Follow the money and weak or no regulations….Solano County wants to be the next Napa despite water resources and traffic gridlock.
“We strongly believe the approval of the use permit . . . for a 200,000 gallon winery and related uses will result in significant adverse impacts on the upper Suisun Valley, including the designated Mankas Corner Agriculture Tourist Center, the Suisun Valley Elementary School and to the surrounding rural community where we live,” the appeal document stated.“
Supervisors join planners in supporting Caymus winery
FAIRFIELD — The Solano County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday night denied the appeal of the Planning Commission’s approval of the Caymus Solano Winery, affirming the planners’ decision supporting the project.
Supervisor Monica Brown said she had reservations about the possible negative impacts the project could have on “noise, traffic and the quality of life” of residents in Suisun Valley.
However, she said the winery represents the kind of project the Suisun Valley Specific Plan was established for and said it would be unfair for her to get in the way of that vision.
Valarie Dodini and Mary Browning appealed the decision by the Planning Commission, which approved the project Aug. 3 on a 4-1 vote.
“We strongly believe the approval of the use permit . . . for a 200,000 gallon winery and related uses will result in significant adverse impacts on the upper Suisun Valley, including the designated Mankas Corner Agriculture Tourist Center, the Suisun Valley Elementary School and to the surrounding rural community where we live,” the appeal document stated.
Dodini had asked the board to continue the matter because she was unable to attend the hearing. That request was denied.
We are not against Mr. (Chuck Wagner). We are not against wineries,” Browning told the supervisors.
But she believes the county’s codes and regulations are inadequate for this kind of project – and wineries in general – and urged the board to look at what is happening in Sonoma and Napa counties.
She got support from one speaker who said Wagner is moving the bulk of his winemaking operation to Solano County not because of his stated love for the Suisun Valley, but to get away from the problems he faces in Napa County because of allegations of overproduction.
Still, many more speakers spoke of the good character of Wagner, and how the Caymus brand will raise Suisun Valley to a premiere wine region in the future.
The project, with about 60,000 square feet of building space and a capacity to produce 200,000 gallons of wine annually, would be located at 4991 Suisun Valley Road.
It is a project that supporters view as the centerpiece to the Suisun Valley tourism profile.