Napa Planning Commissioner Paul Kelley is resigning

Napa Planning Commissioner Paul Kelley announced Nov. 7 that he would step down next month after nearly a dozen years in the role, marking another major shift for the commission.

Kelley cited an increase in the number of controversial projects involving “neighbor versus neighbor” as the reason for his departure from the commission, which advises the Napa City Council on development and decides on specific land use actions. Residential and commercial projects pass through the committee before reaching the council for final approval.

The commissioners recently mourned Bob Massaro, a longtime Napan and commissioner since 2021, who died in May. And Gordon Huether, who has served on the commission for 20 years, will not seek to keep his seat once his term ends in December.

Kelley, whose last meeting is Dec. 5, is an architect and one of two designated design professionals to be on the brief; Huether is the other.

He said he struggled with the decision to resign for most of the year because serving on city commissions has been an important part of his life. Kelley also served for seven years on the city’s Cultural Heritage Commission, which advises the City Council on matters related to the preservation of historic resources.

“I really enjoy working on projects and trying to help the community and make it a better place,” Kelley said.

But he said now seemed like the right time to step down. He recommended appointing fellow commissioner Lindsay Owen – a designer for residential and commercial projects – as a design professional. The council appointed her to Massaro’s seat in August.

Kelley said Massaro’s death made him think more deeply about resigning.

“I was hesitant to leave the committee because we didn’t have anyone representing the architectural community,” Kelley said at the Nov. 7 meeting. “But the council appointed Lindsey Owen and I think she will do a fantastic job.”

Beverly Shotwell, appointed to the commission in 2022, would become the longest-serving current planning commissioner if she were reappointed to the seat early next year. Shotwell said during the meeting that she would not have been a member of the Cultural Heritage Commission and the Planning Commission if it had not been for Kelley.

The committee’s activities and expectations have evolved over the years, Kelley said, which contributed to his decision to resign. And this year, he feels more projects could shift toward litigation after City Council approval. He pointed to an example of a daycare proposed for the Alta Heights neighborhood that was approved in May, noting that other projects, such as a proposed glamping resort, could follow a similar path.

“It feels like projects are more contentious,” Kelley said. “And they are not the big projects. It really is neighbor against neighbor.”

Kelley said planning commission meetings are often the first place the public comes together to share their thoughts about a project, including their frustrations. The commissioners often make recommendations on how to adjust a project based on public input.

But the commission also has less discretion than it used to, Kelley said, because of measures the state has imposed to require decision-making based on objective rather than subjective standards.

It can weigh heavily on commissioners when it appears they haven’t made anyone happy at the end of a meeting, Kelley said.

“It’s almost like we’re an administrative control,” he said.

Kelley added that he feels like he accomplished what he came to the committee for, but he will miss it.

He recalled the difference he was able to make in 2013, during his first planning meeting, when he opposed a proposal to convert the Copia Building in the Oxbow District into office space. He pointed out that the planning for the Copia project essentially said it had to be “public-commercial services and not office space.”

“I’m glad it didn’t go through offices,” Kelley said.

He also recalled working on the city’s general plan, which sets long-term goals and policies for the city through 2040, and on the city’s 2031 housing element, along with the Napa Pipe redevelopment project that would include 945 homes.

With these major planning projects now wrapped up for now, the new commission will have some time to grow and learn before taking on another similarly tough project, Kelley said.

He said he continues to push for a light rail project in Napa that would connect the growing Napa Pipe area to the south and Napa Valley College to the rest of the city.

“I don’t know if that will ever happen, but I’ll keep bringing it up,” Kelley said.

You can reach staff writer Edward Booth at 707-521-5281 or [email protected].