Napa Planning Commission Regular Meeting – June 6, 2024: Tributes and Consent Item Approvals
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Napa Planning Commission Regular Meeting – June 6, 2024
The Napa Planning Commission convened on June 6, 2024, at 5:30 PM in City Hall Council Chambers. The meeting opened with a moment of silence for Commissioner Bob Massaro (spelled 'Masaro' in the transcript), who passed away unexpectedly the previous week. The agenda included a consent calendar, two consent hearings, and a tribute to Commissioner Massaro. No public hearings or administrative reports were scheduled. The commission approved the consent calendar and consent hearings unanimously.
Consent Calendar
- Planning Commission Minutes (May 16, 2024): Approved unanimously.
Consent Hearings
- Westin Verasa Addition Extension II (PL24-0023): A second two-year extension for a previously approved 47,768-square-foot, 32-room hotel addition at 1274 McKinstry Street. Staff recommended forwarding to the City Council with a resolution approving the extension and determining no further CEQA review was needed. Approved unanimously.
- Trinitas Mixed-Use Extension III (PL24-0027): A third two-year extension for a 253-room dual-branded hotel (100-room Marriott Residence Inn and 153-room AC Hotel), a single-story winery, and a two-story office building at 2650 Napa Valley Corporate Drive. Staff recommended forwarding to the City Council with a resolution approving the extension and determining no further CEQA review was needed. Approved unanimously.
Public Comments & Testimony (Tribute to Commissioner Bob Massaro)
- Chuck Shineman (Napa Housing Coalition): Praised Massaro’s unwavering advocacy for affordable housing, sustainability, and green building. Noted his role in creating the first development review matrix and his belief that housing must be “homes for people.”
- Beth Painter (Councilmember): Shared a personal story of friendship and collaboration with Massaro, including a winery entitlement project. Recalled the name “Mobius Painter” and described Massaro’s commitment to sustainability and community.
- Don Baker (on behalf of Napa Climate Now): Expressed gratitude for Massaro’s contributions.
- Richard Tippett (former employee): Highlighted Massaro’s emphasis on “regenerative” design beyond sustainability.
- Chris Cracker (architect): Acknowledged Massaro’s persistence in energy efficiency, graywater recycling, and inclusion of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in condo projects.
- Unnamed speaker (former professional colleague): Recalled a respectful professional relationship despite differing views on building materials, noting a shared goal of net-zero energy.
Discussion Items (Tribute to Commissioner Bob Massaro)
Commissioners and staff shared personal reflections:
- Vice Chair Kelley: Recalled Massaro’s pioneering role in green building, his forceful opinions, and the importance of his legacy in making sustainability inherent in design.
- Commissioner Myers: Admired Massaro’s mental fortitude and confidence in standing by his convictions, even when unpopular.
- Chair Shotwell: Described Massaro as “much bigger than the planning commission” and noted his impact on the state and planet. Urged others to ask “What would Bob say?” to honor his work.
- Commissioner Huether: Recruited Massaro to the commission; noted a gesture where Massaro did not apply as a design professional to avoid displacing Huether. Emphasized cherishing friendships.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Calendar: Approved unanimously.
- Consent Hearings (both items): Approved unanimously, with recommendations to forward to the City Council.
- Tribute: No formal action taken; the commission acknowledged the loss and encouraged attendance at the celebration of life on June 29, 2024, at Crosswalk Church in Napa (RSVP required).
- Next Meeting: Scheduled for July 18, 2024 (changed from June 20).
Note: The agenda lists the deceased commissioner as “Bob Massaro,” while the transcript consistently spells his name as “Bob Masaro.” This discrepancy is noted but not resolved in the source materials.
Meeting Transcript
Better to see you now than ever, actually. The anticipation. Okay, we're ready. Good evening and welcome to the June 6th, 2024 City of Napa regular meeting for the Planning Commission. Before we begin, we'd like to acknowledge the passing of our dear friend, colleague, and fellow planning commissioner Bob Masaro, who unexpectedly passed away last week. Please join me in a moment of silence before we begin. Tonight's agenda includes a tribute intended to allow the planning commissioner, commission, to honor and remember Commissioner Masaro. We will allow time during public comment and at the end of the meeting. For those of you who wish to share your thoughts and memories, please understand that this is not the formal memorial for Commissioner Masaro. And that his family is hosting a celebration of life on Saturday, June 29th at Crosswalk Church in Napa at 2 p.m. And RSVPs are required. Commissioner Heuther. Present. Commissioner Myers. Present. Vice Chair Kelly. Present. And Chair Shotwell. Present. We will now rise for the Pledge of Allegiance. Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. One nation under God, indivisible liberty and justice role. The planning commission conducts all meetings in accordance with the Ralph M. Brown Act and pursuant to the city's rules of order for a planning commission meetings. Staff, are there any changes to this evening's agenda? There are no changes. Commissioners, any proposed changes to this evening's agenda. Public comment. Public comment provides an opportunity for members of the public to directly address the planning commission on items of interest not otherwise noted on the agenda. Each speaker's comments will be limited to three minutes and will comply with the rules of order for planning commission meetings. Do we have any members of the public who wish to provide public comments on non-agenda items? And would these be items not related to our tribute to Bob Masaro? So any public comments not related to our tribute to Commissioner Masarro. Okay, fantastic. So what we would like to do at this time is open up public comment for those of you who wish to share your thoughts, memories, and reflections on our beloved Commissioner Masarro. Do we have cards? Um, Chuck Shineman. Age before beauty. Good evening. I'm Chuck Shinneman. I'm speaking on behalf of the Napa Housing Coalition. Um as we all know, Bob was just such an integral part of everything that was related to housing, to clean energy, to sustainability, to green building. And he was such an unwavering and unapologetic, apologetic guy for those strong beliefs that he carried forward, and he was such a strong advocate. But at the same time, the one thing that was really good about Bob, he was fully grounded in reality. He was always willing to dive in to help on just so many different issues. And you know, if we ever think about picking up the baseball team, you know, team A, Team B. I always wanted Bob on my team. I could tell you that much on just so many different uh roles. He was so involved with it in the community. He was involved with the 2011 development task force, the 2012 affordable housing task force 2016 housing action committee for funding for affordable housing.
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