TO: Board of Supervisors
FROM: Ryan J. Alsop, County Executive Officer
REPORT BY: Becky Craig, Assistant County Executive Officer
SUBJECT: Purchase Skyline Wilderness Park Property
RECOMMENDATION
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Adopt a Resolution of Intent to purchase approximately 874 acres of land commonly known as the Skyline Wilderness Park property from the State of California. (Fiscal Impact: $7.2 million; Capital Improvement Fund; Budgeted; Discretionary)
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BACKGROUND
The County maintains a fifty-year ground lease with the Napa State Hospital (“NSH”) for Skyline Wilderness Park (“Skyline” or “Park”). The lease provides residents and visitors access to this regional park until February 2030. The County indicated its interest to purchase the Park and State legislation allowed for this exploration with SB 20 in 2019 championed by Senator Dodd. Approximately eighty acres operated as Camp Coombs was excluded from the authorization. The County contacted the California Department of General Services (“DGS”) periodically to initiate sale discussions with the most recent one commencing in late 2021.
DGS hired consultants to prepare an appraisal and phase one environmental report in 2022. The County dedicated fund reserves for future acquisition in late 2022 and hired a surveyor in 2023 to prepare the legal description. DGS drafted the Purchase Sale Agreement (“PSA”) in spring 2024.
NSH discontinued operations of Camp Coombs and deemed the land surplus. Senator Dodd again successfully championed the County’s interest with SB 958 in 2024 to authorize sale of the excluded acreage. Determining the legal description for a second PSA is in process.
The attached PSA transfers ownership of Skyline Wilderness Park from the State to the County sans Camp Coombs, including water rights and responsibilities. The County will assume Camille Creek monitoring per a mitigation plan and dam monitoring on man-made lakes, both previous obligations of NSH. Staff anticipate annual monitoring expenses with unknown future maintenance and repairs. The PSA excludes mineral rights as those are maintained by the federal government and not owned by the State. The County will agree to restrict uses of the property to parks and open space.
The County executed a concessionaire agreement with Skyline Park Citizen’s Association (“Association”) that runs parallel with the ground lease. The agreement expires with termination of the ground lease. Staff will recommend the County execute a one-year concession agreement with the Association to provide time to negotiate an agreement with the Napa County Parks & Open Space District (“District”). The intent is for the District to administer the monitoring requirements and to contract with the Association for operations.
California Government Code Section 25350 requires that the Board of Supervisors publish a notice of its intention to purchase property prior to authorizing the acquisition. The notice must contain a description of the property proposed to be purchased, the price, the seller, and a statement of the day and time the board will meet to authorize the purchase. This notice is to be published in a local newspaper once a week for three successive weeks. The Board will consider authorizing the purchase of the property at the December 17, 2024 Board of Supervisors meeting. After the Board approves the PSA, the County will have sixty days for conducting due diligence. It is expected that escrow will close in March 2025.
Procedural Requirements:
1. Staff Report
2. Public Comment
3. Motion, second, discussion, and vote to adopt the Resolution of Intent
Requested Action:
Adopt a Resolution of Intent to purchase approximately 874-acres of land commonly known as the Skyline Wilderness Park property from the State of California.
FISCAL IMPACT
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Is there a Fiscal Impact? |
Yes |
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Is it currently budgeted? |
Yes |
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Where is it budgeted? |
Capital Improvement Fund, Project 25004 |
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Is it Mandatory or Discretionary? |
Discretionary |
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Discretionary Justification: |
Ensure public access |
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Is the general fund affected? |
Yes |
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Future fiscal impact: |
Creek mitigation, dam monitoring and maintenance and repairs |
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Consequences if not approved: |
The County will need to negotiate new lease. |
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: Consideration and possible adoption of a Categorical Exemption from the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) pursuant to: (a) Class 12 “Surplus Government Property Sales,” which may be found in the guidelines for the implementation of CEQA at 14 CCR §15312; and (b) the General Rule Exemption. It can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility the proposed action may have a significant effect on the environment and therefore CEQA is not applicable. [See Guidelines for the Implementation of the California Environmental Quality Act, 14 CCR 15061(b)(3)].