Six years after Saratoga walked away from annexing the Mountain Winery, the City Council will talk Wednesday, Nov. 18, about whether to try again.
Two council members asked on Oct. 21 to bring the idea back, according to a staff report by Acting Community Development Director Cindy McCormick. Staff is not recommending a decision Wednesday, only asking the council what further work, if any, it wants done.
What happened last time
The city started the process in March 2019. Over the next year it held community, Planning Commission and council meetings, analyzed an environmental impact report and drafted a precise plan that would have allowed up to 300 hotel rooms alongside the existing concert venue. The staff report notes "significant opposition" from the public, and on May 20, 2020, the council voted to end the effort.
The environmental report was never certified and the plan was never adopted.
What has changed
The hillside property, in unincorporated Santa Clara County, is now the site of a builder's remedy housing application under county review. A county planner told city staff on Nov. 9 that the current proposal covers 278 homes on a 194-acre parcel: 47 detached houses, 39 triplex units, 135 market-rate multifamily units and 57 affordable multifamily units, plus an 81-room hotel, new streets and parking.
The county's environmental review is on hold for a year at the applicant's request, and a public scoping meeting is expected in late January or early February 2027, according to the report.
What annexation would take
The winery sits on two parcels. Neither is inside Saratoga's urban service area, which a property must be in before the city can annex it, and one is also outside the city's sphere of influence.