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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07/10/2017 July 10, 2017 I.Call to order At 5:00 pm meeting was called to order by Chairperson Frank Purita. II.Roll call Louisa Hargrave, Nancy Torchio, Joann Maynard, Frank Purita, Ian VanBourgondien, Anne Murray, William Lee, Bill Duffy, Nancy Foote Also attending: Denis Noncarrow, Bill Duffy, Chris Baiz, Jessica Avron III.Discussion Minutes from June 19 meeting were reviewed. Committee agreed presentation by Nancy Steelman at June 19 meeting was very informative and useful. With the possibility of 518 potential parcels under current code (with some parcels in residential areas) Frank asked the committee to consider size of lot for the purposes of the winery definition. Historically land has been owned but this item under the current code is unclear. Further discussion is needed on whether property for planting needs to be owned or can it be leased. William Lee thought a long term lease (ie: 10 years) would be okay. Ian VanBourgondien agreed. Nancy Torchio added this need to be addressed, currently it is poorly worded. Frank asked if the committee recommends 10 acres plus 2 acres for building. Does the farm and tasting room need to be together? William thought it should be contingent on the lease. Ian added that it is between the tenant and owner. Farming on leased property is not clear on current code. William added that 10 acres would be prohibitive for small business and startups. He would like to see less than 10 acres planted with a separate location of the tasting room. Processing facility also needs to be considered. Smaller scale processing can be done in an amphora. By State law this product can be sold at a farm stand. Nancy T. questioned whether bigger farms are too expensive to operate. She would like to see wineries kept within agricultural areas. Frank thought special exceptions for residential areas could be permissible. Will thought a winery under 10 acres could be considered under a different zoning requirement. Frank said this is already permitted. Louisa would like to see certain size requirements for better viability. At a certain point you need to hire more people and a distributor. Chris added 240-260 man hours/year are needed to maintain an acre of vintage. Wine making is extra. Wineries of a certain size need to have events to sell product and help make on quality wine, encourage young people to start businesses. Work on a flexible model for more affordability. Old model is very expensive. Give the tools needed to the wineries to preserve agriculture as well. Committee has to decide how regulatory it will be. Anne would like the committee to consider the impact of wineries 10 years out. Traffic is bad now, including the impact of the lavender farm traffic and like events on the North Fork. Most winery parking lots are self-policed when lots become full. Chris informed the group that he, Harold Watts and Mr. Borghese did a survey regarding winery visitors and the amount much. DOT has highway studies. Town Planning department has new studies. Setbacks were discussed. Frank would like the committee to come up with sensitive spots. Setbacks 100 foot minimum on Main Rd with adjustments for residential areas. Setbacks need to be clearly defined. Bill added that easement controls can be done on certain properties. Product ratio discussed similar to farm stand requirements of 60/40. Ratios need to be added to code. What is a winery? The group considered Napa Valley definition. Section 8. Section 12047 of the Napa County Code is amended to read full as follows: (1)The fermenting and processing of grape juice into wine; or (2)The refermenting of still wine into sparkling wine Summarized discussion: What is minimum acreage for a winery? 12 acres total to include 10 acres planted and 2 acres for tasting room. Consider above model with exceptions. Product 60/40 ratio. Consider what pushes events? Is it larger tasting rooms? Next step to consider: grapes in production. Correlate with size and events. Special events through permits. Jessica Avron will research Sonoma County guidelines regarding events. IV.Winery tours to be set up before next meeting on July 31. V.Adjournment at 6:40 PM.