Half Moon Bay Review
March 15, 2006

County considers regulating vineyards

By Marc Longpre

Silicon Valley magnate T.J Rodgers' quest to make the world's best pinot noir is fermenting opposition in San Mateo County.

Last Wednesday the county Planning Commission held a hearing during which members debated the need for a countywide ordinance that would regulate the grade of the hills on which vintners could plant their grapes.

Now, Supervisor Rich Gordon, whose district includes the Rodgers land, has directed county staff to look into the need for new regulations. It's an issue that has ignited strong feelings on both sides.

Sonoma and Napa counties have long had such ordinances, but until now San Mateo County, which is home to a measly 86 acres of grapes, hasn't had much need for one.

It's not unheard of for Silicon Valley tycoons to dabble in the winemaking process, but those who do, have traditionally ventured north of San Francisco for their fun.

So when Rodgers, who founded the Silicon Valley company Cypress Semiconductor, began plans to develop a vineyard on 160 acres of land above La Honda, residents of the small enclave took notice. They grew concerned that planting on the steep terrain would cause erosion and badly impact the watersheds they depend upon for potable water.

Toby McLeod, a member of the Cuesta La Honda Guild, says the local community is concerned.

"Our water source is in jeopardy and we're going to do what we can to protect it," McLeod said. "We would like a vineyard ordinance and steep slope resolution to be applied and enforced in Woodham's watershed."

The ordinances in both Napa and Sonoma counties make it extraordinarily difficult to plant on slopes steeper than 50 percent. Both also require certified erosion plans for slopes steeper than a 5 percent grade.

It's uncertain whether an ordinance could be retroactively applied to Rodgers' project. But groups are pressing the Board of Supervisors to adopt a policy that would at least deal with future problems, and they say there are more such wineries in the works.

The Committee for Green Foothills legislative advocate Lennie Roberts, sent a letter to the supervisors last month asking for more urgency in addressing the matter.

"This is a much bigger issue than just one project," Roberts said. "An (Environmental Impact Report) from one project isn't going to address our concerns. I would like to see the board expedite it."

Roberts was referring to Rodgers' pending EIR that has been in the works since last November. It's not clear when it will be completed, but it could come as soon as this spring.

Jack Olsen, San Mateo County Farm Bureau president, thinks that asking for a countywide ordinance should not be an urgent priority.

"What I noticed is there are a lot of misconceptions out there. We would like to see what the Environmental Impact Report identifies as potential areas of concern before we move forward," Olsen said.

Olsen noted that in Italy there are vineyards on steep hills that have lasted centuries. But according to Mary Doyle, principal planner for Napa County, while it may not be impossible for someone to get a variance to plant on steep hills, it is usually impractical.

"The likelihood of someone planting on hills steeper than 50 percent from a farmability standpoint is just about zero," Doyle said. "At the time, the idea was that if somebody really wanted to do that there would be a mechanism to allow that, but the ordinance comes from wanting to control sediment runoff and water runoff that comes when you start clearing vegetation."

According to Lisa Grote — who as Community Development Director oversees planning and building for San Mateo County — her office in conjunction with county counsel will begin to look into the issue. No timeline has been set for the internal research.

Grote did say that applications currently being considered would likely not be subject to any new ordinance.

Gordon said the potential is there for San Mateo County to see an influx of new vineyards, but agreed with Olsen that the Rodger's EIR could provide some valuable information.

Gordon said that it was unlikely the supervisors would deal with the issue before the EIR was complete, and that he did not know how any legislation would affect the Rodgers project.

Page last updated March 16, 2006 .