Placer approves Project 8 Winery with amendments

An eight-hour meeting Tuesday ended with the Placer County Board of Supervisors' approval of the Project 8 Winery and its entitlements. The proposed project is slated for a 17.96-acre portion of a 44.14-acre site at 7615 Callison Road in Penryn and would include a 26,000-square-foot warehouse for the agricultural operation and a multi-level octagon structure with space for production, a caretaker unit, commercial kitchen, tasting room, gravity filtration system and an accessory restaurant. The winery proposal also included requests for a zoning text amendment (ZTA) for the 75-foot octagon structure, which would allow a height exception to Placer's winery ordinance countywide, and a conditional use permit for operation of a large winery on 40-plus acres, establishing the operation hours from 7 a.m.-10 p.m. and allow a maximum of 75 attendees for agricultural promotional events. Jennifer Byous, supervising planner for Placer County, provided an overview of the project, which included clarification for community concerns like arsenic in the site soil and the ZTA being countywide. Byous confirmed arsenic is known to naturally occur in the soils of Placer and noted even though the ZTA would be countywide, staff analysis showed the most optimal areas to grow for wine production is in the foothills region of Placer. Byous also confirmed staff recommended approval of the project. Following staff's presentation, Mike Fournier, the applicant, provided the board with an overview of the project's aspects, including the design of the 75-foot structure, proposed filtration process and plan amendments based on received feedback. "We designed this facility to be open for people to be able to really learn about the process. Learn about agriculture. Hopefully fall in love with something that, you know, is a legacy in this area," Fournier said. The board received 103 public comments over three hours, with roughly 75 percent (77 comments) supporting the project. Comments in support noted benefits the winery brings to the Penryn area, including more access to water and reducing fire risk, it being an economic driver for the county and the land's continued agricultural use instead of becoming another housing development. The remaining 26 comments included opposition to the project as a whole or solely to the ZTA and entitlements as well as reiterating concerns, including the proposed countywide ZTA being considered for one project and the possible precedent it could set for future projects, the octagon structure not fitting into the rural residential area of Penryn, noise and traffic impacts, possible Williamson Act violations and some board supervisors receiving campaign donations from Fournier. According to documents in Placer's online campaign finance disclosure public access portal, Supervisors Jim Holmes and Shanti Landon received contributions from Fournier. Before the public comment period, Landon disclosed she received contributions from Fournier and his family during her campaign. "When someone gives money to my campaign, they are investing in my vision for Placer County, not the other way around," she said. "I am beholden to no one but God and I make my decisions based on projects based solely on their merits and potential to benefit our community." Holmes received contributions in 2020, according to documents. The Levine Act (Government Code Section 84308) notes board members are required to disclose on the record if a contribution of more than $250 was received within the preceding 12 months. Placer County Planning Director Chris Pahule also confirmed he, in consult with Agricultural Commissioner Josh Huntsinger, determined Project 8 was compatible with the Williamson Act. According to the staff report, the Williamson Act delegates authority of determining compatible uses allowed on Residential-Agricultural and Farm zoned properties. Placer County Counsel Clayton Cook further confirmed the Williamson Act contract allows for uses secondary to the primary uses on the property. Following the board's discussion, the supervisors directed staff to revise the ZTA to allow a height exception for large wineries on 40 or more acres with at least 10 acres of planted vineyard, and for the conditional use permit discretionary process to include an evaluation of property setbacks. According to Pahule, language was also added to the ZTA to note the 40-acre parcel requirement is met if "there are a minimum of forty (40) contiguous acres under the same ownership and deed restricted to preclude their separate sale." Pahule advised language was also added to the conditional use permit to note the applicant will place signage with contact information during special events, as the board asked Fournier if he was willing to do so if there was an issue with amplified sound. Fournier confirmed he was. The board approved certification of the Environmental Impact Report in a unanimous vote. The ZTA to allow the height exception was approved in a 4-1 vote, with District 4 Supervisor Suzanne Jones providing the lone nay vote. Jones said she believed the structure was inconsistent with the general plan. The board approved the conditional use permit in a 4-0-1 vote. Jones abstained, noting, "I'm going vote yes on everything except for the 75-foot-tall building because of its inconsistency with the general plan." According to a county news release, the conditional use permit allows for the operation of a full-scale, large winery with the 75-foot structure. According to the Lecavalier Cellars website, Project 8 Winery is anticipated to open in 2025. More information about the winery can be found at lecel.com/project-details or placer.ca.gov/7767/Project-8-Winery.