tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-941731830705031230.post2588840354948525494..comments2024-03-25T02:53:48.654-07:00Comments on SVB on Wine: Picking A Side In the Napa Winery FightRob McMillan rmcmillan@svb.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12396624790174552807noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-941731830705031230.post-62937146741761129742015-11-16T15:50:03.756-08:002015-11-16T15:50:03.756-08:00Thanks for the note Janet. There is no question th...Thanks for the note Janet. There is no question the naysayers are in the minority when it comes to local politics, and in fact the vast majority of the Counties of Napa and Sonoma view wineries as additive to the regions ag heritage and overall positive quality of life. But in a democracy, minority voices should be heard and considered in a debate; <br /><br />From my perspective, I believe there is a lot of common ground that gets lost in the distorted and unsubstantiated claims regarding the impacts of tourism and events. My hope is the real issues are quantified so proper solutions and mitigations are developed. Without getting real information, there will be no real solutions. Rob McMillan rmcmillan@svb.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12396624790174552807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-941731830705031230.post-24852118579337003032015-11-16T13:16:52.378-08:002015-11-16T13:16:52.378-08:00excellent article Rob. I've wondered this and...excellent article Rob. I've wondered this and it's enlightening to note the vast majority of residents and wine business employees feel the same: the wine industry is a good thing, it's growing and creates a better quality of life for tourists and residents alike.Janet Tupperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11730171603327880485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-941731830705031230.post-32416373076483355102015-10-30T09:33:12.578-07:002015-10-30T09:33:12.578-07:00Maggie - Thank you for your comments.
Since Napa ...Maggie - Thank you for your comments.<br /><br />Since Napa is unquestionably an Ag area, there will be impacts from agriculture.... wind machines, lights at harvest, and on occasion there are ag burns. That's the cost of living in an Ag Area.<br /><br />Every region has other property owner with property rights that impinge on others. Where I grew up, we had a tract of farm land sold to a developer who turned our backyard into RV storage. Living in Sacramento, we had rice burns in the fall. Living in Morgan Hill we had garlic processors and mushroom growers that put off unpleasant smells.<br /><br />There are always pros and cons living anywhere. I'll take the small inconveniences of living here and deal with them.Rob McMillan rmcmillan@svb.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12396624790174552807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-941731830705031230.post-66446858812707526322015-10-30T09:04:34.137-07:002015-10-30T09:04:34.137-07:00I just look forward to January -March when they ch...I just look forward to January -March when they choke us out with their 'ag burns'. It's so nice to go outside, hoping to breathe in fresh winter air- but then to have your eyes burning, throat choking and wondering if there has been a nearby wildfire every week for months. Oh joy. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01067340279249896187noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-941731830705031230.post-66671385465085297432015-10-29T11:22:13.575-07:002015-10-29T11:22:13.575-07:00Bob
I normally don't write on Napa alone but t...Bob<br />I normally don't write on Napa alone but this discussion has wider reaching impacts in Sonoma, Santa Barbara, Oregon, and even Fresno. The debate is being shaped around false assumptions and I hope the sides in the discussion focus more on the facts .... spend the time digging them out before getting to rule making which is what is happening here and the result will be only that we have more rules and more traffic.Rob McMillan rmcmillan@svb.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12396624790174552807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-941731830705031230.post-58718200797693566402015-10-29T00:45:22.105-07:002015-10-29T00:45:22.105-07:00Rob,
For readers of your blog who reside outside ...Rob,<br /><br />For readers of your blog who reside outside of Napa Valley, please compose an addendum to this mid-week piece about local public transit . . . as the "wine country" sounds like a single-occupant car culture region.<br /><br />If a vineyard or winery employee (not residing at or near a property) wished to commute to work, what are her/his options?<br /><br />North/south bus routes? West/east bus routes? Frequency of departures? One-way transit time? Relative expense of one-way and daily fares?<br /><br />Throw in any discussion about the prospect of commuter and tourist light rail in the Valley?<br /><br />Urban and suburban readers would benefit from some context here about this unique agrarian society.<br /><br />~~ BobBob Henryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02089688073031173053noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-941731830705031230.post-6705550483632685402015-10-28T15:43:28.167-07:002015-10-28T15:43:28.167-07:00Dana Smith - thanks for logging in with a name. I ...Dana Smith - thanks for logging in with a name. I hate calling people Anonymous. <br /><br />From my perspective, I recognize that change is inevitable. Property ownership and owners rights guarantee that. So we can't stop change. We can however shape it.<br /><br />The Napa Valley should be held out as a shining example of preservation in a region that has paved over virtually all of the land available for farming. That said, economics also have played a role in preservation.<br /><br />As much as people on the anti-winery side want to criticize "rich absentee winery owners and event center wineries" (yes ... that would be an example of rhetoric)... anyway ... as much as people want to throw stones at those rich people who have built their dreams in Napa, it is also those same people who have donated countless thousands of acres to the Land Trust, millions of dollars to farm worker housing and Valley medical needs, and because the wine is so valuable, the economics of development have helped in preserving and creating the Valley. We might not get to wall it off, but we get to look at well designed architecture, vineyards and open space, and blue skies because the highest and best use in this case is to use the region to grow grapes and make wine.<br /><br />Of course those wineries have changed the landscape and I'm not arguing for approval of all wineries. I'm merely pointing out it's been the combined work of the winery owners, the Land Trust, the NVA, NVGG, the public who approved the Ag Ordinance and countless others who have dedicated time to working on keeping this place beautiful.<br /><br />The valley will change but I hope we do it in a way that allows for salmon and steelhead runs again, moderated traffic, clean views of the hillsides and trees absent obvious large dwellings. I believe we can continue what was started in the 60's if we start reading from the same page when it comes to the facts in discussion.Rob McMillan rmcmillan@svb.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12396624790174552807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-941731830705031230.post-29013474105400968492015-10-28T15:26:29.207-07:002015-10-28T15:26:29.207-07:00Unknown 11:00 - there was a traffic study and the ...Unknown 11:00 - there was a traffic study and the article is linked above. The conclusion was the traffic patterns during the week were more the result of employees versus tourists. That doesn't change the fact that there is traffic but popularizing that fact will help in getting solutions that might actually impact the traffic problem.Rob McMillan rmcmillan@svb.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12396624790174552807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-941731830705031230.post-57705099122840914552015-10-28T15:23:14.595-07:002015-10-28T15:23:14.595-07:00Thanks James. Appreciate the kudos.Thanks James. Appreciate the kudos.Rob McMillan rmcmillan@svb.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12396624790174552807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-941731830705031230.post-57940970721707908962015-10-28T15:22:36.042-07:002015-10-28T15:22:36.042-07:00Creatures - Thanks for logging in and for the thou...Creatures - Thanks for logging in and for the thoughts. Traffic is clearly worse than it was. I moved to St Helena in 1998 and moved to Napa in 2011. I've seen the changes.<br /><br />The issue as I see it is wineries are approved, visitation agreed to but there is insufficient thought given to impact on traveled roads from employees. But employment is a good thing no? <br /><br />Guess what .... it's the same everywhere else in the Bay Area but much worse. In Silicon Valley in bust periods it's easy to commute. Not today. Roads and traffic are terrible in the Bay Region and perhaps about as good as it gets in Napa County.<br /><br />That's more of a statement that an excuse. At least there is road construction taking place now and while inconvenient, it was a long time coming. Then again - I don't think traffic is all about building more and wider roads. Commuter rail (under consideration), bike (vine trail) and planned development to accommodate tourists, locals, and employees will all help.Rob McMillan rmcmillan@svb.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12396624790174552807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-941731830705031230.post-56304167425091222342015-10-28T12:53:28.171-07:002015-10-28T12:53:28.171-07:00The issue of the survival of the Napa Valley? I su...The issue of the survival of the Napa Valley? I suspect few care and fewer still have the skills to arouse a slumbering public. But, change has been hard on the valley and the pressure to develop what remains is enormous. What are we trying to preserve? At some point there comes a moment when frontier ends and efforts to conserve and preserve take charge. To care for the countryside and waterways we will have to embark upon a long enlightened journey together. It is going to require innovation. Satelite parking lots, shuttles, FastPass fees for driving into the heart of the valley on congested days. It is revising water policy. There are a thousand little ways we can plan to hand over this treasure to the future if only we dream and dare to invoke the best in our citizens. A brighter futurre is in every stakeholders interest.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10392727777101920686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-941731830705031230.post-21578273347773302812015-10-28T11:00:26.419-07:002015-10-28T11:00:26.419-07:00The while traffic thing spins my head. Wasn't ...The while traffic thing spins my head. Wasn't there a study done last year from tracking smartphones that showed that 80 some percent of the traffic during the worst congestion was local and wineries only accounted for 12 percent of it (if I'm remembering correctly)?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10701121529201931550noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-941731830705031230.post-18154512640159288272015-10-28T09:30:41.214-07:002015-10-28T09:30:41.214-07:00Well done Rob. As usual. And Tom Wark's piece ...Well done Rob. As usual. And Tom Wark's piece the other day...outstanding. The vitriol against the wine industry that has reared it's head in the last few years...confounding to say the least. James Barrettnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-941731830705031230.post-83365510765895452152015-10-28T09:15:52.924-07:002015-10-28T09:15:52.924-07:00I have lived both inside and outside of Napa. At o...I have lived both inside and outside of Napa. At one point I lived in Calistoga and commuted to the city for a job and then after layoff commuted down valley to a winery job. Traffic was unbelievable. I would have to start out at least an hour earlier than anyone could imagine to get to where I needed to go....and this was various times, like 4am (there are a lot of workers on the road in Napa at 4am) and then at about 10 am (even more people on the roads at that hour). <br /><br />Then there is my most recent visit to the valley (I now live in Sacramento). I took my mother and nephews to lunch in Rutherford and then tried to get to a winery in Calistoga for a tour. I had given 30 minutes to get to the winery.....I was actually late by 30 minutes. Now it takes an hour to get up valley? Yes there was road construction, but really, this must be done in July?<br />I love the Napa Valley, but a lot of the wineries that are being built now at just "me toos".....places I won't visit because I know the wines will not be that great.Creatureshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14865765371692365460noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-941731830705031230.post-8580963269490081682015-10-27T21:19:27.481-07:002015-10-27T21:19:27.481-07:00Thanks for comments Tom. Good information and rese...Thanks for comments Tom. Good information and research is everyone's friend if we really want to solve problems. No information is a vacuum that only allows the loudest voice to be heard.Rob McMillan rmcmillan@svb.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12396624790174552807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-941731830705031230.post-13037154104909038872015-10-27T20:44:14.518-07:002015-10-27T20:44:14.518-07:00Understanding the issue? Huh? Why, whatever for?
...Understanding the issue? Huh? Why, whatever for? <br /><br />I've listened to the deliberations of the APAC and to those commenting during public discussion. The number of unsubstantiated claims and claims of greater this or greater that with no quantification by critics was constant. <br /><br />But what the Napa Board of Supervisors really needs to carefully look at are the surveys you posted. That's data...data that doesn't shout, but carefully makes a succinct point about just what the public does think about the wine industry. Tom Warkhttp://www.fermentationwinebiog.comnoreply@blogger.com