NAPA VALLEY, CA — The 309-acre Watson Ranch land anchors American Canyon's hopes for a new blueprint that will give the former quarry town a stronger identity.
The City Council will consider another step in that transformation Nov. 17, when it weighs changes to roads, trails, and water infrastructure for Watson Ranch's Promontory subdivision.
Some of the decisions are minor, others major, according to the public meeting notice.
The proposal would release the developer from building one Newell Drive segment while preserving the road's planned right of way.
Promontory's developer wants American Canyon to drop its requirement to build part of Newell Drive, a road that figures in the city's plans for an alternative to congested Highway 29.
The City Council will consider the request Nov. 17 as part of proposed road, trail, and waterline changes for the residential subdivision within Watson Ranch.
The Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval Oct. 22.
The proposal would eliminate 330 Land Company's construction of Newell Drive between its current terminus and Rio del Mar, including associated roundabouts and a detention basin. The Watson Ranch Specific Plan would retain the road's planned right of way.
The developer would build another Newell Drive segment along the project frontage to approximately 150 feet south of the subdivision's northern property line, with changes to the roadway's configuration.
The proposal also calls for a mini-roundabout at the future Bernice Lane–Newell Drive intersection, a dedicated right-turn lane at the southwest corner of Mallen Way and Rio del Mar, and a temporary emergency vehicle connection at Vader Street.
An accompanying amendment would replace planned on-street bicycle lanes along the two Newell Drive segments with an off-street bicycle and pedestrian trail.
The amendment would also move a planned 12-inch drinking water line from Newell Drive to B Street within Promontory.
The line would extend north to connect with a future roadway, with a future project providing the extension to the north.
Promontory's approved subdivision includes 216 single-family lots.
The Planning Commission approved its design permit in July 2023, and the council approved its subdivision map the following month, Patch previously reported.
The requested changes follow a dispute between the developer and city over infrastructure requirements and reimbursements, according to that report.
The road question reaches beyond the subdivision. American Canyon envisions Newell Drive as part of a longer route parallel to Highway 29.
Watson Ranch developer Terrence McGrath has advocated extending Marcus Road to Watson Lane, while city officials have favored Newell Drive as a longer-term alternative, Patch reported in its coverage of a separate boundary dispute.
The changes mark another step in the redevelopment of land that once supported a cement plant.
Augustus Watson sold the plant to the Standard Portland Cement Company in 1902. The plant later supplied cement for San Francisco's rebuilding after the 1906 earthquake.
The Jaeger family bought the property in 1985 for vineyards, but the land proved unsuitable for grapes, NorthBay biz reported.
The council adopted the Watson Ranch Specific Plan in late 2018, establishing the framework for developing approximately 309 acres, according to a city ordinance documenting the plan's history.
Subsequent proposals included a 3,300-seat Quarry Lake amphitheater and an 800-seat Fig Tree amphitheater at Napa Valley Ruins and Gardens, Patch reported in April 2023.
That June, plans were released for a 200-room hotel and 30 private residences on a 19.75-acre site within Watson Ranch's town center area.
For the current Promontory changes, city officials said that the proposal would produce no new significant project-specific environmental effects beyond those addressed in Watson Ranch's certified environmental impact report.
No further environmental review is required and existing mitigation requirements remain applicable, according to the notice
The Nov. 17 hearing begins at 6:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, 4381 Broadway, Suite 201. Residents may submit written comments to cityclerk@americancanyon.gov. The city will accept electronic comments until 3 p.m. that day on its meetings and agendas page.
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