Where's My Costco - a History of the Napa Pipe Project

While the Napa County Board of Supervisors and County Staff generally have been in favor of the Napa Pipe development since 2007 due to its housing and affordable housing components, the Napa City Council and Staff were decidedly against it for many years from the time of its original proposal.

The opposition to the project by many in the City leadership caused much political infighting and led to years of delays in the development of the property.

The City and the County finally decided to work together on the project only after Costco had been introduced to the plan and a direct mail campaign showed how much County residents wanted the retailer.

The Developer has made frequent and substantial changes to the project plan and phasing, which have caused numerous delays in obtaining City and County approvals.

The developer sought changes to the Napa Pipe plan that in 2018, led the City and the County to work quickly with the state legislature to seek legislation that would allow for Napa County to report RHNA credit in the current cycle for units built at Napa Pipe in areas already annexed to the City of Napa. For County residents who live north of St. Helena, the nearest Costco may be in Rohnert Park or Santa Rosa. 14

The cost of construction has increased substantially since the Napa Pipe development was initially proposed, which further complicates the financial ramifications of a project this size.

The current situation requiring the Developer to work with two separate governmental entities for plan and design approval, as well as procurement of building permits, adds cost and complexity that have resulted in continued project delays.

Even if the City and County do everything in their power to enable the Developer to begin construction, it will still be up to the Developer to actually make the decision to do so.