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Thomas Keller’s Yountville inn hopes to break ground in spring

TOWN OKS $300,000 LOAN FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING REQUIRED AS PART OF PROJECT

YOUNTVILLE – After a six-year delay, nationally renowned chef Thomas Keller has told town officials construction on his long-anticipated 20-unit Aloysius Inn could break ground as early as next spring.

Original estimates said the inn would be finished by 2006, but complicated zoning, building, affordable housing and funding requirements resulted in delays.

Last week, Yountville town officials approved the final design plans and a city loan for 11 affordable housing units required as part of the inn construction.

According to Yountville code, when rezoning a mixed-use residential plot to commercial, the applicant must construct a certain number of low-income housing units, depending on the size of the former residential site.

Town Planning and Building Director Bob Tiernan said Mr. Keller was required to provide additional housing for a certain percentage of employees that would work at the inn, bringing the total required low-income housing units to 11.

Another Yountville code also requires that houses that are removed be replaced with a residential unit of any market grade. In total, Mr. Keller will also have to replace four additional residential units that will be displaced by the inn and low-income housing lots. Those units would be built on another property Mr. Keller owns, but he has not indicated whether he will build the units or sell the property.

Meanwhile, the low-income housing, called Washington Gardens Affordable Housing Project, has now been merged with the town’s 25-unit Finnell Road affordable development. Rather than taking all of the financial risk, Mr. Keller wanted to partner with Napa Valley Community Housing, which receives supplements from investor tax credits, a farm-worker housing grant and other state and federal grants. Because his project alone was so small, the town merged them into a “scattered” affordable housing development.

The supplemental funding will not cover the entire project, so last week the town approved a last-minute $300,000 loan, leaving Mr. Keller responsible for fronting the remaining $130,000.

The town also reviewed final design plans for the low-income housing project. The units will be built on a half-acre plot behind the owner’s Ad Hoc restaurant on Washington Street.

Mr. Keller hasn’t submitted final design plans for Aloysius, but architect Antoine Predock has drawn preliminary plans for the site on the corner of Webber Avenue and Washington Street.

The plans call for a 20-unit boutique inn including a spa, gym, pool and private courtyard. The inn would be organized in six one- and two-story buildings.

The town has agreed to schedule final design review on or before the end of March. Construction is estimated to take approximately 18 months.

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