Another Hopeful Sign in Napa

Early in the history of this blog, I bemoaned the closure of Copia in Napa, not so much for the loss of what Copia could have met to the Napa Valley, although that was also a loss, but for how the idle parcel undermined the fledgling walkability of Napa.  I specifically suggested mixed-use development on the under-utilized portions of the Copia site as a way to build a more comprehensive urban fabric.

Two years later, I cheered when a local developer began making serious noises doing the exact kind of mixed-use development that I had proposed.

Eighteen months, that effort has faded away, but another, seemingly more solid development concept is being put forth, one that incorporates a revitalization of the original Copia concept by the Culinary Institute of America combined with mixed-use development by Triad Development.

In my earlier posts, I had been thinking of the mixed-use development on the north side of First Street, occupying the same site as Copia.  The current proposal calls for the mixed-use development on the south side of First.  Honestly, I didn’t realize that the Copia ownership extended south of First, but I don’t care where the mixed-use fits, as long as it extended the core of urban walkability from downtown Napa past Soscal Avenue.

Based on the history of failed hopes since the 2008 closure of Copia, I know that this new proposal won’t have an easy path to implementation, but the role of the Culinary Institute seems to make this the strongest proposal yet and well worth following.  It must be time for another trip to downtown Napa, the Oxbow Market, and the Copia site.

Next time, I’ll rejoice that Pope Francis seems to be devoted urbanist.

As always, your questions or comments will be appreciated.  Please comment below or email me.  And thanks for reading. - Dave Alden (davealden53@comcast.net)

New Year, New Beginnings

Although drivable suburban remains the default land-use choice in much of the North Bay, there bits of good news as 2014 gets underway.

State Farm site in Rohnert Park: Like many, I was concerned about the loss of jobs when State Farm closed their regional office in Rohnert Park.  But out of that bad news may have a glimmer of hope for urbanism in the community.

Southern California developer Suncal, which specializes in mixed-use projects, has acquired the property and initiated planning, with the cautiously enthusiastic endorsement of the Press Democrat.  Combined with the decision to site the Rohnert Park SMART station adjoining the State Farm site, it’s a promising situation.

Before folks make plans for selling their cars and moving into downtown Rohnert Park, several cautions should be noted.  First, financing is often difficult for mixed-use projects, especially in communities where they have little history.

Second, surprise hurdles can arise, regardless of the past successes of the developer.  One need look no further that the difficulties that bedeviled Suncal over their proposed development in Alameda, a project that is now apparently dead.

Third, urbanism works best when it connects to other urbanist projects, building toward a critical mass.  But the State Farm site is largely surrounded by collectors, arterials, and low-density, single-use sites.  There is enough area within the State Farm site that a credible site plan can be developed, but single-developer, isolated projects are far from the urbanist ideal.  The proximity of the train station mitigates the isolation of the site, but doesn’t fully remedy it.

That’s not to argue that a single-developer project can’t be a good place to live.  But it likely won’t have the same urbanist flavor that the Petaluma Station Area may be able to create with its short walk to the historic downtown.

Of course, in the absence of an urban heritage, a bootstrap project is the only hope and the State Farm site is probably the best bootstrap site in Rohnert Park.

Copia in Napa: Almost two years ago, I wrote about the Copia site in Napa.  At the time, as shown above, the building was vacant and the grounds were falling into disrepair, the cutting-edge concept having failed to find a foothold.  I was concerned that the vacant site, if not truly a drag on the adjoining Oxbow Public Market and nearby downtown Napa, was inhibiting the urbanist growth that seemed possible.

Two years later, there haven’t been many physical changes, but there is a serious urbanist proposal under consideration.  And there are elements of the community pushing back with thinking that seems more in line with drivable suburbia.

Although I’m concerned about the pushback, I’m pleased that the discussion is underway.  The site has sat vacant for too long.

River Front in Petaluma: Several months ago, a representative of Basin Street Development spoke with Petaluma Urban Chat about the proposed River Front project along the Petaluma River and near the interchange of Highway 101 and Lakeville Boulevard.

At the time, review of the project environmental documents by the Petaluma Planning Commission was scheduled for the following week.  But the Basin Street representative advised us that issues had arisen about the environmental documents, resulting in a hearing delay.  The project has now returned to the Planning Commission agenda and will be heard at 7pm on Tuesday, January 14 at the Petaluma City Hall.

Although much further along in the development process, River Front shares characteristics with the State Farm site in Rohnert Park.  As proposed, River Front is a competent and reasonable urbanist project with a retail and multi-family core surrounded by small lot single-family homes.

Some at Urban Chat were concerned that the project failed to give adequate attention to the Petaluma River, but I can see the logic of putting the higher density core closer to the access point from Lakeville Boulevard.

But River Front, like the State Farm site, lacks the surrounding urbanist context that would allow it to organically flow into other urbanist neighborhoods.  Instead, any need that can’t be met within River Front will require a car trip.

Nor does River Front have the rail access of the State Farm site.   At one time, the second Petaluma SMART station was planned to adjoin the River Front site, but the station was long ago moved to the Corona Road site, where it still remains unfunded.

None of this is meant as a criticism of the Basin Street proposal.  Internally, it’s a good plan.  But the context issues highlight the problem of returning urbanism to communities that have too long been built to the drivable suburban paradigm.

Notes and Updates

Petaluma Urban Chat: Another month has flown past, with the holidays having further shortened the weeks.  Another meeting of Petaluma Urban Chat is upon us.

We’ll meet on Tuesday, January 14.  We’ll convene at 5:30 at the Aqus Cafe at 2nd and H Streets.  The discussion will begin at 5:45.  (At least a few of us, including this writer, will move directly from the Urban Chat meeting to the Planning Commission hearing on the River Front project.)

We’ll return to our study of “The Smart Growth Manual” by Duany, Speck, and Lydon.  All are welcome.  Even if you haven’t read the book, you should enjoy the discussion.

East Washington Place: Three months ago, I wrote about how a new Petaluma retail development had been completed without the bus stop that would have provided good access for transit riders.  I can now report that service changes were put into place several days ago to serve East Washington Place.

The solution is still interim, with further changes likely later in the year, but it’s a move in the right direction.  (Disclaimer: I serve on the Petaluma Transit Advisory Committee, so participated in the service change decisions.)

On a less positive note, changes to the Transit Advisory Committee authorizing resolution that would reduce the possibility of future transit omissions haven’t proceeded as quickly as hoped.  But the year is still young.

As always, your questions or comments will be appreciated.  Please comment below or email me.  And thanks for reading. - Dave Alden (davealden53@comcast.net)

Place Review: Copia

I recently reviewed the Oxbow Public Market. During my visit, the vacant Copia building on the Public Market’s east flank was a looming presence. It’s an urban walkability issue that calls for resolution.

Copia: The American Center for Wine, Food, and the Arts opened to high expectations in 2001. The wine community of the Napa Valley, led by the Robert and Margrit Mondavi, had been planning and funding the undertaking for over a decade. With the University of California at Davis, Cornell University, and American Institute of Wine & Food as partners, Copia was built to celebrate and to promote the agriculture and art of the Napa Valley and beyond.

But from the day it opened, Copia didn’t resonate with the general public. People failed to grasp the combined elements of museum, restaurant, class rooms, and stores. It was a fine building with interesting things to see and to do, but people were unsure how to interact with it. This confusion combined with an admission charge to stop the turnstiles from spinning. (Confession: I was one of those staying away. I visited about two weeks after Copia opened and found much to enjoy, including the setting along the Napa River. But I was unsure how to make use of what Copia offered, so never visited again.)

After seven years of operating losses, Copia closed in November 2008. The front doors were locked and the surrounding gardens begin a slide into weed-infested dereliction. Some will argue that Copia changed the image of downtown Napa, changing it from the support system for the rest of the Napa Valley to a destination worthy of its own visit. But even if the argument is accurate, the benefit didn’t spill over to Copia itself.

I won’t second guess the Copia development team. I imagine they’re still asking questions of themselves. Instead, I want to talk about what has happened since the 2008 closing. Which, at least to the eyes of passersby, is nothing.

Walkable urban settings are fragile entities, especially at their margins. If a suburban big box goes belly-up, drivers can purse their lips at the vacant storefront and then drive a little further to a new big box that will happily accept their money. But when a business at the urban fringe goes black, pedestrians stop and turn around.

Luckily for Napa, there are few pedestrian destinations to the east of Copia to be hurt by its closing. But a healthy and functioning use on the Copia site would draw pedestrians from downtown. Those pedestrians would benefit the Oxbow Public Market and the other businesses in the Oxbow district.

There is a major write-down to be taken by the Copia lenders. I’m sure that the loss isn’t comfortable but, at least in my view, there should be a community obligation to acknowledge the loss promptly and to return the site back into productive use. To delay re-use of the site hurts the citizens and businesses of Napa.

In his book “The Geography of Nowhere”, James H. Kunstler argues for a variable property tax base. Within the urban core, only land would be taxed. The value of structures wouldn’t affect the property tax. On the suburban fringe, only buildings would be taxed. Development of urban parcels would be incentivized, with development of suburban parcels would be disincentivized.

The concept is fine, but doesn’t go far enough. There should also be a higher property tax rate for buildings within the urban area that are empty. In terms of inhibiting pedestrian travel, I suspect that an empty building, especially one in disrepair or surrounded by weeds, is a bigger negative than a vacant lot. I don’t want to penalize the building owner for a failed use. The market has already done that. But I want to encourage them to accept the loss, to re-price the property to the current market, and to let the urban fabric heal.

There is some good news on the Copia site. A local developer is interested in the site and is seeking public input on a new use, much as I discussed in an earlier post. I haven’t yet provided my comments, but will soon.

On another topic, but staying in the Oxbow district, I had another opportunity to eat at Gott’s Roadside. I was uncomfortable with the previous review of my breakfast there. I felt that Gott’s was capable of better and wanted to give them the chance to prove it. I was correct. Although menu has an adventurous side, I stayed simple with a plain hamburger and fries. It was a fine meal. The fries in particular were worthy of praise. Fresh from the fryer, crispy and hot, but not greasy. They were close to the perfect fries.

The burger had great ingredients, tasty beef that was slightly on the pink side of medium with crispy lettuce and a fresh tomato slice. The only negative was that the bun was slightly soggy on the bottom. The bun appeared to have been cut with the bottom too thin. It was a minor quibble.

The early evening atmosphere in Gott’s was fun to watch. It’s the only diner I know with a corkage fee. A very modest $1 corkage fee. I watched a young couple arrive with a baby carrier and a wine bottle, perhaps straight from the wine dealer in the Public Market. Another couple was sharing a seared ahi burger and a couple of beers. I could spend evenings in Gott’s just watching the Napa scene.

As always, your questions or comments will be appreciated. Please comment below or email me. And thanks for reading. - Dave Alden (davealden53@comcast.net)