenbelt and the Linda Vista Bridge be stricken from the plan. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Shotwell.
- Vote: The motion passed 4-1. Commissioner Hurtado voted in opposition, stating he supported removing the bridge but not the Foster Road redesignation.
- Dissenting Note: Staff will include Commissioner Hurtado's dissenting position in the recommendation to Council. The City Council will hold a final public hearing and make the ultimate decision on certifying the EIR and adopting the General Plan.
- Next Steps: The Planning Commission’s recommendation, along with the full record and public comments, will be forwarded to the City Council for action at a future meeting.
Meeting Transcript
Hello, hello, good evening. Good evening. Welcome to the September 1st, 2022 City of Napa regular meeting for the Planning Commission. I'd like to call this meeting to order and start with asking staff to conduct roll call, please. Commissioner Kelly. Present. Commissioner Masaro. Commissioner Shotwell? Here. Commissioner Dell. President. And Chair Heather. I'm here. Um look if one thing. Could you all check your phones and your pagers? Make sure they're off. And then if you could please stand and join me in the uh Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the United States over to the Republic for which it stands. Thank you. So agenda review and supplemental reports. The uh well, we don't really have much going on here except one thing, but let me just go through the formalities, please. The planning commission conducts all meetings in accordance with the Ralph Brown Act and pursuant to the city rules of order for planning commission meetings. Direct the question to staff are there any changes to this evening's agenda? No changes to the agenda. Thank you. Um my colleagues up here. Any changes? No. Nope, none. Okay. So we're on to public comment. And public comment provides an opportunity for members of the public to directly address the planning commission on items of interest that are not otherwise noted on the agenda. If you're here um to speak on the general plan, now's not the time, just so there's no confusion. Each speaker's comments will be limited to three minutes and will comply with the rules of order for planning commission meetings. Is there anyone from the public that would like to speak on anything besides the general plan? Okay, I bet you I know what you're all here to talk about on the consent calendar. There are no items for review um on the consent calendar, nor is there for the consent hearings. So now we're on to um this evening. There are items, these are items on the public hearing appeals. These are items that are formally presented to the planning commission and provide an opportunity for members of the public to comment. Applicants are allowed 10 minutes to present testimony at the beginning of the public hearing. And if needed, five minutes to present rebuttal at the end of the public hearing. All other speakers will be limited to three minutes. It's a little bit off because there's not an applicant, right? We're doing this together, the general plan. To wit, tonight we have the city of Napa general plan update. And this is continued from August 18th, this last August 18th from the last planning commission meeting. Starting with uh Commissioner Hurtado. Yeah, thank you, Chair. Um had a conversation with Councilmember Narvais.
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