LAKEPORT >> The Board of Supervisors denied an appeal regarding planning commission approvals of an environmental impact report and permits for a new vineyard and winery project in Hidden Valley Lake.
Although acknowledging a last-minute e-mail campaign from residents opposed to the plan, the county’s supervisors voted unanimously to reject the move brought against the Wild Diamond Vineyards Project in its latest form.
Florida attorney Robert Bowling, who owns Wild Diamond Vineyards LLC, is proposing to develop 80 new acres of vineyards for a total of 148 acres of vineyard. He also wants to build a 17,850-square foot winery that would produce up to 52,800 cases of wine per year.
Other aspects of the project include a 11,340-square-foot tasting room with commercial kitchen and retail sales, and self-guided interpretive center with up to 35 special events a year in the plans.
The Lake County Planning Commission has previously certified an environmental impact report, adopted a water supply assessment, as well as granted a major use permit and grading permit for the vineyard project. This approval has met with several protests from a local group calling themselves the Hidden Valley Water Shed.
On Tuesday at the regular Board of Supervisors meeting the group raised issues of potential impacts to the Hidden Valley Lake reservoir, private wells, and other water resources, the size of a buffer zone to protect neighbors against pesticide drift, advance pesticide spray notification to neighbors, traffic safety, and noise.
Supervisor Jim Steele, of District 3, welcomed and addressed these concerns raised the issue of depletion of water resources. But like the other supervisors he did not dissent with his vote.
District 4 Supervisor Anthony Farrington noted that provisions for groundwater monitoring recently added to the plan under pressure from the HVL Watershed group, who brought the appeals, were precedent setting in Lake County.
