AXR Napa Valley Winery - Major Use Permit Modification, Variance, and Viewshed

The contract pertains to a comprehensive land use modification request for the AXR Napa Valley Winery located in St. Helena, California, seeking approval for significant alterations to existing winery operations. This includes the construction of a new 17,190+ square foot Type I wine cave, the repurposing of a 1,492 square foot barrel storage building and a 1,204 square foot outdoor crush pad into tasting and hospitality spaces, and the conversion of the historic Hirsch residence’s main floor—spanning 4,147 square feet—into a combined winery tasting room and employee office area. The proposal also entails an increase in staffing and visitor capacity, along with an expanded marketing initiative, and necessary upgrades to water and wastewater infrastructure. To accommodate these changes, a variance is requested to reduce the required 600-foot setback from State Route 29 for aboveground components of the wastewater system, and an administrative viewshed permit is sought for cave portals and related utilities installed on slopes with gradients between 15 and 18 percent. Additional infrastructure work includes the addition of a left turn lane on St. Helena Highway and modifications to access driveways to improve traffic flow and safety. These modifications were reviewed and approved by the Napa County Planning Commission on June 3, 2026, and the formal request was posted on June 10, 2026, under the title AXR Napa Valley Winery - Major Use Permit Modification, Variance, and Viewshed. The project is administered by Napa County with primary point of contact Hannah Spencer, Planner III, reachable via phone and email, and secondary support provided by Jeff Redding of Land Use Planning Services. The location of performance is clearly identified as St. Helena, California, with a zip code of 94574, and further details can be accessed through the provided California CEQA Net project link. The request encompasses multiple regulatory approvals to enable enhanced operational capacity, visitor experience, and infrastructure compliance within the constraints of local land use and environmental regulations.