Saratoga News

Neighbors show up at Mountain Winery opposing more seats

County requires an EIR for plan to increase seats

Noise, traffic are issues

By Sarah Lombardo

There was a lot of noise at The Mountain Winery Feb. 18, but it wasn't from a concert--and it wasn't joyful.

Residents who live near the winery said they are worried about what impact many proposed changes to the facility--including an increase in seating from 1,750 to 2,500 seats and the construction of an emergency-only helicopter pad at the location--will have on their lives.

Santa Clara County and winery officials gathered last week at the winery to give residents the opportunity to voice concerns as the county prepares to conduct an environmental impact report for the concert venue. The EIR is the first step to issuing a conditional-use permit, which the venue has been lacking since it began holding concerts.

"The owner would like to look at expansion plans," county associate planner Juanell Waldo said. "Clearly, it's going to increase traffic."

In the works are improvements to the winery's parking lots and an increase in parking spaces, modifications to the concert bowl itself to increase seating and access to the bowl, improvements to the septic system and possibly the addition of more restrooms and a helicopter pad for use in emergencies to get people off the hill. The EIR will only look at the buildings up at the winery, the picnic areas and parking lots and the access road and entry area. Pierce Road, which runs from Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road to Highway 9, is the only way up to the winery. The access road begins from Pierce in the city of Saratoga and then passes into county jurisdiction.

The plans are proposed to be implemented over many years, said Tim Kelly, property manager for the winery. "It's just dressing up what's there," he said. "That's the game plan."

Neighbors told Waldo and Valerie Young, a consultant with CH2M Hill, who is conducting the report, that traffic to and from the winery on event nights is already horrendous. And more seats mean more cars. And more cars, they said, mean even worse traffic.

"We've been told to get in line to get into our own street," one Vintage Lane resident said. The woman told officials that on concert nights, when traffic is often backed up down Pierce, cars are directed to pass the access road, travel down Pierce and then loop back around. This traffic often blocks residential streets, and some residents said they have been denied access to their own streets and had to wait in line with concert-goers, sometimes for almost two hours.

"We thought we had taken care of that problem," Waldo told residents. "It's good to know that's not working."

Residents suggested better training of parking staff at the concerts, and possibly even a busing program similar to Villa Montalvo's, which could require concert-goers to park at a lot off-site and ride buses to the concerts.

Residents also complained about noise from the concerts. They asked officials if a way of reducing the noise could be explored and questioned how often winery concerts, which encompass jazz, classical and rock music, violated the county's noise ordinance.

One neighbor admitted that he knew about the winery's concert series when he bought his home and said he realized that there could be noise, but pointed out that the type of music had changed over the years.

"Fifteen or 20 years ago, [the concerts] were serious jazz or chamber music," he said. Now, he said, the concerts include more rock groups, which makes for louder events.

"I think [the winery concert series] has been one of the best parts of Saratoga," he said, "and I think that we should do whatever is prudent to encourage it."

But another neighbor said the residents don't want expansion at the winery to make conditions worse than they already are.

Young said a draft EIR will probably be ready for public review by July or August and that a final EIR will most likely be completed by September.

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