Two years before the concept of the Ecovillage was born, Napa County had already designated Angwin for more housing. In 2004, the County “pre-approved” 191 houses on two sites: one on College Avenue between Brookside and the fire station, and another on Los Posadas Road, next to PUC Elementary and the day care center.
The construction of 191 houses on these sites is exempt from the normal approval process. Instead, the County Code (Section 18.82) provides that a developer may build 191 houses “as of right,” so long as they include a specified percentage of affordable housing. That means the County has no discretion to accept or reject the project; the developer need only pull building permits to begin work.
What does this mean for Angwin? It means that the community will have no input whatsoever into such a project. There will be no environmental review, no design review, and no public hearings. Any developer would have no obligation to mitigate traffic, water and other impacts, no obligation to upgrade Angwin Plaza, and no obligation to provide public benefits, such as parks, bike paths or preservation of ag land, forests or open space (see Comparison Chart).
Indeed, because this project is heavily weighted with a requirement of over 60% affordable housing (119 units), it would not generate revenues essential to fund the capital expenses associated with the sustainable features offered in the Ecovillage. Nor would it be able to generate annual assessments required to operate and maintain those facilities. Therefore, this conventional subdivision project would allow PUC and its developer to recoup expenses associated with the Ecovillage proposal, but it would neither fund the college’s endowment, nor provide any benefits to the community beyond housing units, the majority of which would be low-income units.
Angwin is going to change. The County has already approved 191 new houses. The question is: What kind of change is best for Angwin?