Community Development Department
–
Planning Division
1600 First Street + P.O. Box 660
Napa, CA 94559
-
0660
(707) 257
-
9530
________________________________________________________________________________
PLANNING
COMMISSION
STAFF
REPORT
April
4 , 2024
AGENDA ITEM
7. A
File No. PL
2 3
-
0 159
LE PETIT
ELEPHANT
USE
PERMIT
I.
GENERAL INFORMATION
PROJECT
SUMMARY:
Use
Permit
to
authorize a daycare facility for up to 250 children
and
other youth services, as well as
reduced parking, to be located at 15
Chapel Hill Drive.
LOCATION
OF
PROPERTY:
15 Chapel Hill Drive
APN
:
00 6
-
162
-
001
GENERAL PLAN:
Low
-
Density Residential
ZONING:
Single Family Residential (RS
-
10),
Hillside
Overlay (
HS
)
APPLICANT:
Milli
P
.
Pinta
cs
i
606 Seminary Street
Napa
,
CA
9 4559
Phone: (
707)
690
-
8797
AUTHORIZED
AGENT
:
Nicholas Burton
14670 Cantova Way, Ste 204
Rancho
Murieta, CA 95683
Phone: (
916) 303
-
6425
PROPERTY
OWNER:
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter
-
Day Saints
50 E North Temple Street
, 12
th
floor
Salt Lake City, UT 84150
Phone: (
801)
353
-
1268
ATTACHMENTS:
ATCH 1
–
Draft Resolution
ATCH 2
–
Project Description
ATCH 3
–
Project
Plans
ATCH 4
–
Traffic Study
ATCH 5
–
Public Comments
(Support & Neutral)
ATCH 6
–
Public Comments (Opposition)
ATTACHMENT 3
PL23
-
0159 Le Petit
Elephant
Use Permit
2 II.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Planning Commission adopt a resolution
approving a Use
Permit to
authoriz
e
a daycare facility for up to 250 children
and other youth services,
as
well as
reduced parking
,
to be located at 15 Chapel Hill Drive
and
determining
that
the
actions authorized by the resolution
are
exempt from the California Environmental Quality
Act (CEQA).
III.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Applicant,
Milli Pintacsi
,
requests a Use Permit
to authorize a
state
-
licensed
daycare
facility
with up to 2
50 children
and other youth services
, including a
community playroom
and
gymnasium/multi
-
use space
,
to be
located
within
an
existing
building
formerly used
as a church
on an approximately
2.6 -
acre site located
at
15 Chapel Hill Drive (
APN
:
006
-
162
-
001
)
, as shown
in
Figure 1,
Location Map
.
FIGURE 1
Location Map
As described more fully in
Attachment 2, Project Descr
iption
,
t
he Applicant
has
proposed
the
adaptive reuse of
an
existing
building
formerly operated as a church
.
The
church closed
several years ago
and has been vacant since.
Minor
exterior and site
changes are proposed
, such as the
removal of the existing steeple, addition of a
n
elevator, installation of a wrought iron fence
, and other minor site work for compliance
with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
,
as shown in
Attachment 3
,
Project
Plans
.
There are no changes or reconfiguration proposed to the existing parking lot.
ATTACHMENT 3
PL23
-
0159 Le Petit
Elephant
Use Permit
3 Pursuant to Napa Municipal Code (“NMC”) Section
17. 08.020
,
the
RS
(Single
-
Family
Residential)
Zone District
allows for
d
ay
c
are
facilit
ies
with 15 or more children
and other
uses “customarily incidental and clearly subordinate to conditional uses.”
subject to
the
approval of
a Use Permit
.
In addition, NMC Section
17.54.0 80
allows for reduced parking
,
subject to
the
approval of a
Use Permit
.
I
V
.
SITE
CONTEXT AND HISTORY
The
approximately
2.6 -
acre
S
ite
is in
the Alta Heights neighborhood,
between Montecito
Boulevard and Chapel Hill Drive.
The
S
ite is adjacent t
o residential uses to the north, east,
west,
and south.
Alta Heights Elementary School is located further
w
est of the
Site.
Lakeview Park is further north of the Site.
The existing
19,745
-
square
-
foot
church
was developed as the Church of
Jesus Christ of
Latter
-
Day Saints
, with the first building ph
ase
estimated to have been
co
mpleted
in
or
around
1956.
Use Permit
N
o. 24
-
15 was approved by the City of Napa Planning
Commission on May 16, 1960,
authorizing
a
second
-
story
addition to the building
to create
classrooms for
a Sunday school
.
Subsequent
Building Permits were obtained to expand
the second story
to include
additional classroom and office space.
From 1956 to
2021, the
S
ite served as a
religious institution, offering worship services
,
religious educatio
n
,
and a meeting place for faith
-
based clubs and organizations
.
The
existing church building contains a Cultural Hall
,
which
includes a
stage and gymnasium
historically used to host
sports, religious, and
community events.
A kitchen and serving
area are attached to the Cultural Hall,
traditionally
used for
food service during
religious
group activities and events.
Since the church operations have closed, the building has remained vacant.
V
.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The Applicant proposes a
licensed
daycare
facility
for
up to 250 children
as an adaptive
reuse
of
an existing 19,745
-
square
-
foot building.
Daycare services would be offered year
-
round on weekdays (Monday through Friday)
between the
approximate
hours of 7:30
a.m
.
and 5:30
p.m.
Daycare services
would continue to be
provided
for school
-
aged children
when local schools are not in session
(i.e. summer and winter break, and other school
closure holidays)
.
In addition, the Applicant
requests
authorization to establish
other youth
-
related and
after
-
school
services, including
a
community playroom and
gymnasium
/multi
-
use space
.
Although these ancillary uses are proposed as part of the Project, they would have
minimal overlap with
the day
-
to
-
day primary use as a daycare.
The community playroom
would
be the only ancillary use with some overlap in hours
with the daycare
operations
,
while the gymnasium/mul
ti
-
use space would not have any overlap with the
day
care use.
ATTACHMENT 3
PL23
-
0159 Le Petit
Elephant
Use Permit
4 The following Project Description discusses the
three (3) uses proposed as part of the
Project in greater depth, summarized below.
•
Childcare (Primary Use):
The
site's primary use would be a State
-
licensed
daycare facility for up to 250 children, including 220 between 0 and 5 years old and 30 between 5 and 12 years old. This use would operate weekdays, year -
round,
from 7:30 a.m. to 5:
30 p.m.
•
Community Playroom “Le Petit Play Space” (Ancillary Use):
This ancillary use
would be an approximately 860 square foot space separate from the licensed childcare facility and would be open to the public from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on weekdays, year
-
round, for instructor
-
led play time,
and
on weekends from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. for children’s birthd ay parties. It is
anticipated that
this
space could accommodate up to 20 children at any given time .
•
Gymnasium/Multi
-
Use Space (Ancillary Use):
This other ancillary use is
intended to utilize the existing basketball and volleyball courts and performance stage from the previous church use and repurpose it as a community facility for youth and other
local organizations as community space for rent. This space would be available on weekdays from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and on weekends from 9 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
A.
Site
Design
The
S
ite is currently developed with an approximately
19,745
-
square
-
foot two
-
story
building on the western half and a surface parking lot containing approximately 97 vehicle spaces on the eastern half
. In addition, there is a
large, landscaped
area
west
of the
building
, along with several mature trees
and landscaping
along the perimeter.
As part of the Project, a
6 -
foot
-
tall wrought
-
iron fence would enclose the
primary building
and outdoor play areas
, creating a secure
d
perimeter
for the daycare
.
The Applicant
indicated that creeping vines would be planted
along the
fence for additional privacy.
Three (3) pedestrian gates would be installed along the fence, parallel to the parking lot,
to
prov
id
e
secure
access to
p
arents and caregivers for
pick
-
up and drop
-
off
.
T
hree
(
3 )
light poles would be located along the walking path
to provide improved lighting
for
pedestrians
at the Site
.
A
fabric
-
covered walkway canopy would be installed east of the
existing building, providing covered access from the
parking lot area
to the primary
building entrances and outdoor play areas.
As shown on sheet A
-
03 of
Attachment 2, Project Plans
, the outdoor open spaces
,
primarily on the western half of the site,
would be designated
outdoor
play areas.
Shade
structures made of cloth
-
like material
(i.e.
,
shade sails)
would be installed above all
outdoor play areas.
One (1) outdoor play area directly
e
ast of the
primary building
would
include a play structure, as shown on Sheet A
-
10 of
Attachment 2.
The play structure
would face towards the existing parking lot at the Site, maintaining
a buffer between the
structure and adjacent residential properties.
White picket fenc
ing
approximately
3 feet in height would be installed at the entrance
s
of
the proposed play areas
for instructors to provide
supervised
access to students during
designated outdoor
playtime
.
ATTACHMENT 3
PL23
-
0159 Le Petit
Elephant
Use Permit
5 When the
S
ite is closed, the
small
parking lot closest to Chapel Hill Drive, which contains four (4)
Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”)
parking spaces, w
ould
be secured with a
wrought
-
iron gate. The two (2) driveway entrances
accessed
from Montecito Drive and
Chapel Hill Drive
leading to the
primary
parking lot area
w
ould
be secured with a
metal
chain
to prevent vehicles from entering during periods of closure and for added security .
B.
Elevations
As shown in
Attachment 2, Project Plans
, the proposed design
involves minor exterior
modifications
.
As
depicted
on sheet A
-
07 of
Attachment 2
, the
only
modification
to the
building's primary (west) façade
would be the removal of an existing steeple
.
Modifications
to the
building’s
rear façade
would
include the construction of a
new
interior
elevator
, which would provide
ADA
access to the
building’s second story
.
The elevator
shaft would be finished to match the
existing
painted
brick wall.
No changes are being proposed to the footprints of the primary or accessory buildings besides
the construction of
the
elevator shaft
.
The overall height of the existing building
would not be changed other than the removal of the existing steeple and the installation of an elevator shaft, which would be below the height of the existing
steeple.
The existing
roofing, windows, and paint colors would remain the same on the primary and accessory buildings.
C.
Operations
The following describes
the operations
of the three (3) u
ses being proposed as part of the
Use Permit. This includes a description of the primary childcare use and ancillary uses of
the community playroom and the gymnasium
/multi
-
use space
.
In general,
T
able 1
below
shows the proposed times and days of operation for each use.
TABLE 1
Use Schedule
USE
DAYS
TIMES
Childcare
Monday to Friday
7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Community Playroom
Monday to Friday
Saturday and Sunday
9:00 a.m. to
1 2:00 p.m.
2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p
.m.
Gymnasium/Multi
-
Use
Monday to Friday
Saturday and Sunday
5:30 p.m. to
8:00 p.m.
9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
ATTACHMENT 3
PL23
-
0159 Le Petit
Elephant
Use Permit
6 Childcare
The
proposed
childcare
facility
would serve up to 250 children in two primary age groups ,
including 220
children up to the age of 5 and 30 children from ages 5 to 12 .
Up to
55 employees
, including two (2) administrative staff and 53 teachers, would be on -
site at any
given time
; however, the number of employees
on
-
site
each day varies based on
attendance
.
According to the Applicant, although the
license would allow up to 250 children,
it is rare
that
total
attendance is reached daily due to
child illness, vacations, and/or part
-
time
attendance. On any given day,
the childcare
population
, on average, is
approximately
80 % of
total
capacity, according to the Applicant
.
Therefore
, on average, out of 250
licensed childcare spaces
,
about
200 are
in attendance on any given day
.
Up to 220
of the
requested childcare spaces would serve children aged 0
-
5 year
-
round
on
w
eekdays from 7:30
a.m.
to
5:30
p.m.
The remaining
30 c
hildcare spaces would serve
children age
d
5 -
12 for
after
-
school
care
on
w
eekdays
during the school year
from
3 :00
p.m.
to 5:30
p.m
.
Two (2) vans operated by
daycare
staff would
be stored on
-
site and
used to
transport
the after
-
school program
group of children from local elementary
schools to the
Site
.
During
holiday
breaks observed by local
elementary
schools, the 30
c
hildcare spaces
reserved for after
-
school care
of children age
d
5 -
12 would
transition
to provide
full
-
day
care from
7:30
a.m.
to 5:30
p.m.
The camp curriculum would focus on
cooking, music,
sports, theater, arts, and creative play
and
would also include
local
field trips
.
The two (2)
vans
kept on
-
site
would provide transportation for
the camp attendees
to local field trip
locations
.
Supervised o
utdoor playtime
would occur three
(3)
times per day in the designated play
areas shown on
Sheet
A
-
03 of
Attachment 2, Project Plans
.
Table
2 below illustrates
the
typical
times that outdoor play time would occur.
Morning drop
-
off and afternoon pick
-
up
would be
combined with outdoor playtime
, weather permitting.
All enrolled childr
en
over the age of 12 months would
take part in
daily outdoor play.
During the
winter months
and
inclement weather, children
would
be limited to indoor play
, drop
-
off, and pickup
within the daycare building
.
TABLE
2 Sample
Outdoor Play
Schedule
T
ime
Activity
7:30
a.m.
–
9:00
a.m.
Morning drop
-
off and outdoor
playtime
10:30
a.m.
–
12:00
p.m.
Outdoor
playtime
3:30
p.m.
–
5:30
p.m.
Afternoon pick
-
up and outdoor playtime
An additional service
offered to the parents of enrolled children,
separate from
the
typical
daycare
operation,
would be monthly
‘
Date Night
s’
.
The Date Night
day
care
services
would be
held
a maximum of
on
e (1)
night
per
month
and would offer childcare
services
between 5:30
p.m.
and 8:
00 p.m.
for up to
thirty (3
0) children.
Typically, Date Nights occur
on
Friday
s
, but on occasion could occur on other days. However, under no circumstance would more than
one
“
Date Night
”
occur per month.
ATTACHMENT 3
PL23
-
0159 Le Petit
Elephant
Use Permit
7 Community
Playroom
“Le Peti
t
Play
-
Space”
(“Youth services”)
The
community
playroom
, as
shown on Sheet
A
-
06 of
Attachment
2 ,
Project Plans
,
would not be licensed for childcare
purposes
and would be operated in a
n
approximately
860
-
square
-
foot
indoor
space separate from
licensed
Childcare
classrooms.
Although
the
Applicant has indicated that
Le Petit Elephant would own and operate the
community
playroom
, it would be considered an ancillary youth
-
oriented use
separate from the day
-
to
-
day primary use as a licensed daycare facility
.
The
community
playroom
would be open to the public
, such as
parents and
caregivers,
to
attend with their child(ren) and would
offer
indoor play time led by an instructor. Access
to the
community
p
layroom would require membership, which could be obtained for daily or monthly use of the space.
The
community
p
layroom would be operated
year
-
round
on
weekdays from 9:00
a.m.
to 12:00
p.m.
and 2:00
p.m.
to 5:00
p.m
.
for
instructor
-
led
playtime.
The
community
playroom
would
also
be available for rent on weekends from
9 :00
a.m.
to 4
:00
p.m
. for children’s birthday parties
.
Gymnasium
/Multi
-
use
Space
(“Youth services”)
As mentioned above, the 3,567
-
square
-
foot gymnasium
/multi
-
use space
would be
available for the public to rent outside of the established daycare hours.
Le Petit Elephant
would own and operate the gymnasium.
The gymnasium
would be
available for
rent
year
-
round
on
w
eekdays
(Monday through Friday)
from 5:30
p.m.
to 8:00
p.m.
and on
w
eekends from 9:00
a.m.
to 8:00
p.m
.
The proposed hours of operation of the gymnasium
would
not coincide with the hours of operation of the requested daycare
facility
during the
weekday
s
; however,
it would operate simultaneously on weekends with the community playroom space
described above
.
The gymnasium
contains
a
full basketball and volleyball
court and
would be available for
youth sports leagues to
rent
for regular practices and
games.
The
space
also includes a
fully
equipped
performance stage and could be utilized for plays
, puppet shows,
and
other
performances by local
performing arts
groups.
In addition to
hosting
youth sports and
performing arts groups, the
gymnasium
could
also be utilized as a
multi
-
use
meeting
space
for
local organizations
, clubs, and private events.
D.
Circulation and Parking
The following discusses the
circulation and parking
of the
S
ite. Because multiple uses
are
being proposed with slightly varying start and end times
in some cases
, the following
describes the parking calculation
based on what the Napa Municipal Code requires, as
well as accounts for the staggering of times of the
different proposed
uses. For example,
childcare
ultimately ends at 5:
30 p.m.
on weekdays
, and the gymnasium space wouldn’t
be available until 5:30 p.m. on weekdays, so while both are different uses on the same site, they do not
necessarily
overlap, and therefore,
the parking discussion reflects th
e
concept of staggered times in uses
.
ATTACHMENT 3
PL23
-
0159 Le Petit
Elephant
Use Permit
8 The site is currently accessed from two points, including one on
the north side along
Chapel Hill and one
on
the south side along Montecito Boulevard.
The site also contains
approximately
97 surface parking spaces
; however,
95 spaces
would be available for
parking since
two (
2 )
of the 97 spaces would be occupied by the Le Petit vans
parked on
-
site
that provide vanpool services for the afterschool program .
Circulation (Drop
-
Off and Pick
-
Up)
The Applicant proposes that eleven (11) parking spaces closest to the daycare’s primary entrance would be reserved for pick
-
up and drop
-
off to facilitate ingress and egress to the
property and to help prevent vehicles from queuing in the travel lanes on bo th Chapel Hill
Drive and Montecito Boulevard. During non
-
drop
-
off and pick
-
up times, these spaces
would be available for regular parking. The Applicant indicated that no drop -
offs or pick
-
ups would be allowed on Chapel Hill Drive or Montecito Boulevard an d that any vehicle
stacking would take place on
-
site of the property to minimize any disruption to the
neighborhood during drop
-
off and pick
-
up.
Parents and caregivers would be required to accompany their child into the daycare for drop
-
off and pickup. During the summer months, daycare pick
-
ups and drop
-
offs would
be outdoors. The Applicant indicated that each classroom would be assigned a specific
outdoor play area for drop
-
off and pick
-
up.
Children attending the after
-
school care would be transported to the Site from local elementary schools in two (2) Le Petit Elephant vans. During the school year, the vans would only provide transportation from local schools to the Site and would not offer
drop
-
off services. When local elementary schools are not
in session, the group of thirty (30)
attendees of the holiday break camps would be dropped off by their parents or caregivers instead of being picked up by the two (2) Le Petit Elephant vans.
The Applicant has stated that the drop
-
off and pick
-
up times would be staggered. Drop
-
offs would be allowed from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Pick -
up
times on weekdays would also be staggered, with the first pick -
ups occurring at 12:3
0 p.m., and again from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Out of the 250 childcare spaces, it is anticipated that approximately 4% would be half
-
day attendees, or approximately 10
children, per the Applicant.
Parking
As shown below in
Table
3 , Parking Requirements
, the childcare use
would require a
total of 76 vehicle spaces, the community playroom would require 29 vehicle spaces, and the gymnasium/multi
-
use space would require 119 vehicle spaces.
Based on the proposed Project
hours and days of operation
,
weekdays from the morning
until
5:30 p.m. would require
parking for approximately 105 vehicles, and weekday
evenings
would require parking for 119 vehicles. During the weekend, the required
parking
would be 148 vehicle spaces, which accounts for weekend use of the Community Playroom and Gymnasium/Multi
-
Use space
, and no use of the childcare
facility
.
Therefore, for purposes of the parking calculation and reductions
based on the staggering
of uses
,
it is assumed that the weekday parking requirement is 105 ve hicle spaces,
weeknights
require
119 vehicle spaces, and weekend
s
require
148 vehicle spaces.
ATTACHMENT 3
PL23
-
0159 Le Petit
Elephant
Use Permit
9 TABLE
3 Parking Requirements
Use
Number
Parking Requirement
Min. Parking Required
CHILDCARE
Employees
55 1 per employee
55 Students
250
1 per 12
students
21 COMMUNITY PLAYROOM
Square Feet
860
1 per 30 square feet
29 GYMNASIUM / MULTI
-
USE SPACE
Square Feet
3,567
1 per 30 square feet
119
Weekday Parking
Weekday
parking requirements would be 105 vehicle spaces
, which accounts
for
the
simultaneous operation of the childcare and community playroom during weekday hours of 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Th
e parking calculation for
the individual land uses
is shown
above in
Table 3
and is based on NMC Section 17.54.040, which requires one (1) parking space per employee plus one (1) space per 12 students for the
childcare use, and one
(1) space per 30 square feet for the community playroom use.
Table
3 above
demonstrates that the Project would be required to provide a minimum of 76 spaces for childcare use
and 29 for the community playroom,
totaling
105 spaces
.
Based on the existing
95 usable
spaces, the Site would
be
under
-
parked
by
approximately
10 vehicle spaces
during weekdays
.
However,
per the Applicant, it is rare
that the facility would
operate a
t a
maximum capacity
because of
children being part
-
time
in childcare and/or for other reasons that would result in a child’s absence (i.e. illness
,
vacations, etc.).
T
he Applicant is requesting a slight reduction in the required number of parking spaces as part of the Use Permit to
accommodate being
under
-
parked
by
10 spaces
at maximum
capacity
during weekdays for the childcare and community playroom uses . The deficit of
10 spaces
represents the difference between
the
105 spaces
required for the
uses
and
the
95 spaces
existing
on
-
site
.
Weeknight Parking
Weeknight parking
requirements would be 119 vehicle spaces, which accounts for the single use of the
gymnasium/multi
-
use space
from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The parking
calculation for t
his use is shown above in
Table 3
and is based on NMC Section
17.54.040, which requires
one (1) space per 30 square feet for the gymnasium use.
Table 3 above demonstrates
that
the Project would be required to provide a minimum of
119 vehicle spaces
for this use. Based on the existing
95 usable
spaces, the site
would
be under
-
parked by approximately
24 vehicle spaces
during weeknights.
ATTACHMENT 3
PL23
-
0159 Le Petit
Elephant
Use Permit
10 The Applicant is requesting a slight reduction in the required number of parking spaces as part of the Use Permit to accommodate being under
-
parked by
24 spaces at maximum
capacity during weeknights for the gymnasium/multi
-
use space
. The deficit of
24 spaces
represents the difference between
the
119 spaces required for the use,
and the
95 usable
spaces existing on
-
site.
Weekend Parking
Weekend parking requirements would be 148 vehicle spaces, which accounts for the simultaneous operation of the gymnasium/multi
-
use space and the community playroom
during
the
week
end
hours of
9:00
a.m. to
8:00
p.m. The parking calculation for the
individual land uses is shown above in
Table 3
and is based on NMC Section 17.54.040,
which requires one (1) space per 30 square feet for the community playroom use
and the
gymnasium use
.
Table 3
above demonstrates that the Project would be required to provide a minimum of 148 vehicle spaces for th
e combined gymnasium
/multi
-
use
space and the community
playroom
use
s.
Based on the existing
95 usable
spaces, the site would be under
-
parked
by approximately
53 vehicle spaces during weekends.
The Applicant is requesting a
reduction
in the required number of parking spaces as part
of the Use Permit to accommodate being under
-
parked by
53 spaces at maximum
capacity during week
ends
for the community playroom and gymnasium
uses
.
The deficit
of
53 spaces represents the difference between the 148 spaces required for the uses and the
95 usable
spaces existing on
-
site.
Parking
Modifications
As identified above,
three (3) separate uses are
being requested as part of this Use
Permit
, some of which slightly overlap and others that do not overlap .
N
apa
M
unicipal
C
ode
Section 17.
54.080
recognizes that
some single structures or lots contain multiple
uses, with multiple parking standards being applicable. Under this chapter, a request for
reduced
parking would require
the approval of
a Use Permit
.
Per NMC
Section
17.54.040, the parking standards may be modified with a Use Permit to provide adequate and well
-
designed parking.
As described above, t
he
Applicant
has
thereby requested a Use Permit to modify the parking standards to allow for the defici t in
parking
throughout the weekday, weeknights, and weekends.
In summary, t
his request includes a reduction in
weekday
parking (7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.)
of 10 parking spaces
, a reduction in
weeknight
parking (5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.) of
24 parking spaces, and a reduction in weekend parking ( 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.) of 53 parking
spaces.
It is worth noting that the parking deficit accounts for the
maximum capacity of each use
on a specified time and/or day, which is unlikely to occur
for the reasons described earlier
in the report
. For example, the use of the gymnasium/multi
-
use
space assumes full
capacity each
weeknight
and every weekend
, which would be rare. Likewise,
the
full
capacity of the childcare and playroom each day is also unlikely based on the nature of the business and
children
being absent for various reasons day
-
to
-
day.
ATTACHMENT 3
PL23
-
0159 Le Petit
Elephant
Use Permit
11 As a result of the offset in the different uses, and the unlikely event that each use would
operate at full capacity each and every day, coupled with the fact that there is an existing parking lot on
-
site that previously served a church use
, Staff is supportive of the request
to reduce the parking standards as proposed.
Due to the orientation of the existing
building, the only way to
accommodate additional parking would be to demolish parts of the existing building and/or landscaped areas. Given th at the si
te would be
under
-
parked
by a relatively small amount of
spaces and
is based on the assumption of full capacity
of
all uses, it was determined the request for a slight parking reduction was reasonable.
E.
Noise
The surrounding neighborhood has raised several concerns regarding the potential noise impacts. As indicated above, children would be allowed outdoor play time several times throughout the day. As shown in the site plan, the existing grass area west of the
building
would primarily be where kids would
recreate. It is surrounded by several mature trees
and some foliage. While the landscape would not eliminate noise from children playing, it would
help to minimize how noise would travel.
Further,
an existing elementary school nearby to the west currently contributes to the ambient noise in the area
. The 2040 Napa General Plan Environmental Impact Report (EIR) analyzed
expected noise levels related to traffic at full buildout of the General Plan in
the
year 2040. Since traffic noise is
often considered the dominant source of
ambient
noise (General Plan EIR, page 3.11
-
13)
, increases in traffic can sometimes be a critical
component when analyzing noise; however, as the General Plan EIR concludes ,
buildout
of the General Plan would result in traffic noise increases at levels generally below the increase in noise noticeable to the human ear
(i.e. 3 decibels)
(General Plan EIR, page
3.11 -
22)
.
Table 8
-
3 of the General Plan also shows existing transportation noise contours in the City and
indicates that existing ambient
noise
around the site would
be less than the 60
-
65 decibel range, which is considered acceptable.
Therefore, in order for the proposed
use to exceed
that level, the traffic associated with
the
proposed Projec
t
would have to
increase the decibel level
by more than 10
to 15
decibels
above
the ambient sound to be
considered
a significant impact. However, as concluded in the EIR, the building out
of the
General Plan would only increase traffic noise to a level barely discernable to the human ear (i.e. 3 decibels). Thus, the additional traffic would not result in a noise impact
that
would otherwise exceed C
ity standards.
Further,
Table 8
-
2 of the General Plan provides an example of typical noise sources and their associated decibel levels. As shown in that table, an average residence is approximately 40 decibels
and
a conversation from 1 foot from
the source is about 60
decibels
. Table 8
-
4 of the 2040 Napa General Plan indicates that between the daytime hours of 7 a.m. and 10:00 p.m.,
the
maximum acceptable noise levels are 75 decibels.
Therefore, the proposed Project would have to emit
nearly double the
decibels of an
average residence
at its property line
to
be out of compliance with acceptable
daytime
noise standards
or emit approximately 15 decibels
above a normal conversation at 1 foot
away from the source,
which is highly unlikely for the prop
osed use to emit noise at that
level.
ATTACHMENT 3
PL23
-
0159 Le Petit
Elephant
Use Permit
12 The play areas on site would be a minimum of 50 feet from the nearest residence and, in most cases, a greater distance than that
, based on the site plan
. Noise decibels generally
reduce by approximately 6
decibels as the distance from the source doubles
, acc
ording
to
the
inverse square law
. Therefore,
as distance from the source of the sound increases,
the level of sound decreases.
F.
Transportation & Circulation
The Applicant provided a
Transportation Impact Study (TIS)
, provided as
Attachment
4 .
As shown in the TIS, the Project is expected to generate 1, 0 02
net new
vehicle trips per
day
when compared to the church use
, including
197
net new trips
in the morning peak
hour
s (7:00 a.m. to
9:00 a.m.)
and
199
net new trips
in the evening peak hour
s (
4:00 p.m.
and 6:00 p.m.)
.
The TIS studied
the following four (4) intersections:
1. First Street/Silverado Trail
2. First Street/East Avenue
3. Montecito Boulevard/East Avenue
4. Third Stree
t
-
East
Avenue
-
Coombsville Road/Silverado Trail
As described in
Table
9 of
the
Traffic Study, provided as
Attachment
4,
the
additional
traffic
from the Project would slightly
worsen
the Level of Service
(LOS)
(a measurement
of traffic in terms of time delay)
in the AM peak hour at intersections
1, and
3 listed above
,
and would slightly
worsen the LOS in the PM peak hour for intersection 4. Therefore, intersections 1, 2, and 3 would
result in negligible traffic impact
on
LOS in the PM peak
hour.
Further, while Table 9
of the TIS
indicates slight
impacts to LOS at some of the
intersections in existing plus project conditions, Table 10 of the TIS indicates that future conditions
accounting for the roundabout at the 5
-
way intersection (intersection #4 listed
above), would
have
improved LOS conditions. Although this is attributed to the installation of the roundabout, the conclusion remains that even with the proposed Project, the future
traffic
conditions
would eventually
operate at acceptable LOS levels.
In summary, the TIS concluded that
the Project would not significantly impact the
surrounding roadways to a level below City standards and that 3 of the 4 intersections would continue to operate within an “acceptable” range
within the City’s standards.
Further, the TIS recommends
the
installation of a minimum of seven (7) bicycle parking
spaces, and the City Public Works Department has included conditions of approval for the installation of frontage improvements (i.e. sidewalks) along Montecito Boulevard fo r
greater pedestrian connectivity and safety, in addition to requiring a fair share contribution payment to the future roundabout at the 5
-
way intersection (Intersection #4 identified
above).
ATTACHMENT 3
PL23
-
0159 Le Petit
Elephant
Use Permit
13 V
I
.
ANALYSIS
A.
General Plan
The p
roperty is located within the
Low
-
Density Residential
General Plan Designation
of
the Napa
2040
General Plan
,
which
primarily
provides
for
the development
of attached
and detached single
-
family dwelling
s. However, c
ompatible uses such as
daycare and
residential care facilities
may be considered
.
The proposed
daycare
facility and
associated youth services, including the
gymnasium/multi
-
use space, and community
playroom
are
c
onsidered
a
supporting service
compatible with
adjacent
residential
and
educational
use
s
and
could be found to be
consistent with the
following
policies
outlined
in the Napa 2040 General Plan:
•
Policy LUCD 6
-
4 Support flexibility in land uses designations to respond to changing and evolving economic needs. Promote a mix of uses in appropriate locations and settings.
•
Policy
LUCD
10 -
1 Preserve the character of existing residential neighborhoods while promoting “complete neighborhoods” with safe and convenient access to the goods and services needed for daily life.
•
Policy
LUCD 1
0 -
3 Allow for convenient supporting services and alternative residential types to meet special needs by permitting recreational uses, public and quasi -
public
uses, public assembly, daycare and congregate living facilities, and single -
room
occupancy units in
residentially designated
areas when they meet the neighborhood
development, design, and compatibility standards.
•
Policy CSPR 4
-
7 Support efforts for high
-
quality and affordable preschool and
childcare facilities and programs in order to reduce the equity divide in education.
B.
Zoning
The
Property
is within the Single
-
Family Residential
(RS
-
10 )
Zoning District and Hillside
Overlay District
(HS)
.
The Single
-
Family Residential
(RS
-
10)
district provides fo
r the
development of low
-
density single
-
family homes
and compatible uses such as daycare
and residential facilities.
The Hillside Overlay
(HS)
district seeks to
preserve the city’s hills
by promoting a harmonious visual and functional relationship between the natural hillside environment and the man
-
made environment.
Per NMC
Section
17.08.020, the RS Zone District allows a daycare facility with 15 or more children, and other uses
“
customarily incidental and clearly subordinate to
conditional uses
”
subject to the approval of a Use Permit.
In this case, the
“
other uses
incidental and subordinate
”
to the daycare would be the
youth services, which would
include the
gymnasium/multi
-
use
space and the community playroom.
ATTACHMENT 3
PL23
-
0159 Le Petit
Elephant
Use Permit
14 C.
Use Permit
Pursuant to Napa Municipal Code (“NMC”) Section 17.
08.020
, the
RS
Zone District
allows
for
a daycare facility with 15 or more children
, other uses
“
customarily incidental and
clearly subordinate to conditional uses
”
, and reduced parking
subject to the approval of a
Use Permit
.
To approve a Use Permit, the Planning Commission is required to make the findings prescribed in NMC
Section 17.60.070. Those findings are shown below under the “
Required
Findings” section, along with Staff’s analysis of each finding.
V
I
I
.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
Staff recommends that the Planning Commission determine that the Project is exempt from the requirements of CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15301 (Categorical Exemptions; Class 1), which exempts minor alterations to existing private structures ,
and
Section 15
332 (Categorical Exemptions
;
Class 32
) which exempts in
-
fill development
.
The exceptions to categorical exemptions
identified in Section 15300.2 of the
CEQA
Guidelines are inapplicable because the Site is in an urbanized area with no environmentally sensitive habitats or species of concern on the property, there has been no successive effort to intensify land uses in the area, no unusual circumstances exi st
that would pose a reasonable possibility of having a significant effect on the environment, and the Project
does not involve a property that is considered a historic resource.
Based
on this analysis, no significant environmental effects would result from the Project, and the use of categorical exemptions is appropriate.
VIII
.
REQUIRED FINDINGS
A.
Use Permit
The Planning Commission’s approval of
this
P
roject is subject to the required findings in
NMC Section 17
.60.070 relating to Use Permits
.
These findings are provided
below and
relate to
the
consistency of the
P
roject with the General Plan,
Zoning Ordinance
, and
applicable
Guidelines.
Staff has determined that the proposed
P
roject would comply with these findings, subject
to the conditions of approval provided in
Attachment 1
.
1. The proposed use
is
in accord with the General Plan,
applicable specific plans,
the objectives of the zoning ordinance
,
and the purposes of the district and
overlay district in which the
S
ite is located.
The property is located within the Low
-
Density Residential General Plan Designation
of the Napa 2040 General Plan, and the Single
-
Family Residential (RS
-
10) Zoning
District and Hillside Overlay (HS) Zoning District. The General Plan and Zoning designations
primarily provide for developments of attached and detached single -
family dwellings. However, compatible uses such as daycare and residential care facilities may be considered, provided they meet the goals and objectives of the General Plan. The proposed
childcare facility and youth services would be compatible with existing residences in the area, consistent with these policies, as children are a normal part of a residential neighborhood.
ATTACHMENT 3
PL23
-
0159 Le Petit
Elephant
Use Permit
15 On
-
site parking for employees would be accommodated, there would be no drop -
off
or pick
-
up of the children in the public right
-
of
-
way, and the hours of
operation for the
daycare facility and ancillary uses would generally be limited to the daytime, except for some ancillary uses such as the gymnasium, which would function completely indoors until 8 p.m. at the very latest. The Project, including the reque st for reduced
parking, could be found to be consistent with the following goals and policies outlined in the Napa 2040 General Plan:
Policy LUCD 6
-
4 supports flexibility in land use designations to respond to changing and evolving economic needs and promotes a mix of uses in appropriate locations and settings. Napa County has continued to have a shortage of childcare spaces, particularl
y infant care spaces, which serve children aged 0
-
12 months. The Applicant
was the recipient of funding from Napa County’s funds obtained from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to assist in the creation of a daycare facility with a focus on infant care,
so this Project would respond to the demonstrated economic need for childcare in
the
City and may also serve the greater Napa County population.
Policy LUCD 10
-
1 seeks to preserve the character of existing residential neighborhoods while promoting ‘complete neighborhoods’ with safe and convenient access to the goods and services needed for daily life. The Project includes minor modifications to the
existing structure, including the removal of a steeple from the primary façade and a small addition for accessibility improvements, which would not be visible from the public right
-
of
-
way. The removal of the steeple and the small
addition would not signif
icantly impact the building’s mass or encroach into the existing setback, thereby maintaining the existing lot pattern and setbacks to adjacent residential properties. The Project intends to adaptively reuse the existing structure, which has existed at the
site since the mid
-
1950s, making this long
-
standing structure
an appropriate location for daycare and ancillary uses due to the site’s proximity to residential, educational, and quasi
-
public uses. Educational and childcare uses are
often located in reside
ntial districts where they can conveniently serve community members. As conditioned, the Project would be sensitive to the surrounding residential uses and would not detract from the residential character of the existing neighborhood.
Policy LUCD 10
-
3 Allows for convenient supporting services and alternative residential types to meet special needs by permitting recreational uses, public and quasi
-
public uses, public assembly, daycare, and congregate living facilities when they meet the
neighborhood development, design, and compatibility standards.
Although the proposed daycare would be
a
conversion of
the previous use, the Project
has been conditioned with respect to noise and traffic to be compatible with the surrounding
residential and educational uses. Facilities such as the proposed daycare would be supportive of a good residential quality of life by providing direct support to families seeking childcare and youth services in the community. As conditioned, the Project w
ould be compatible with the residential neighborhood as it provides adequate parking for employees, on
-
site circulation, and limitations on the number of children and employees allowed at the facility.
Policy CSPR 4
-
7 Supports efforts for high
-
quality and affordable preschool and
childcare facilities and programs in order to reduce the equity divide in education. The proposed daycare’s holistic curriculum would emphasize the importance of outdoor play, c
ritical thinking, and practical skill building.
ATTACHMENT 3
PL23
-
0159 Le Petit
Elephant
Use Permit
16 There is also a major focus on Spanish immersion, which would be practiced in all classrooms. Spanish Immersion is beneficial for enrolled students, parents, and their caregivers, considering that approximately 40 percent of the City of Napa’s population i
s Hispanic, with expected growth in the future. The Applicant also indicated that a portion of the childcare spaces would serve low
-
income families, helping to reduce the
economic divide in access to childcare.
2. The proposed use, together with the conditions applicable thereto, will not be detrimental to the public health, safety, or welfare, or materially injurious to properties or improvements in the vicinity, or to the general welfare of the city.
The Project application was circulated to relevant departments and agencies, and their comments and special conditions have been incorporated to ensure the Project would not pose a nuisance to the community. As conditioned, the Project would not result
in
impacts that would be detrimental to public health,
safety, or welfare of the community
and City
.
3. The proposed use complies with each of the applicable provisions of the zoning ordinance.
Daycare facilities with more than 15 children, other uses “customarily incidental and clearly subordinate to conditional uses”, requests for reduced parking may be established with Use Permit approval in the Single
-
Family Residential (RS
-
10) Zoning
Distric
t. With Planning Commission approval of the Use Permit as conditioned, the Project would be in compliance with the provisions of Napa Municipal Code Title s
17.08, 17.54, and 17.60 of the Zoning Ordinance.
4. The proposed use
complies with a
ny other applicable findings required under
other chapters of this title for the specific use.
There are no other
applicable findings required under other chapters of this title for the proposed use.
I
X
.
PUBLIC NOTICE
Notice that this application was received was provided
by the City on
March
18 , 2024,
and
notice of the scheduled public heari
ng was provided on
March 22
,
2024
,
by US Postal
Service to all property owners within a
500
-
foot
radius of the subject property. Notice of
the public hearing was also published in the N
apa Valley Register on
March 23
, 2023,
and
provided to people previously requesting notice on the matter at the same time that
notice was provided to the newspaper for publication. The Applicant was also provided a copy of this Report and the associated attachments in advance of the public hearing on the
P
roject.
ATTACHMENT 3
PL23
-
0159 Le Petit
Elephant
Use Permit
17 X.
PUBLIC COMMENT
As of this writing,
several
public comments have been received and have been provided as Attachment
5 ,
Public Comments
(Support & Neutral)
, and
Attachment 6 Public
Comments (Opposition)
.
Due to the large
volume of public comments in support and
opposition of the Project, the
comments
have been organized into different attachments for
ease of reviewing support and opposition.
ATTACHMENT 3
Combined Letters
Support & Neutral
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Alissa Abdo < >
Sent:
Monday, March 18, 2024 4:48 PM
To:
Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
Subject:
Public comment
[EXTERNAL]
To the City of Napa Planning Commission:
My name is Alissa Abdo and I am a community leader in Napa. I am writing in support of the Le Petit Elephant Nursery and Pre-school project at 15 Chapel Hill Dr.
Use any of these bullets:
Childcare is an essential infrastructure that parents rely on so that they can work.
Childcare is the foundation of a healthy community and a resilient economy.
Childcare helps children develop skills they need to be successful in school and later in life.
High quality childcare is essential to support the healthy brain development of children.
Although childcare is essential infrastructure, Napa County only has 1 licensed childcare slot for every 4 children who need the care. At the proposed new site, 15 Chapel Hill Dr, Le Petit Elephant Nurseryand Pre-school will provide our community with incremental and very much needed childcare slots. Many parents struggle to find infant childcare and it is important for our community to support the creation of additional infant childcare slots so that children can continue learn while parents can support the growth of our economy.
Sincerely,
Alissa Abdo
Alissa Abdo, MNA
(She/Her/Hers)
Executive Director
w:
onthemovebayarea.org
On The Move is a 501(c)(3) that partners with communities and mobilizes emerging leaders to take action in pursuit of social equity.
You don't often get email from
Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
March 18,
2024
To The Ladies & Gen
tlem
en of the Napa Planning Commis
sion
c/o
Angela Alvarez
-
Cendeja
s
We are
writing
to
day in support of the Le Pe
tit Elephan
t
(LPE)
permit application
at 15
Chapel Hill Dr. in
the Alta Heights neighborhood
to create a new campus for our nursery sc
hool
and
the greater comm
unity
.
Currently o
ur
two
year old is enrolled and attends LPE. The program at LPE has been absolutely wonderful for our chi
ld to begin her learni
ng adv
enture
and allowing her to gain
soc
ial skills with peers
. The teaching and admin team at LPE are incredi
bly kind, prof
essional and
persona
ble
.
They also provide extremely reliable childcare
, which seems to hard to come by in
Napa. Both my wife and I are working professionals
as well as homeo
wners
in N
apa
. W
ithout
quality ch
ild
care we would have to consider being a single income household , which is not a
feasible option for most due to the high cost of living in N apa
. That decision would also likely lead
to us having to con
sider moving away from Napa and seeking new employment e l
sewhere
. LPE has
been good stewards of the community and a good neighbor in our current leased location in the Westwood neighborhood on L
aur
el St.
The new proposed location would allow our campus to find a full time home and no longer deal with worries of wheth er or not the
landlord at our current
campus will
discontinue or not renew our lease.
If that were to happen then that would lead to
some 100 or so famili
es looking for a new school program and childcare, which is not readily available in Napa
. A fact to support this argument is that most early year (0 -
5 year)
child
care
programs in Napa are on waitlists that can take
up to a year or so for a space to open.
We
understand the
re has been and will be opposition to this application.
We
’
ve seen
negative comments online about our school and founder, which is not very neighborly as they have no basis.
A
lot of the oppo
sition
we
’
ve seen also ci
rcles around traZic congestion and how that
in
conveniences
the
residents of Alta Heights. While
we
can
sympathize
with
their conce
rns,
we
per
sonally live a few houses down from McPherson Elementary on
Y
a
jome St
.
S
o we know about
the short surge in
traZic
in the morning an
d afternoon pick
-
up w
indows, however we do not view i
ts
as a n
u
isance or in
con
venience
. We see this a
s a need and part of a f
amily community.
A
pos
itive
of LPE in regards to traZic is that unlike schools in
the NVUSD, we do not have set drop oZ and pick
-
up times.
Rather families can drop between 7:30
-
9:00
AM and pick
-
up bet
ween 3:30
-
5:30P .
So the
additional traZic for the proposed LPE campus in Alta Height s will not h
ave a m
ajor
impact the
on
the
curr
ent tra
Z
ic
issue since not all families drop oZ/pick up at the same time.
The new proposed
campus will allow LPE to service and oZer ch
ildcare to more Napa families
,
as well
as after school
programs
for child
ren 5
-
12 after NVUSD schools let out further helping Napa families.
The
in
creased enrollment will also require and create more jobs .
Additionally the campus will be
available as a c
ommunity center for rent outside of
LPE school hours. Lastly the LPE proposal is set
to oZer a set num
ber of spaces for
“
camps
”
w
hen NVUSD has scheduled breaks,
further
helping
work
in
g families in the Napa community. The p
osi
tives
th
at
this proposal
oZers
far outw
ei
gh
s the
short
surge
of traZic in
convenience
.
I
f the
Planning Commission and its members want Napa to be home to worki ng families
,
then we
strongly
urge
a Yes vote and approval on this LPE application as well as other s that may be
brough
t to a vote in the future
Sinc
erely,
Michael, Erin and Stella Abernathy
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Julia Allen < >
Sent:
Monday, March 18, 2024 12:58 PM
To:
Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
Subject:
A letter of support for Le Petit Elephant Nursery and Pres-school, at 15 Chapel Hill Dr. [EXTERNAL]
March 18, 2024
To the City of Napa Planning Commission:
I am writing to support the establishment of an early care and education site, Le Petit Elephant Nursery and Pres-school, at 15 Chapel Hill Dr.
As a resident of Napa County since September 2002, and one who went through my own struggles in finding quality daycare during 2005 for the arrival of my son, and an Alta Heights resident, I cannot express how much quality childcare is needed here in Napa County.
With childcare, I could get back to my business as a local entrepreneur and become an income generator for my family. I was also able to support another home-based childcare business and generate income to allow them to be sustained community members in our town. I have also seen through the years how challenging it has been for families to find quality local childcare and be able to add to their program in a manageable amount of time. I’ve worked with organizations like Cope Family Center, CRC Napa, UpFamily Services, and more to understand how families are struggling and not thriving due to a lack of support with childcare.
I welcome LePetit Elephant Nursery and Preschool to my neighborhood. When children are cared for in high-quality childcare settings, they have more chances to develop into adaptive individuals, with frameworks of social, emotional, and cognitive skills necessary for school. A child’s experience in a high-quality childcare setting during the first years of life can ensure that the child is on track to meet developmental milestones or receives early intervention support when needed.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Julia Allen
Founder/Creative Director
Folia Design
www.foliadesign.com
You don't often get email from
Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Joana Beas < >
Sent:
Monday, March 18, 2024 10:04 PM
To:
Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
Subject:
LPE letter
[EXTERNAL]
Hi my name is Joana Beas. I am a parent who has two children that attend LPE an infant and a toddler.
The programs at LPE have been such a great help. Our kids, my partner & I have learned a lot being apart of the LPE community. The kids have wonderful teachers that are very loving and caring for the children at LPE. LPE has helped my daughter learn so much such as ASL, counting her numbers, Spanish, and saying full sentences. The teachers are great and there is great communication as well as Milli. Milli is very caring and knowledgeable about the children at LPE. The LPE community has helped us through so many things such as teething, eating solids, and communication.
You don't often get email from
Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Dustin Boss < >
Sent:
Thursday, March 14, 2024 2:12 PM
To:
Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
Subject:
Le Petit Elephant’s proposal for 15 Chapel Hill Drive
[EXTERNAL]
Dear Planning Commission,
We are writing in strong support of the proposal for Le Petit Elephant’s (LPE) child care facility to be located at 15 Chapel Hill Drive.
We have been sending our four-year-old daughter to LPE for the past year, and we have nothing but wonderful things to say about the organization and its staff. In our experience, it has been a very well-run and responsible preschool that our daughter loves.
Since we moved to Napa last year, we’ve met dozens of other parents of preschoolers, and the lack of quality child care options is a widespread problem. There are waitlists at all of the best preschools in town, and we’ve met many parents who dread the dilemma of either sending their children to a substandard preschool or having to sacrifice their own income to stay at home.
Over the years, LPE has established a strong reputation in the community as a top- performing preschool.
Even when discussing it with parents of children from other schools, they’ve always heard of LPE. The City of Napa should do whatever it can to help businesses like LPE succeed, so they can continue to benefit our community.
We have seen first-hand the extraordinary amount of work the LPE staff puts into creating an excellent child care and educational opportunity, and we have no doubt they will put that same level of effort into being a responsible and considerate neighbor to all those in Alta Heights.
Sincerely,
Dustin and Jen Boss
Napa, CA
You don't often get email from
Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
3/18/2024
Subject: Support for Le Petit Elephant to operate at 15 Chapel Hill Drive, Napa
Dear Members of the Napa Planning Commission,
I am writing to express my strong support for the proposal to establish the childcare facility, Le Petit Elephant (LPE), at 15 Chapel Hill Drive. As a parent with two children attendee LPE, I have personally experienced the invaluable impact of having reliable childcare services in Napa on my family and career.
Having access to the high-quality childcare at LPE has been vital for me and my family.
It has provided both my husband and me with the peace of mind and assurance that our children are in a safe and nurturing environment while we pursue our professional careers and ability to afford to live in the beautiful Napa Valley. Without the presence of LPE, finding reliable childcare, in particular infant care for children under the age of two that meets the standards set by LPE would have been an incredibly stressful and challenging task.
When we had our first son in 2021 my husband was in school to become a Physician Assistant and I needed to go back to work to continue supporting our family. With no family living locally, we could not have made this possible had we not been able to find childcare for our son at 4 months of age. Now both of our children go to LPE and we are both working for Napa based companies contributing to our community.
Investing in childcare facilities like LPE is crucial for the well-being of families in Napa. It not only supports working parents like us but also contributes to the overall development and future success of our children. By providing a supportive and enriching environment for our little ones, we are investing in the future of our community.
I urge the Napa Planning Commission to approve the establishment of the new childcare facility, LPE, at Alta Heights Chapel. Your support will not only benefit families like mine but also demonstrate Napa's commitment to prioritizing the needs of its residents.
Thank you for considering my input on this important matter. I look forward to seeing the positive impact that the new childcare facility will have on our community.
Sincerely,
Allison Wilson
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Lia Tomczak < >
Sent:
Monday, March 18, 2024 1:49 PM
To:
Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
Cc:
Subject:
LPE use permit, 15 Chapel Hill Dr
Categories:
Unverified Contact
[You don't o en get email from Learn why this is important at h ps://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIden fica on ]
[EXTERNAL]
Planning Commission
C/O Angela Alvarez-Cendejas,
I am wri ng to express the importance of reliable childcare in our community, specifically in support of Le Pe te Elephant (LPE) gaining a use permit for our new site at 15 Chapel Hill Dr. I am a parent of a child who currently a ends LPE, and I cannot emphasize enough how crucial having access to high-quality childcare has been for my family and my career.
As a working parent, finding reliable childcare was a daun ng task for me when we first moved to Napa. There were only a couple of op ons available to us, and LPE stood out as the best choice for our family. Without this facility, I would have faced immense challenges in balancing work and family responsibili es.
Having access to reliable childcare has allowed me to con nue pursuing my career goals and contribute to the workforce, knowing that my child is in good hands. The peace of mind and support provided by LPE has been invaluable to my family, and I am grateful for their dedica on to providing a safe and nurturing environment for children.
Inves ng in childcare in Napa is essen al for the well-being of families and the community as a whole. Access to high- quality childcare not only benefits working parents but also has a posi ve impact on children's development and future success. By suppor ng and expanding childcare op ons in Napa, we can ensure that families have the resources they need to thrive.
I urge the Planning Commission to priori ze the importance of childcare in Napa and invest in facili es like LPE that provide much-needed support to families in our community. Thank you for considering this important issue.
Sincerely,
Lia & Steven Contursi
Napa, CA
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Erica Davis < >
Sent:
Monday, March 18, 2024 12:55 PM
To:
Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
Cc:
Erica Lindeman
Subject:
15 Chapel Hill
[EXTERNAL]
Dear Ms. Angela Alvarez-Cendejas,
I am writing to express the profound impact that reliable child care has had on my family and my career, and to shed light on the challenges we face in finding quality and dependable child care services here in Napa.
As a working parent, finding trustworthy child care has been essential for both my professional pursuits and the well-
being of my family. Reliable child care has provided me with the peace of mind necessary to focus on my career, knowing that my child is safe, nurtured, and learning in a supportive environment. It has enabled me to pursue my professional goals without sacrificing the quality of care my child receives.
However, navigating the landscape of child care options in Napa has been far from easy. The scarcity of quality child care facilities, coupled with long waiting lists and high costs, presents significant challenges for families like mine. The stress and uncertainty of securing reliable care can hinder parents' ability to fully engage in the workforce and contribute to the local economy.
Investing in child care is not only crucial for the well-being of families but also for the economic prosperity of our community. Access to quality child care enables parents to participate fully in the workforce, driving productivity and economic growth. Moreover, early childhood education lays the foundation for future success, fostering cognitive, social, and emotional development in children that will benefit them throughout their lives.
Therefore, I urge you to consider the importance of investing in child care services in Napa. By expanding access to affordable, high-
quality child care, we can support working families, strengthen our workforce, and ensure that every child has the opportunity to thrive. Whether through subsidies for low-income families, incentives for providers to maintain high standards, or partnerships with employers to offer on- site child care options, there are various avenues through which we can improve access to reliable child care in our community.
Thank you for your attention to this critical issue. I am hopeful that together, we can work towards creating a brighter future for families in Napa.
Sincerely,
Brandon & Erica Davis
You don't often get email from
Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
callan DeBruyn < >
Sent:
Monday, March 18, 2024 12:01 PM
To:
Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
Subject:
LPE Site - 15 Chapel Hill
[EXTERNAL]
Hello Ms. Alvarez-Cendejas,
My name is Callan deBruyn and my daughter, Sloane, has been enrolled at LPE for just over a year, since she was six months old. The issue of childcare was the single most stressful part of my pregnancy. A nanny would have cost roughly double what LPE charges, putting it far out of the realm of affordability for my husband and I and the limited number of care options, especially for infants, had us both very worried as I got closer to delivery. I got on LPE's waitlist fairly early in my pregnancy and was so excited when we got our enrollment notice. Since Sloane has been attending, we have been continually impressed with the quality of care she is getting and the commitment to the community, both directly inside LPE and surrounding it, that Milli has shown. I am a member of our parents association, and in each meeting that we have, the topic of how LPE can function most widely and effectively in the community comes up.
Quality childcare has to be available for any community to thrive. My husband and I looked high and low in Sonoma, Petaluma, Rhonert Park, and Napa to find something that would work for our family. LPE was by far the best option that we came across. The ability for it to expand and serve more families would be incredibly impactful. I can't underscore enough how critical it is that we are able to send Sloane to school everyday somewhere that I know she is cherished, where we have clear lines of communication, and where her development and readiness for her future education is top of mind.
I understand that there is some concern from the surrounding community about bringing a daycare/preschool into the neighborhood. My response to them would be that LPE is an asset to any area that has families. The programming that it is prepared to offer is unique, not just in Napa but in the surrounding areas as well. The families that make up our immediate student/parent body are kind, respectful, engaged and deeply appreciative of everything LPE has to offer.
Thank you for your consideration in this matter. We would be lost without LPE and I am so very hopeful that soon, many more families will have the chance to experience all that it has to offer.
Sincerely,
Callan deBruyn
You don't often get email from
Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Niki Fay-Palmer < >
Sent:
Friday, March 15, 2024 4:24 PM
To:
Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
Subject:
Le Petit Elephant
[EXTERNAL]
Hello Angela,
I am reaching out today to tell you how much LPE and the team there means to me and my family, and how amazing it would be to have a more permanent site in a great neighborhood for the kids to continue to thrive in.
We moved to Napa from Sacramento when Cole (my second son) was just 18mos. I work from home in marketing and my husband is a chef so we have always needed childcare, however we have struggled to find adequate care that met our standards as parents. My first son had a nanny part of the time because the care centers were always doing one thing or another that didnt sit right. I expected LPE to be no different, but I have seldom been SO wrong.
LPE is a family, unlike any childcare we have been a part of. Cole has been in two classes with two sets of teachers and had turnover of teachers maybe one time in his infant care room. One time in a year and a half is amazing! Not to mention, they have so many teachers in the infant room, it was hardly noticed. All of the most prominent figures have been there for years.
In Cole's current class Miss Kim and Miss Lorena are two of my sons favorite people. He listens to them, respects them, and quite honestly is better behaved because of them. They know what they are doing! They are gentle, but firm and they honestly care so much. Milli has assembled a super star
team of teachers, from my perspective.
The school also has facilities and guidelines that I have never seen before, and they are all there to make sure your child has what they need to thrive and grow. You will see the little ones standing in line if they can walk, or in the baby carriers if they cannot. All on their way to get their park time (what Cole calls its). They spend most of their time outside, getting their hands dirty, playing with friends and their teachers. In the garden tasting the carrots! If you come by around 5 it is amazing to
behold. Teachers in a circled singing with the babies, toddlers playing basketball and digging in the dirt, you mostly hear enjoyment and laughter and adorable little faces, but every once in awhile you hear a cry and you see how the teacher is there for the child. Its just a happy, happy place.
Milli really sets a great tone at LPE, her program prioritizes health, wellness and the environment and
she makes sure to have celebrations and decorations and really makes the school special for the kids.
As parents, Milli is available to help if you have a bad month or concerns, she is easy to talk to and transparent and that has meant a lot.
You don't often get email from
Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
2 But the thing I love the most about the school, and what I had to save for last, is the friends Cole has made and how much he loves going to school to see his friends every day. He is only 2 and he tells me all about all his friends and what they do each day. He says goodbye to each of them by name and they in turn say bye "Cowie Rowie", what the class affectionately calls my Cole. He calls his friends "my marcus" or "my lucy" and tells me who's backpack belong to who every day! Again, its just a happy, happy place.
I would hate to see anything happen to LPE, or for it not to get the space it needs to flourish. LPE is one of my favorite things about moving to Napa and I am really hopeful the community in Alta Heights can get behind us. My son is in Kinder at Alta Heights Elementary and we love that school too, love the community! I know some of my mom friends at AHE are concerned about the traffic, etc. But I really am confident that this will be an easy transition and great for the entire community! I have no doubt that Milli will do whatever it takes to make it work for everyone and even make the community even better. I hope you will take all of this into account.
Thanks for your time!
Niki Fay Palmer
Digital Marketer
ATTACHMENT 3
ATTACHMENT 3
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
MARY ANN Garchitorena < >
Sent:
Monday, March 18, 2024 8:53 PM
To:
Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
Subject:
LPE permit
[EXTERNAL]
To whom it may concern,
LPE has given my sons a lot of opportunity to learn and grow as they hit a lot of milestones through their wonderful philosophy. Not only Milli is very respectful of children, she also promotes healthy eating habits for the children under her school. She is there for the children and makes sure the teachers are more than enough to cover and care to meet the needs of the children in each class. Milli is a very intelligent person and loves all the children!
Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone
You don't often get email from
Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Michele Grupe < >
Sent:
Monday, March 18, 2024 7:53 PM
To:
Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
Cc:
Steve Potter
Subject:
Support for Le Petit Elephant Nursery and Preschool project [EXTERNAL]
To the City of Napa Planning Commission:
My name is Michele Grupe and I am the Director of the Community Leaders Coalition and a local parent living in the City of Napa with my family. I am writing in support of the Le Petit Elephant Nursery and Pre-school project at 15 Chapel Hill Dr., Napa CA.
The pandemic illustrated the importance childcare system plays in regard to a stable and vibrant economy. Childcare is the foundation of a healthy community and resilient economy, ensuring that children develop the skills they need to be successful in school and later in life.
While my son is now a senior in high school, I can remember struggling to find a quality program for my newborn when I had to return to work after my maternity leave was over.
At that time, there were very few spots available for
infants and I was fortunate to find a quality place for him in a private setting.
When this provider moved out of town
after one year, I continued to struggle to find accommodations for him until he entered preschool based on the continued lack of childcare resources for children under 2 years of age.
As the Executive Director of Cope Family Center for 20 years, I heard similar experiences from my staff and Cope's clients about the lack of childcare options, let alone QUALITY childcare options. As a result of the pandemic and other economic variables, this shortage of spaces for infant and toddlers is worse than it was when my family was in need of quality childcare.
While childcare is essential infrastructure, Napa County only has 1 licensed childcare slot for every 4 children who need the care. At the proposed new site, 15 Chapel Hill Dr, Le Petit Elephant Nursery and Pre-school will provide our community with incremental and very much needed childcare slots. As evidenced by my example and the experiences of many other Napa parents, it is a struggle to find child care and it is important for our community to support the creation of additional infant child care slots so that children can continue learning while parents can support the growth of our economy.
You don't often get email from
Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
2 The Community Leaders Coalition advocated for and worked in partnership with the County of Napa to support building our community's capacity to expand childcare options like this one, with the use of ARPA funding.
I strongly urge you to approve the permit for Le Petit Elephant Nursery and Preschool to address this essential gap in economic infastructure.
Sincerely,
Michele Grupe
Community Leaders Coalition Director
City of Napa (Parent) Resident
--
Michele Grupe, Director (she,her)
Community Leaders Coalition
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Alyce Guerrero < >
Sent:
Monday, March 18, 2024 6:06 PM
To:
Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
Subject:
LPE
Categories:
Unverified Contact
[EXTERNAL]
Dear Angela
I'm writing to you as a mom who desperately needs a daycare like LPE there is nothing like it anywhere near here and as far as I'm concerned the next best thing besides staying home with me is my daughter attending LPE they care for her not only affectionately but also they care about her development. If Napa wasn't as expensive as it is my family and I might be able to live on one paycheck and I could take care of her but as it is living in the town I grew up in is getting harder and harder for a small family like yours. I greatly believe many more families could and will benefit from having a bigger facility. I sincerely hope you consider there proposal
Thank you
Alyce Guerrero
You don't often get email from
Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Kate Harland < >
Sent:
Thursday, March 14, 2024 2:09 PM
To:
Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
Cc:
John Harland
Subject:
Le Petit Elephant Nursery and Preschool - Alta Heights Site Proposal [EXTERNAL]
Hello Napa Planning Commission and Ms. Alvarez-Cendejas,
I am Kate Harland, a Napa native, my husband John works for the City as a police officer. Our two children currently attend LPE for preschool. Funnily enough, I went to Alta Heights Elementary long, long ago. My parents have lived in Napa since the 1970's, my dad was a real estate lawyer in town and on the LAFCO board for some time prior to 2020.
After ~10 contacts and various tours, applications, etc, I feel very fortunate LPE had the space to take both boys when we needed to start childcare for them. Prior to that, our working plan was to send one child to one school, another to a different school (and then the school for the infant had that spot filled so we were back to square 1). Infant care especially was difficult to find options.
LPE has been a wonderful addition to our village. The kids love
all the staff and have learned (and
continue to learn) life skills, relationship and emotional management, produce lots of cute little kid crafts, and get to play outside for the majority of their time. Milli and her team work really hard to create connections between everyone at LP, run a good business that takes care of our babies, and contribute to the community.
Due to conflicts, I likely won't be able to attend the Planning Commission meeting on April 4th, and I want to loudly share my full support for Milli's plan for the Chapel Hill Drive location. We all know ECE is a difficult industry to succeed in and more spaces are desperately needed in Napa. I hope the Commission sees the value in what Milli is proposing and approves the permit application.
Thank you,
Kate Harland
You don't often get email from
Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Sent:
Monday, March 18, 2024 12:38 PM
To:
Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
Subject:
Le Petit Elephant
Categories:
Unverified Contact
[You don't o en get email from Learn why this is important at h ps://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIden fica on ]
[EXTERNAL]
Good a ernoon,
We are wri ng in support of the pe on for Le Pe t Elephant.
Our family moved to Napa from Paris, France a year ago in the middle of the school year. It was comfor ng to know that LPE was able to accommodate our 3-year old son, Andre.
Milli and her wonderful staff welcomed us with open arms and made our trans-Atlan c transi on seamless by giving extra a en on to our son who did not speak a word of English! We are forever grateful for their openness, flexibility, and care especially during the first few months.
A er a year in Napa, we realize that there is definitely a shortage of childcare and ac vi es; therefore, we urge the Commission to consider this amazing proposal to not only keep LPE but extend their services to the community through addi onal programs.
We appreciate your a en on and hope for a posi ve outcome, benefi ng Napa families.
Sincerely,
Adiba and Julien Issenmann
Sent from my iPhone
ATTACHMENT 3
Community Resources for Children provides adults who care for children with the knowledge, tools and resources so that children thrive and continue to learn. 3299 CLAREMONT WAY, SUITE 1 NAPA, CA 94558-3382 PHONE: 707-253-0376 1-800-696-4CRC FAX: 707-253-2735 E-MAIL: [email protected] WWW.CRCNAPA.ORG
COMMUNITY RESOURCES FOR CHILDREN
March18,2024
TotheCityofNapaPlanningCommission:
Iamwritinginsupportoftheestablishment ofanearlycareandeducationsite,LePetitElephantNurseryand Pres-school,at15Chapel Hill Dr.
As Napa County’s only Resource and Referral agency,
CommunityResourcesforChildrenhasbeenproviding
resourcesfortheearlycareandeducationofchildren,monitoringthesupplyanddemandofchildcare,aswellas advocating onbehalfofchildrenandfamiliesinthelocalcommunityforover46years.Weknowthat childcareis essentialtooureconomyandtothe wellbeingofourcommunity.
FromSeptember-February2024,CommunityResourcesforChildrenreceived1,102requestsforchildcare referrals.ThesearefamiliesinNapaCountywho,at thetime,werelookingforchildcarebecausetheyneededto work,wereseeking employmentorwerepursuingtheireducation.Oftheserequests,497 wererequestsfor childcareforinfants.Ourcommunityonlyhas
1 licensed childcare slot for every 10 infants
whoneedcare.Infact,
asofthismonth,
only 6 infant slots are vacant in our entire County
.Ourcommunitydesperatelyneedsmore
infantslots.LePetitElephantNurseryandPre-schoolisan existingandsuccessfulchildcarebusinessinthe Cityof Napa,and their newsiteat15Chapel HillDr.willprovideasolutiontoworkingparentswhoarecurrentlyunable tofindchildcare.Manyoftheseparentscannotfindinfantcareandoftendropoutoftheworkforceorthefamily movesaway.Inthenewproposedsite,LePetit Elephantwillincreasetheirinfantcapacitybyat least25 slotsand theirpreschoolcapacityby40+slots.ThisisanopportunityfortheCityofNapatomakeasignificantdentinthe childcaresupplyofourcommunity,allowingworkingfamiliestocontinuetowork. Working familiesinour communityincludenursesatlocalhospitals,teacherswhoareeducatingourchildren,firstresponderswhorisk theirlivesduringdisasters,and manymoreessentialprofessions.
Furthermore,childreninhighqualitychildcaresettingsdevelopbettersocial,emotionalandcognitiveskills necessary for school. A child’s experience in a
high-qualitychildcaresettingduringthefirstyearsoflifecanensure thatthechildisontracktomeetdevelopmentalmilestonesand/orthatthechildreceivesearlyinterventionwhen needed.
CommunityResources forChildrenfirmlysupportstheexpansionoftheexisting supplyofchildcareslotsinNapa County,particularlythosethatserveinfants.Doingsowouldallowparentstoworkandchildrentothrive, protectingthesocialandeconomicwellbeingofourchildrenandfamilieswhileensuring thehealthand sustainabilityofoureconomy.
Sincerely,
ErikaLubensky
ExecutiveDirector
OnbehalfofCommunityResourcesforChildren
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Owen McAdams < >
Sent:
Monday, March 18, 2024 3:02 PM
To:
Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
Subject:
LPE
[You don't o en get email from Learn why this is important at h ps://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIden fica on ]
[EXTERNAL]
Good a ernoon , I am wri ng in regards to LPE daycares current request for a permit to expand their ability to provide child care services in Napa. I have had the good fortune of having two children parents LPE, and the quality of care and instruc on they have received has been excellent.
As a small business owner I have always appreciated the consistent and professional service LPE has provided.
Before enrolling our son at LPE, we were placed on 3 separate wait list at various day care facili es. The uncertainty of having care for our child weighed heavily on my wife and I, and limited our search for employement and business expansion , as we wer
e uncertain of the me constraints we faced while being the sole op on to watch our children. The need for quality care is obvious, the desire abundant. Milli Pintasci and LPE bring a much needed service to the Napa valley and permi ng their expansion would be a wonderful move.
Thank you
Owen McAdams
Sent from my iPhone
ATTACHMENT 3
Napa Planning Commission
Care Of:
Angela Alvarez
-
Cendejas
March 14, 2024
Dear Planning Commission,
Our daughter is a current student at LPE and we strongly support LPE’s proposed project at 15 Chapel Hill Drive.
When we found out we were expecting our daughter,
we
immediately began researching
childcare
options. My husband and I both planned to continue working after she was born, and we had no family in the area.
We
found only one professional option in Napa that would accept infants, LPE. We immediately joined the wait list, 6 months before she was even born, because we had no other local
option if she did not get in.
Our daughter
started at LPE at
just
3 months old
.
I’m very thankful we
have had access to consistent
,
high
-
quality
childcare ever since.
Having reliable and affordable childcare is imperative to the success of
the entire community. It has allowed both myself and my husband to continue our careers and our life in
Napa.
We urge the planning committee to approve this project
and allow LPE to continue serving the
community.
Sincerely,
ATTACHMENT 3
Napa Planning Commission
Care of Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
[email protected]
Re: Project #
PL23-0159
March 16, 2024
I am writing in support of LPE childcare center moving to the property located at 15 Chapel Hill Drive in Alta Heights. This proposal ensures a continuation of high quality child care for the current children enrolled at LPE and also expands daycare options for other families. As you are aware, there is a shortage of high quality childcare options available in Napa County. Most current options for full day childcare have waiting lists.
This is an opportunity for Napa to invest in its children. Research shows that activities like reading to a child, providing opportunities for problem-solving, and fostering curiosity are critical to brain development. Research by Dana Suskind, MD and others has shown that there is a gap between children from lower income families and readiness for learning upon entering kindergarten. Some of this research shows that children who are not exposed to stimulating activities, such as being read to, cooperative play, and fostering curiosity, enter kindergarten having heard up to a million fewer words than their peers. The expansion of high quality and affordable child care provides an opportunity to level the playing field for all children in Napa.
The expansion of LPE to the larger space at 15 Chapel Hill Drive also helps the workforce in Napa. Parents whose children are safely and thoughtfully cared for are more productive and available members of the workforce. This in turn helps businesses to be able to hire the staff they need to operate.
As grandparents of a LPE student, I appreciate your thoughtful consideration of this proposal.
Best,
Susan and T om Merrell
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
John Millea < >
Sent:
Monday, March 18, 2024 11:38 AM
To:
Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
Subject:
Use Permit Application - Le Petit Elephant, 15 Chapel Hill Drive [EXTERNAL]
To: City of Napa Planning Commission
C/O: Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
[email protected]
Subject: Use Permit Application - Le Petit Elephant, 15 Chapel Hill Drive
We write in support of permitting Le Petit Elephant (LPE) daycare to relocate to 15 Chapel Hill Drive.
We moved to Napa in 2015, our two children were born in Napa, and they both attend LPE. We both work full time and do not have any family members in the state. LPE has been a blessing for our family and careers. Many others in Napa are not as lucky.
Childcare options in Napa are sparse and expensive. The joy of expecting a new baby is met with the panic we face to find reliable and safe childcare. By approving this relocation you will allow LPE to expand its needed services to more Napa residents and allow more parents to have careers.
There will always be residents saying 'not in my backyard' to new projects, and there are often good-faith traffic concerns to such projects. But a daycare is not an industrial site or an airport or a casino and children are not a nuisance; children are an essential part of a thriving community and caring for them is important. If the project is shown to be feasible and safe then we hope it will be approved.
Thank you for your consideration,
John Millea & Allison Hinko
You don't often get email from
Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Gabi Moutzouris < >
Sent:
Saturday, March 16, 2024 10:50 AM
To:
Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
Subject:
Le Petit Elephant Nursery Parent Letter
Categories:
Unverified Contact
[EXTERNAL]
Hello,
My name is Gabriella Moutzouris and I am writing on behalf of Le Petit Elephant Nursery and Preschool.
My daughter, Gigi, currently attends LPE and is in the preschool program.
I just wanted to express how important LPE has been for my family. My husband and I are teachers in local school districts in the area. We
have two children that have attended LPE since 2019. When I had to return to work after my maternity leave was over, LPE had early childcare for my one year old. If LPE was not available, I would not have been able to return to work at a teacher. It is extremely difficult to find childcare for children under two in Napa.
Returning to work is never an easy decision for a mother. LPE offers a safe, nurturing environment for our children to be in. LPE has brought families together and been a very positive thing for local families here in Napa. My oldest daughter is now Kindergarten and truly enjoys school. I know that a lot of that has to do with the fact she attended LPE during her formative years.
I am worried about the lack of options for families who have children and need childcare in Napa. I personally know teachers that are hesitant to have children because of this. As a teacher, I am worried about the effects this will have on our community as well.
Thank you for taking the time to read this letter.
Gabriella Moutzouris
You don't often get email from
Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Judith Myers < >
Sent:
Friday, March 22, 2024 5:34 PM
To:
Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
Subject:
For Planning Commission Public Hearing 4/4/24
[EXTERNAL]
City of Napa Planning Commission
Napa City Planning Division
1600 First Street
Napa, CA 94559
Dear Commissioners,
Regarding the application by Le Petit Elephant Nursery and Preschool at the proposed site of 15 Chapel Hill Drive, I would like to urge the approval of the proposal that will be the subject of the public hearing on Thursday April 4th and hope that this letter can be read into the record.
As the past president of the Board of Directors of COPE Family Center and as an active member of the Napa community, I cannot underscore enough the dire need for child care in this county and in the city of Napa specifically. The public benefit of allowing Le Petit Elephant to relocate to Alta Heights and add at least 25 more infant slots and 40 more preschool slots is huge: there are currently only 2 license d infant centers in all
of Napa and far too few licensed child care providers. Indeed, less than two-thirds of Napa families looking for child care over the past six months have been able to find quality care. Lack of child care is a leading factor in unemployment, eviction, and family stress.
The site at 15 Chapel Hill Drive, previously home to a well maintained church in a lovely residential neighborhood, has excess land and abundant parking.The addition of a much needed and firmly established Napa enterprise at this location would provide a benefit to the neighborhood as well as the entire community, and I urge the Planning Commission’s approval of this valuable community resource.
Thank you for your due diligence on this important application.
Sincerely,
Judith Myers
Napa, CA 94558
You don't often get email from
Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Monica Naman < >
Sent:
Friday, March 15, 2024 3:34 PM
To:
Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
Subject:
Support for Le Petit Elephant Preschool’s Use Permit Application - April 4, 2024 [EXTERNAL]
To: Napa Planning Commission
Dear Commissioners,
I am writing to express my strong support for
Le Petit Elephant Nursery and Preschool
and their
application for a use permit. As a parent whose children have attended this wonderful preschool, I have witnessed firsthand the positive impact it has had on my family and our community.
Reliable childcare
is not just a convenience; it is a lifeline for working parents like myself. Having access to a high-quality preschool like Le Petit Elephant has been critical for both my family life and my career. When I was commuting five days a week from Napa to San Francisco, there were two mornings a week when I could not get to the Vallejo ferry in time to make it to my job with Le Petit Elephant's normal hours. After speaking with Milli and explaining my situation, Le Petit Elephant opened its doors 15 minutes early on those two mornings just for my toddler, Quinn. Quinn would help the staff turn on lights and get ready for the day in advance of her classmates arriving.
Here are a few additional reasons why I believe supporting this preschool is essential:
1. Quality Early Education
: Le Petit Elephant follows an outdoor-based, play-based approach that combines elements from the Reggio-Emilia Approach, the Waldorf philosophy, and RIE (Respectful Infant Educarers).
This thoughtful combination fosters a love of learning in children and prepares them for future success in school and life.
2. Nurturing Environment
: The warm, safe, and supportive environment at Le Petit Elephant encourages children to explore, learn, and grow. Their organic garden, music sessions, and focus on green living are part of a holistic educational experience.
3. Community Impact
: High-quality early childhood education benefits not only individual families but also our entire community. It narrows the achievement gap, fosters social and emotional development, and sets children on a path toward lifelong success. Milli Pintacsi is herself a Napa resident and parent of three school-aged children -- she is fully invested in this community.
In conclusion, I urge the Napa City Planning Commission to approve Le Petit Elephant’s permit application for its new location. By doing so, you will help invest in our children’s future, strengthen our community, and support hardworking local parents.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
You don't often get email from
Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
2 Sincerely,
Monica Naman
Napa, CA 94558
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Robbie Paras < >
Sent:
Sunday, March 17, 2024 5:49 PM
To:
Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
Cc:
Miguel Kaminski
Subject:
Le Petit Elephant
Categories:
Unverified Contact
[EXTERNAL]
To Whom It May Concern,
This letter is in support of the Le Petit Elephant's application to remain a childcare center in Alta Heights. Our four-year-old son is a current student at LPE and has been there for almost two years.
We chose LPE after moving to the area because it is the only childcare option we found that matched our values: a key focus on the child's creativity, independence, and holistic development; supportive, caring, and educated teachers; and the idea that it takes a village to raise happy, healthy children. We have been very lucky in finding LPE. As parents who work full time, LPE has allowed us to find reliable, quality child care for our child and continually provides us with peace of mind.
Prior to LPE, we had enrolled our son at a different childcare facility which, on the surface, seemed adequate. But after only a few weeks, it was clear that the facility was run firstly as a business. There was constant staff turnover, and it lacked a sense of care and community. Our son would come home somber at best, and on some days, miserable and crying. LPE is the opposite of that -- Milli Pintacsi has built a place that truly prioritizes what's best for the child's development. From the pedagogical c
urriculum that's aligned with early childhood health and development, to her thoughtful approach to hiring and retaining her teachers (by providing opportunities for them to feel valued, treating them with respect, and providing them with adequate benefits and compensation), and the way that she engages with parents and caregivers (always helpful, communicative, and transparent), it's clear that she is in this for the love of children first.
The city of Napa is lucky to have such a fantastic infant and childcare center like LPE as part of its community. Even families who don't have children at LPE benefit from LPE's events that are sometimes open to the public, as well as Millli's efforts to promote local businesses by giving parents "date nights" to enjoy dinner or drinks out. It would be a huge blow to the community to lose LPE.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Robbie Paras and Miguel Kaminski
You don't often get email from
Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Mayra Espinoza
From:
Angela Peatman
Sent:
Thursday, March 28, 2024 12:23 PM
To:
PlanningCommission
Subject:
Agenda Item: PL-23-0159 LPE In Favor
[EXTERNAL]
Dear Commissioners:
I am writing in support of the above agenda item scheduled for April 4, 2024. As a former member of the Board of Directors of Cope Family Center,
and a former member of the Board of Puertas Abiertas Community Resource Center, I am acutely aware of the need for quality infant and child care in the Napa
Valley. The Le Petit Elephant Preschool and Child Development Center proposal to locate at 15 Chapel Hill Drive in Napa (the former LDS Church campus)
is a very appropriate use for the property and would solve the shortage of Napa child care facilities.
I am a second generation resident of Montecito Boulevard, now in my home for 34 years.
I see no conflict between
neighbors and the planned child
care project. The possible increased tra ic in the area is not a great concern. There is an elementary school nearby which has caused no problems over its
many years of operation. The area would only be enhanced by adding a community friendly business with minimal noise and a sincere goal of improving
the lives of countless citizens’ families and children.
Sincerely, Angela Peatman
Angela Peatman
Napa, CA 94559
You don't often get email from
Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
DYD D 3 W L
1DSD
EM FW SSR W IR / 3 WLW O S D W LO FD DFLOLW 5 ORFDWLR ' D 3OD L RPPL LR
, RS W L O WW IL R L RR DOW D L SL LW , DP LWL WR S P W R SSR W IR / 3 WLW O S D W LO FD DFLOLW D W L SFRPL PRY WR D ORFDWLR D FR F FLWL D D SD W , E OL Y W DW T DOLW F LO FD YLF D WLDO IR W OO E L D Y ORSP W RI R F LO D , DP FR IL W W DW W ORFDWLR RI / 3 WLW O S D W LOO DWO E ILW R FRPP LW
/ 3 WLW O S D W D E D W W D S WDEO F LO FD IDFLOLW L R D D IR PD D 7 L FRPPLWP W WR S RYL L D DI W L D FDWLR DO YL R P W IR F LO D D W P W S FW D D PL DWLR RI SD W D FD LY DOLN 7 IDFLOLW LFDW WDII P PE R DERY D E R WR W DW DF F LO F LY W DWW WLR D FD W Y IR W L W L R W D S SD L W P IR I W FF 2 W D RO D E W I RP PR W , D LWLR DY R R W D W DW LOO WD W L W : DY I OO W W W DW 0LOOL 3L WDF L D LFDW WDII FD IR R F LO M W OLN W L R 7 FL LR WR ORFDW / 3 WLW O S D W WR D PR SDFLR ORFDWLR L D W WDP W WR W L FRPPLWP W WR FR WL R LPS RY P W 7 L PRY LOO DOOR W P WR SD W L FDSDFLW D Y D OD PE RI IDPLOL L R FRPP LW S RYL L D LWLR DO SRW IR F LO L RI T DOLW F LO FD / 3 WLW O S D W LOO OS DOO YLDW W R L PD IR F YLF L W DW R NL SD W DY DFF WR OLDEO D W W R W FD IR W L F LO W PR W ORFDWLR RI / 3 WLW O S D W LOO RII D F IDFLOLWL D R F DEOL W P WR S RYL D Y L WD D RI FD :LW OD SOD D D S DW O D L PDW LDO D LPS RY DI W P D W IDFLOLW LOO F DW D YL R P W W DW S RPRW SOR DWLR F DWLYLW D RFLDO L W DFWLR DPR W F LO 7 L L Y WP W L R F LO D O FDWLR LOO R EW O DY D SR LWLY D OD WL LPSDFW R W L I W Y ORSP W , NL O T W R SSR W L D YRFDWL IR W FF I O ORFDWLR RI / 3 WLW O S D W LO FD DFLOLW R R P W RI W L PRY LOO FD L LILFD W L W D OS W DW W F D S PLW D DSS RYDO D REWDL L D WLP O PD SSR WL W R W D SD LR RI / 3 WLW O S D W R LOO E F DPSLR L W OO E L RI R FRPP LW F LO D SSR WL R NL IDPLOL R O R T DOLW F LO FD YLF 7 D N R IR R DWW WLR WR W L PDWW , DP FR IL W W DW LW R SSR W / 3 WLW O S D W ORFDWLR LOO E D R L FF E ILWL R FRPP LW D W F LO LW Y , R O E DW I O IR D S DW R DFWLR R WDN D L W L L 3O D R RW LWDW WR FR WDFW P LI R T L D I W L IR PDWLR R LI , FD E RI D L WD F L D D , DSS FLDW R LFDWLR WR R FRPP LW D R FRPPLWP W WR LPS RYL W OLY RI LW L W
R L F O
DYD D D 5 PL 3 W L
ATTACHMENT 3
Brandon Quackenbush & Kathryn Bousquet
Napa County Planning Commission
c/o Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
1195 Third Street, Suite 210
Napa, CA 94559
Dear Commission,
I am writing to express my enthusiastic support for the approval of Le Petit Elephant Nursery and Preschool’s (LPE) use permit application for 15 Chapel Hill Drive in Napa. As a member of our community, I firmly believe that accessible and high-quality childcare services are essential for the well-being of families and the overall development of our children.
Our son, Ethan, has been attending LPE for 1.5 years. When first looking for childcare options in Napa County, we joined multiple waitlists 9 months in advance of needing care. We were lucky that our first choice, LPE, had a part-time opening and 6 months later offered us a full-time position. Ethan has flourished at Le Petit Elephant. He loves his classmates and teachers, and we love how enriching the environment is for his development.
Here are some reasons why I believe the relocation and expansion of LPE is crucial:
1. Meeting the Demand
: Napa County lacks a sufficient amount of high-quality childcare centers. Families often struggle to find suitable care for their children while they work or pursue education. If this permit is approved, LPE would be able to increase their offerings.
2. Early Childhood Education
: A well-designed childcare center provides more than just supervision; it offers early childhood education. High-quality programs enhance cognitive, social, and emotional development, setting the foundation for lifelong learning.
3. Supporting Working Parents
: Working parents face immense challenges in balancing
their professional responsibilities with childcare. A conveniently located center would alleviate this burden, allowing parents to focus on their work while knowing their children are in safe hands.
4. Community Building
: Childcare centers foster a sense of community. Parents connect with each other, share experiences, and build lasting relationships. Children learn to interact with peers from diverse backgrounds, promoting social harmony.
5. Economic Impact
: A well-functioning childcare center positively impacts the local economy. It enables parents to participate in the workforce, contributing to productivity and economic growth.
Thank you for your commitment to improving the lives of Napa’s children and families.
Sincerely,
Brandon Quackenbush, Kathryn Bousquet, & Ethan Quackenbush ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Toni Rasavong
Sent:
Monday, March 18, 2024 5:22 PM
To:
Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
Subject:
City Planning Department Meeting: Le Petit Elephant Nursery and Preschool Categories:
Unverified Contact
[EXTERNAL]
Hello Angela and members of the City Planning Department,
I am writing to share my experience and advocate for Le Petit Elephant Nursery and Preschool (LPE) within our community. I don't just see LPE as an institution; they enrich lives and enhance the fabric of our community in profound ways. LPE is more than just a childcare facility; it is a cornerstone for nurturing our youngest citizens and fostering a sense of community spirit.
Early Childhood Development:
LPE provides a nurturing environment where children can flourish emotionally, socially, and cognitively. As a parent, having access to high-quality early childhood education is invaluable. It lays the foundation for lifelong learning and development, setting our children on a trajectory for success.
Convenience and Accessibility:
LPE offers convenient access to childcare services for working parents like me. The proximity of the facility helps reduce commute times and alleviate the stress associated with balancing work and childcare responsibilities. Additionally, by catering to families within our community, they contribute to a more inclusive and supportive environment for all residents.
Community Engagement:
Le Petit Elephant serves as more than just a place for children; it is a hub for community engagement. Through events such as working in the garden, Halloween parades, and cultural celebrations such as Lunar New Year and St. Patrick's Day, they foster connections among families and promote a sense of belonging. By actively involving parents in their children's education, LPE strengthens family bonds and creates a supportive network for caregivers.
Economic Growth:
Investing in early childhood education is not only beneficial for families but also for the local economy as a whole. By enabling parents to participate in the workforce, Le Petit Elephant will contribute to increased productivity and economic growth. Moreover, as a reputable institution, it will attract families to our community, boosting demand for local goods and services.
Educational Excellence:
LPE prioritizes educational excellence, employing qualified educators and implementing evidence-based teaching methods. By offering a curriculum that emphasizes holistic development, including academics, social skills, and creative expression, they prepare children for future academic success and equip them with the skills needed to thrive in an ever-changing world.
In conclusion, Le Petit Elephant Nursery and Preschool brings immense value to my life as a parent and to our community as a whole. I am deeply invested in the well-being and future success of my child and I
You don't often get email from
Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
2 have come to understand the profound impact that early education is having on his development. We are preparing my little one for academic achievement (LPE supports reading and there is a borrowed book library on site), nurturing his curiosity (playing outside and with educational toys are highly encouraged), fostering his resilience (children at the appropriate are taught to carry their own water/milk bottle, and taught how to put on their shoes themselves), and empowering him to become a compassionate and confident individual who is ready to embrace the challenges and opportunities of the world (when my little one falls down, hugs and cuddles are given but he is encouraged to get back up and play).
Witnessing the transformative growth my child has had from when he started at LPE when he was just 6 mos to now, almost 2 1/2 years old, reaffirms my belief that it takes a village to raise a child. LPE is part of my village and a village for many parents.
Thank you,
Toni Rasavong
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Erin M. First < >
Sent:
Thursday, March 14, 2024 11:36 AM
To:
Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
Cc:
James A Rosen
Subject:
Re: Le Petit Elephant at 15 Chapel Hill Drive
[EXTERNAL]
Dear Ms. Alvarez-Cendejas,
I'm writing in support of the proposed site for Le Petit Elephant at 15 Chapel Hill Drive. My daughter is about to turn two, and has been attending LPE since she was four months old. LPE has provided a vital lifeline that has allowed my husband and I to remain in the workforce, while also providing an incredible community and important social and education engagement for our daughter.
The reality is that parents in Napa Valley are in a childcare crisis. There is only one childcare spot for every four children in the county, and most are for the ages 2 and over.
The lack of availability and cost of
childcare prevents parents like us from staying in the workforces so important to the local economy, and contributes longer-term to a lower birth rate and declining enrollment in our local school district.
Napa County is aging, and not allowing successful childcare facilities like LPE to expand to meet the demand prevents families (and their tax dollars) from staying in Napa Valley. I understand there is pushback from the surrounding community, with concerns regarding traffic, safety and other potential nuisances if LPE were to relocate to this site. I believe that LPE can address concerns around traffic and safety as effectively on 15 Chapel Hill as it has at its current location on Laurel Street.
I hope you'll join me in supporting the next generation of Napa natives by supporting this petition.
Best regards,
Erin & James Rosen
Napa, CA 94559
You don't often get email from
Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
Dear Office of the Planning Commission care of Angela Alvarez-Cendejas,
I, Brenae Royal and on behalf of my partner Joseph Paire, are wri ng to express our adora on and excitement for our son King being able to a end Le Pe te Elephant. We found LPE literally 2 days before the end of 2023, when I was a week away from returning to work and not having our nanny. Back. I was told about LPE soon a er King was born in April 2023, and at the me was adjus ng to being a new mom. My original plan to was jump back into work at 8-week postpartum and then 3 weeks later, go back on leave. That didn’t happen and next thing I know, I’m opera ng in my new role as a North Coast Opera ons Manager (a promo on I received 5 days before King was born) and a two-month baby going to work with me. When King was 5 months old, I was diagnosed with pp depression. We ended up finding a nanny for $1k a week for only 3 days of coverage each week. It was quite expensive, even though she was amazing.
Fast forward to post-harvest and we lose our nanny to become a night nurse. While we had more money in our pockets for the holidays, the closer we got to the new year, the more uncertainty there was about our nanny being able to return. Enter Miss Milli and LPE. I reached out on a whim and a few phone calls later; I had all the paperwork I needed to get King admi ed star ng school the second week of January! The moment was huge. Having to heal myself mentally, emo onally, and physically was incredibly hard and now with King going to LPE, I had the space to do that.
LPE has been our “knight in shining armor” as new parents with full me careers. LPE offered us five- days-a-week a endance for up to 10 hours a day. That is honestly unheard of. I haven’t even go en into the amazing ra o of teachers to students (1:4)! King arrived to LPE in a huge growth period and at only a month and a half of a endance, began walking at 10.5 months old. King is thriving and being as ac ve as advanced as he is, LPE has con nued to foster his growth and social skills. Not only is our son incredibly happy and making new friends, but me, his mom, have my mind back. I have my focus back. His dad, has his mind back and clarity to strive for more as he provides for us to flourish as a young family.
LPE is affordable, fun, safe, and honestly a godsend for our family. I feel like superwoman to be able to tend to the other aspects of my life and to be able to trust leaving my son with the amazing staff. If LPE didn’t exist, I honestly don’t think we’d be able to contribute to our community as much we do. I certainly wouldn’t be in as healthy of a mental space that I’m in at this me. Milli, the staff, the school itself and true beacons of the Napa community fostering growth, diversity, financial assistance, and a safe space for our children in Napa. I implore you to strongly considering allowing the move to happen so that Milli and her team can con nue to provide these opportuni es for more families to join.
Thank you for your me! Sincerely,
Brenae Royal, Joseph Paire, and King Paire
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Eva Hernandez < >
Sent:
Friday, March 15, 2024 11:54 AM
To:
Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
Subject:
Le Petit Nursery and preschool
[EXTERNAL]
To my community, my name is Eva Rubalcava, back in 2021 I went through a divorce. I felt alone with no support from anyone. I was homeless with no job. I was emotionally, financially, mentally, spiritually broken, I felt lost. I needed to go back to school.
I started looking for daycare for both my daughters who were 12 months and 3 years old at that time. Nowhere in Napa would they take my youngest daughter because she was a baby. I stressfully continued to call daycare centers. My start date at school was May first. With little time I Prayed to find a good trusting loving caring place were my children would learn. I came across Le Petit. Spoke to Milli who with lots of love and kindness heard my story and she said to me “I don't have space now but let me see what I can do to help. I was thinking I could add one more baby to the classroom, but I will give you a call.” I prayed harder and Milli got back to me the next day with good news Lynnay and Dariana were both
accepted in Le Petit. Milli helped me so much and continues to help me. Lynnay graduated preschool ready to start kindergarten knowing her numbers and ABCs and is very social. Darina continues to attend. The teachers are great.
Without Le Petit I don't know where I would be. Without Lepetit it would be a hardship to our family, I would have to quit my job and be a burden on taxpayers. Napa needs to invest in quality child care. Milli gave me lots of hope and courage and gave me confidence that there are nice people out here that still care. The new location at Alta heights will defiantly help a lot of children including mine. Please let the Alta heights daycare center project continue, and this center may be a center of trust which is hard to find these days, love, joy and learning for our generations. God bless. Thank you. With all our heart Eva ,Dariana and Lynnay .
You don't often get email from
Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Marisol Ruiz < >
Sent:
Monday, March 18, 2024 10:00 PM
To:
Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
Subject:
Le Petit Elephant Nursery and Preschool
[You don't o en get email from Learn why this is important at h ps://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIden fica on ]
[EXTERNAL]
To Whom It May Concern,
I hope this message finds you well. I am wri ng to draw your a en on to the importance of reliable childcare for working parents. As a single parent, I have been ac vely seeking high-quality childcare op ons to ensure the safety and well-being of my daughter. I feel fortunate to have found Le Pe t Elephant Nursery and Preschool, which has provided excellent care for my daughter.
The opera ng hours of LPE are ideal for my current job schedule, and losing this care for my daughter would have a significant impact on my family both financially and emo onally. I am grateful for the excep onal staff at LPE who have created a loving environment that has allowed my daughter to excel in her development. Their friendly and a en ve care has led to a remarkable improvement in her performance and overall development since enrolling her at LPE.
Every day, my daughter wakes up excited to a end "school," as she calls it, and returns home happy and content. It brings me immense relief to leave my daughter in a place where she feels happy and loved.
Thank you for your me and a en on to this ma er.
Sincerely,
Marisol Ruiz
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Alice Salles < >
Sent:
Friday, March 15, 2024 1:14 PM
To:
Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
Cc:
Tim Salles
Subject:
Le Petit Elephant at 15 Chapel Hill Drive
[EXTERNAL]
Dear Ms. Alvarez-Cendejas,
I'm writing in support of the proposed site for Le Petit Elephant at 15 Chapel Hill Drive. My daughter is currently two, and has been attending LPE since she was six months old. LPE has provided a vital lifeline that has allowed my husband and I to remain in the workforce, while also providing an incredible community and important social and education engagement for our daughter.
As a local school teacher in the district we are also seeing the impacts of declining enrollment in our school system which is directly related to the lack of and affordability of resources for parents in Napa. The reality is that parents in Napa Valley are in a childcare crisis. There is only one childcare spot for every four children in the county, and most are for the ages 2 and over. The lack of availability and cost of childcare prevents parents like us from staying in the workforces so important to the local economy, and contributes longer-term to a lower birth rate and declining enrollment in our local school district. LPE is one of the few Child Care Facilities that provides infant care which is one of the only reasons I was able to return to my teaching career because hiring a nanny would have consumed my entire paycheck, making it pointless to return and unaffordable to live in Napa.
Napa County is aging, and not allowing successful childcare facilities like LPE to expand to meet the demand of local young families prevents families like mine (and their tax dollars) from staying in Napa Valley. There is a general complaint that Napa is
no longer the small town community it used to be, I hear it from my students' parents all the time, the reason it is no longer that small community feeling is because there is a lack of resources for families who want to stay and raise their families here. We also need to consider who will be taking care of the aging population in Napa, and continue to be the workforce in our community. I understand there is pushback from the surrounding community, with concerns regarding traffic, safety and other potential nuisances if LPE were to relocate to this site. I believe that LPE can address concerns around traffic and safety as effectively on 15 Chapel Hill as it has at its current location on Laurel Street.
I hope you'll join me in supporting the next generation of Napa natives by supporting this petition.
Best regards,
Alice & Tim Salles
Napa, CA 94558
You don't often get email from
Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Tyler S. < >
Sent:
Thursday, March 14, 2024 2:47 PM
To:
Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
Subject:
LPE
[EXTERNAL]
Hi Angela,
My wife and I looked for some time before finding LPE for our daughter's child care, where she currently attends. She actually was somewhere else prior, so we could recognize the superior organization, care and attention given to the little ones at LPE. She always feels safe and stimulated. As physicians, we need reliable child care to do our jobs here in the community of Napa. We hope you can support high-quality child care here in Napa by helping them find the right long-term home. We wouldn't be able to take care of our community without it, and our daughter will be a better growing member of our town because of it.
Thanks,
Tyler Street
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Florie Tangen < >
Sent:
Monday, March 18, 2024 8:56 AM
To:
Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
Subject:
LPE Application
[You don't o en get email from Learn why this is important at h ps://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIden fica on ]
[EXTERNAL]
To: Planning Commission c/o Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
Our son currently a ends LPE. We were in dire need of childcare in early 2023 and were having a hard me finding a quality preschool that we could afford. Thankfully there was a spot available at LPE. Milli has been very kind and worked with our unique situa on. This has enabled Cameron to con nue working full me so that Florence can work part me to take her of her elderly mother. We hope that the city will consider how much affordable, quality childcare is needed by its residents and that Milli and the community can come to an agreement that will sa sfy this need.
Sincerely,
Cameron & Florence Tangen
Sent from my iPhone
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
JT Taylor < >
Sent:
Sunday, March 17, 2024 7:31 PM
To:
Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
Cc:
Mary Stump
Subject:
LPE Use Permit Support Letter to Angela Alvarez-Cendejas Categories:
Unverified Contact
[EXTERNAL]
Dear Angela Alvarez-Cendejas,
Two years ago, my wife and I were in our mid 30s, finally getting established in our careers, and we were first- time homeowners. She is an assistant winemaker who settled here after a career in other wine industries across the West Coast. I am a land survey technician who has surveyed and mapped hundreds of Napa County businesses and residences. We met in High School in the South Bay many years ago, and finally settled here in Napa because of all the wonderful opportunities this community provided. It was here in Napa that we finally felt comfortable enough financially and socially to finally start a family after 16 years together as a couple.
Our daughter was born almost exactly a year ago, on April 5th, 2023, at Queen of the Valley.
I ended up being
the stay-at-home parent for her first 4 months of life, while my wife worked long hours managing a cellar crew at a startup winery. This was the hardest job I’ve ever worked in my life! As Harvest approached, we knew it was only going to get harder; not only was my wife working 12-14 hour days, 6 days a week while I was home alone with our infant, my wife was also pumping breast milk 8 times a day to keep our daughter fed. I was on night shift and day shift so my wife had the energy she needed to go to work. The baby slept well, but at that age still needed many interactions at all hours to stay fed and dry. Even at that young age our daughter demanded constant stimulation and new experiences, which became harder and harder to provide as a single adult struggling just to stay awake during the day. Needless to say, we were all EXHAUSTED.
Luckily for us, we had an ace in the hole: 2 days a week of childcare provided by Le Petit Elephant. We were lucky; my wife had been following Milli’s business since she established it many years ago because she and Milli’s husband graduated from the same program at UC Davis many years ago. So when we knew we were expecting, we reached out and Milli was able to get us on the waitlist - which thankfully panned out for us just in the nick of time! Our daughter started with 2 days a week at LPE, and it was a LIFE SAVER! I could finally get time to sleep, even if it was only twice every 7 days. I could actually dedicate time to cleaning and maintaining our home (oh, to experience the luxury of freshly-changed bed sheets again!). From August to December, the 10-hours per day of daycare at LPE provided my wife and I with a much-needed regeneration, but it also provided our daughter with the stimulation and socialization she desperately needed. As soon as she started daycare, we could see just how much she was enjoy ing time with other little friends, as well as with
the adults who cared for her. Even just 2 days a week was enough to notice dramatic changes in how fast she was picking up skills from the other children. To put it another way: SHE LOVED DAYCARE AT LPE!
This experience was so great for her, and us, that at the end of last year we decided to start sending her to preschool full-time in 2024, and that has been one of the best decisions we have ever made as parents.
Because of LPE, I have felt comfortable enough with her care that I could go back to work full time starting this past January. But daycare at LPE has also helped our family in other ways. As any mother could tell you, the feelings of mommy-guilt one feels when not being with their little one are significant and painful, and my wife was not immune to these pressures. She sorely missed spending time during the days with her daughter, and
You don't often get email from
Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
2 at times even expressed a little envy towards me for getting to spend time with the little one while she worked.
However, as soon as she saw just how much enjoyment our daughter got out of her days at LPE, all of that guilt dissipated instantly. We have had multiple conversations regarding just how comfortable we are with our decision to send our daughter to preschool, because it's clear to both of us just how positively impactful it has been for her development. To put it simply, we are overjoyed with how amazing LPE has been for our daughter, and us by extension.
If we hadn’t had access to this level of childcare here in Napa, I don’t know what we would have done. Neither my wife nor myself felt comfortable leaving our firstborn child in an at-home daycare, so knowing there was a professional and licensed childcare facility that catered to children as young as our daughter was extremely reassuring. Le Petit Elephant has truly been a lifesaver, and we would be devastated if anything challenged their continued operation. Quality child care that we can trust is so important to us, and knowing Napa had such a wonderful program available absolutely contributed to our plans to stay here in the city. If LPE were forced to close or relocate outside the city, we would not only be devastated, but we would have to consider moving somewhere that could provide a similar level of childcare in our community, since to us, our daughter’s needs come first. Not only that, but we hope that Napa can continue to support other child care facilities in the future so that many of our friends can have access to equal opportunities for their children, or to help them decide if they even can have children - since everyone we know our age is all but required to work two full- time
jobs just to make ends meet. As much as we love LPE, we are well aware that they are also at their capacity and long waitlists are a reality of daycares across the state - anything that can be done to alleviate these waitlists would go a long way in encouraging more of our friends to start families of their own here in this community.
Thank you SO MUCH for advocating for additional access to childcare across Napa, and for fighting to help LPE find a suitable forever home. All of these wonderful children deserve quality access to childcare of the caliber provided by Le Petit Elephant, and the more that we can establish places like this across the county, the better off young families will be.
Sincerely,
JT Taylor & Mary Stump, father and Mother of Alice, age 1
Napa CA 94558
(
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Florie Tangen < >
Sent:
Monday, March 18, 2024 8:56 AM
To:
Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
Subject:
LPE Application
[You don't o en get email from Learn why this is important at h ps://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIden fica on ]
[EXTERNAL]
To: Planning Commission c/o Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
Our son currently a ends LPE. We were in dire need of childcare in early 2023 and were having a hard me finding a quality preschool that we could afford. Thankfully there was a spot available at LPE. Milli has been very kind and worked with our unique situa on. This has enabled Cameron to con nue working full me so that Florence can work part me to take her of her elderly mother. We hope that the city will consider how much affordable, quality childcare is needed by its residents and that Milli and the community can come to an agreement that will sa sfy this need.
Sincerely,
Cameron & Florence Tangen
Sent from my iPhone
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Mariah Valle < >
Sent:
Monday, March 18, 2024 8:55 PM
To:
Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
Subject:
Planning Commission LPE
You don't o en get email from Learn why this is important <h ps://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIden fica on>
[EXTERNAL]
Dear Planning Comission (Angela Alvarez-Cendejas),
My name is Mariah Valle and I am a pre-nursing student at Napa Valley College. My children a end Le Pe t Elephant Nursery and Preschool so I am able to con nue my studies and pursue my career as a nurse. Having reliable childcare is cri cal for my husband and I to work and support our family. Finding a high quality childcare that was affordable and trus ng was not the easiest to find in Napa. Inves ng in quality childcare would do the locals of Napa Valley a great deal of confidence and a weight li ed off their shoulders.
Sincerely,
Mariah Valle
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Stacy Wells
Sent:
Monday, March 18, 2024 11:41 AM
To:
Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
Subject:
LPE School
[You don't o en get email from Learn why this is important at h ps://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIden fica on ]
[EXTERNAL]
Good morning,
I am wri ng on behalf of our family here in Napa. Our li le grandson is now a fi h genera on Napa born child.
We have been in this valley for many genera ons and have been business owners. This is our home and will con nue to be for his family as well.
A er having raised our families here, and now, our grandson, I cannot tell you how important it is, that families in this community have a safe preschool to send their children. There is a serious lack of childcare in this city.
La pe te elephant provides a very vital and quality Educa on and care facility for the most important of our ci zens, our infant and young children.
I urge this office and the commi ees involved to please approve what is a vital and necessary part of this community.
Please feel free to reach out to us for any ques ons And please know that we will con nue to be very vocal about ge ng the school approved.
Regards,
The Woodrow Weinert Family
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Katy Wilson < >
Sent:
Saturday, March 16, 2024 11:14 AM
To:
Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
Subject:
LPE
Categories:
Unverified Contact
[EXTERNAL]
Hello Angela-
My name is Katy Wilson. I am a winemaker who lives in Napa and my daughter has been attending LPE for a year and a half. I do not know where we would be if we did not have LPE. There are very few locations in Napa that take in infants and it was nearly impossible to find in home care. Before LPE, we had my Aunt driving over two hours each way and coming to stay with us three days per week to take care of our daughter. My husband and I run our own small winery and I also work as a consultant winemaker. We are in favor of the new project and location for LPE and would absolutely continue our daughter attending through preschool/TK and into the aftercare program as well.
Thank you,
--
You don't often get email from
Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
jessica youk < >
Sent:
Saturday, March 16, 2024 4:49 AM
To:
Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
Subject:
Napa Daycare
Categories:
Unverified Contact
[EXTERNAL]
Hi Angela,
I am a parent of babies at Le Petit Elephant. It was helpful to have a daycare watch over my infant in the middle of the COVID19 pandemic so that I would able to continue to work in health care. As you know, reliable trustworthy daycare is so important for young working families and a huge source of stress when it's not available. I wish we had more support and resources in our community for our infants and growing families! I hope that in writing this email I am somehow supporting the growth of infant daycare and new family resources in our lovely community.
Sincerely,
Jessica
You don't often get email from
Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
&RXQW\([HFXWLYH2IILFH
7KLUG6WUHHW
6XLWH
1DSD&$
ZZZFRXQW\RIQDSDRUJ
0DLQ
)D[
5\DQ-$OVRS
&RXQW\([HFXWLYH2IILFHU
ϭ
$QJHOD$OYDUH]&HQGHMDV
$VVLVWDQW3ODQQHU
3ODQQLQJ'LYLVLRQ
&RPPXQLW\'HYHORSPHQW'HSDUWPHQW&LW\RI1DSD
)LUVW6WUHHW
1DSD&$
'HDU0V$OYDUH]&HQGHMDV
7KH1DSD&RXQW\%RDUGRI6XSHUYLVRUVKDVGHGLFDWHGPLOOLRQGROODUVWRFUHDWHDSRVLWLYH LPSDFWLQWKHORFDOFKLOGFDUHPDUNHWE\LQFUHDVLQJWKHVXSSO\RIFKLOGFDUHVSRWVVSHFLILFDOO\IRU SURYLGHUVRILQIDQWFKLOGFDUH7KLVOHWWHULVWRSURYLGHLQIRUPDWLRQRQWKH1DSD&RXQW\%RDUGRI 6XSHUYLVRU¶VDFWLRQVUHJDUGLQJFKLOGFDUHLQFOXGLQJIXQGLQJ/H3HWLW(OHSKDQW1XUVHU\DQG 3UHVFKRRO
1DSD&RXQW\UHFHLYHGPLOOLRQIURPWKH$PHULFDQ5HVFXH3ODQ$FW $53$
7KH%RDUGRI
6XSHUYLVRUVGLUHFWHGPLOOLRQGROODUVWRGHYHORSDFKLOGFDUHLQIUDVWUXFWXUHLQYHVWPHQW SURJUDPIRURQHWLPHFKLOGFDUHSURYLGHUH[SHQVHV7KLVSURJUDPZDVFUHDWHGDIWHU1DSD&RXQW\ FRQGXFWHGUHVHDUFKRQWKHFKLOGFDUHQHHGVRIWKHFRPPXQLW\
,Q1DSD&RXQW\KLUHGDFRQVXOWDQWWKURXJKDFRPSHWLWLYHSURFHVV8S)URQWWRFRPSOHWH WKH
1DSD&RXQW\&KLOG&DUH$VVHVVPHQW5HSRUW
7KHUHSRUWZDVLQWHQGHGWRXQGHUVWDQG
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
,Q-XQHWKH 1DSD&RXQW\%RDUGRI6XSHUYLVRUVHVWDEOLVKHGWKH&KLOGFDUH,QIUDVWUXFWXUH )RUJLYDEOH/RDQSURJUDPWRPDNHDSRVLWLYHLPSDFWRQWKHFKLOGFDUHPDUNHW 7KHSURJUDPZDV VWUXFWXUHGDVDRQHWLPHIRUJLYDEOHORDQIRUH[SHQVHVVXFKDVDFTXLULQJRUUHQRYDWLQJDIDFLOLW\ 1DSD&RXQW\UHFHLYHGDSSOLFDQWV6HYHQDSSOLFDQWVZHUHVHOHFWHGXVLQJDFRPSHWLWLYHSURFHVV WKDWSODFHGZHLJKW RQLQIDQWFKLOGFDUHVSRWV
ATTACHMENT 3
&RXQW\([HFXWLYH
7KLUG6WUHHW
6XLWH
1DSD&$
ZZZFRXQW\RIQDSDRUJ
0DLQ
)D[
5\DQ-$OVRS
&RXQW\([HFXWLYH2IILFHU
Ϯ
/H3HWLW(OHSKDQW1XUVHU\DQG3UHVFKRROE\0LOOL3LQWDFVLZDVRQHRIWKHVWURQJHVWDSSOLFDQWV /H3HWLW(OHSKDQW1XUVHU\DQG3UHVFKRRO¶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
7KH1DSD&RXQW\%RDUGRI6XSHUYLVRUVVXSSRUWVDOOVHYHQVHOHFWHGDSSOLFDQWVDQGFRQWLQXHVWR VXSSRUWWKHFKLOGFDUHSURYLGHUVWRHQVXUHWKH\DUHVXFFHVVIXOLQPHHWLQJWKLVYLWDOFRPPXQLW\ QHHG
'DQLHO6DQFKH]
6HQLRU 0DQ HPHQW$QDO\VW
1DSD&RXQW\
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Sent:
Friday, March 22, 2024 8:48 AM
To:
Planning Department
Subject:
PL23-0159 Le Petit
[EXTERNAL]
Hello,
I am a resident in Alta Heights since 2006. I live near the school on E. 1st Street. I love living here and I love sharing my neighborhood with the Elementary School. I understand that Le Petit childcare would like to start a preschool here on Chapel Hill. I am not opposed to a day care center as we are in desperate need for that in our community.
I would like to see a traffic study done for E. 1st Street.
Alta Heights Elementary School recently started doing drop off and pick-ups on E. 1st Street to control the overflow of cars going to the Montecito Entrance. I have witnessed many dangerous situations caused by the parent drop off and pick-ups due to this change.
The parents are mostly courteous, but I do see a dangerous situation with double parking, cars blocking view of kids crossing in the crosswalk, no safe walking for pedestrians to get to the cars and no enforcement of speed.
The city or NVUSD should be looking at this area as a potential hazard when we are adding cars that will be using E. 1st Street to get to the childcare center and also residents will use this street as a go around to avoid Montecito.
We need a flashing light for pedestrians at Neilsen and E 1st Street so that when kids and parents walk, they can do so safely.
We also need a speed sign posted near the blind hill when cars speed to get to Lakeview Drive.
Thank you for your time.
Angelina Schmidt
You don't often get email from
Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
Combined Letters
Opposition
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
William Allen < >
Sent:
Friday, March 8, 2024 2:56 PM
To:
Planning Department
Subject:
PL23-0159
[EXTERNAL]
As a long time resident of Chapel Hill Drive and evacuee on several occasions, please let us know how you plan to evacuate 900 kids (Le Petit, Alta Heights, and Montecito Day Care) and the rest of us in a timely manner in the inevitability of a fire.
Bill Allen
_____________________________________________________________
Allen, Shea & Associates
Certified California Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise and Small Business #0001707
www.allenshea.com
You don't often get email from
Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
JERRY ANDREWS < >
Sent:
Wednesday, March 27, 2024 9:27 AM
To:
Planning Department
Cc:
Sylvia Andrews
Subject:
PL23-0159 Le Petit
[EXTERNAL]
To Whom It May Concern:
I want to add my voice to the opposition of this venture. No-one denies the need for childcare in Napa, and under different circumstances I would wholly support the effort! We love living near Alta Heights Elementary School and hearing the children laughing and playing during the day, and a daycare would add more of the same - again something we love.
The problem is that there are only two ways for cars to get in and out of this neighborhood. As it is now, during school drop-off and pickup hours the neighborhood streets are crowded with cars trying to get in and out as quickly as they can, taking shortcuts through our neighborhood on narrow streets and dodging parked cars and pedestrians. Doubling the volume of kids and cars would gridlock our neighborhood is simply not feasible. Or safe.
In 1991 during the Oakland Hills Firestorm people burned to death in their cars - gridlocked on limited
narrow streets trying to evacuate their neighborhood. I can't help but fear a similar situation in Alta Heights during such an evacuation, with residents trying to leave, emergency responders trying to enter, and panicked parents trying to get in and find their children. And we all know that the possibility of that type of situation in Alta Heights is all too real.
The proposed daycare sounds like a wonderful addition to our city. but locating it in Alta Heights is a potentially dangerous proposition. Please do NOT approve it.
Jerry Andrews
You don't often get email from
Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Paul Aronowitz < >
Sent:
Thursday, March 28, 2024 10:38 AM
To:
Planning Department; Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
Subject:
Objection to approval of application PL23-0159--15 Chapel Hill Drive [EXTERNAL]
Dear Napa Planning Department,
I am a resident on Montecito Blvd, approximately 100 feet below the former Mormon Church at 15 Chapel Hill Drive. For several reasons I wish to lodge a strong protest against
approving this Use Permit:
1- The neighborhood residents have received minimal information about the nature of this proposed property utilization in a neighborhood which is apparently zoned for single-family residences. There was one meeting (last minute) notification for a meeting neither my wife nor I could make with the woman apparently proposing this project. In my opinion this is completely unacceptable that a non-residential property use would be pushed through with so little education or advance notification of the neighborhood affected by its presence.
2- According to neighbors who attended the meeting about the proposed meeting, the main purpose of this property use was declared to be for Day Care but then we gradually learned that there will be various other activities occurring at this site which could substantially increase both parking congestion and traffic in the neighborhood, in addition to and beyond regular day care hours, such as on weekends and in the evenings.
3- I am greatly concerned about the increased traffic in our neighborhood. We already have the Alta Heights Elementary School 2 doors down from our home. We purchased our home knowing that a school was close by but it is important to remember that we are already dealing with loud landscaping noise from the school (bush trimmers, leaf blowers, etc) as well as overhead school announcements, Friday music played over outdoor loud speakers, cars turning in our driveway, occasional cars blocking our driveway while parents wait to pick up their children, candy wrappers and other trash dropped on our property, etc. We understand the importance of this school, necessary traffic to get teachers and students to and from school and so forth, but do not support another busy venture only 2 doors above us generating even more of the same issues for our residence. It should be added that traffic flow and traffic speed is already an issue. For some reason despite a speed warning light about 300 feet above our house on Monetecito
Blvd, cars, pickup trucks, heavy duty trucks and delivery vans continue to speed up and down Montecito; a situation we fear will become worse with the addition of the usage of 15 Chapel Hill as a place of markedly increased traffic flow and parking activity.
In summary, I (and my neighbors) have been poorly informed about what is planned for 15 Chapel Hill usage and object to the approval and usage for the purposes that we have vaguely even been informed about. We also object to being sandwiched between 2 ver y busy entities (the proposed at 15 Chapel Hill,
as well the school below us.) It is simply too much and I feel it will substantially adversely affect the quality of our life as well as safety in this neighborhood. Finally, while I defer to the Planning Department about what is a "Single-Family Residential Zoning District", it seems like the proposal does not fit with
Some people who received this message don't often get email from Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
2 what we're zoned for and what we understood to be the nature of our neighborhood when we moved here 7 years ago.
Thank you for your time, attention in this matter and for reading this email of protest.
Sincerely,
Paul Aronowitz
Napa, CA 94559
ATTACHMENT 3
March 26, 2024
To :
The City of Napa Planning Commission
From :
Karin Ashford
–
Napa CA 94559
Re :
PL23
-
0159 Le Petit
Dear Members
–
I wish to voice my concern for the establishment of the Le Petit Elephant Nursery and Preschool Child Development Center at the former Mormon Church on Montecito /Chapel Hill streets in Alt Heights.
After reviewing the LePetit Use Permit Application
–
It is clear to me that this location is not
appropriate for the use proposed by LePetit. LePetit plans to operate 7 days a week, add over 250 children & students for pre and post school / parent’s work s chedule care and
Activities
–
many proposed that go far beyond Infant and Nursery Care. I am opposed to this Use Permit for issues as follows.
Use Permit
–
It is clear that LePetit plans to offer Special Events, Sports Actitities in the existing Gym, Wedding & Birthday & Holiday Celebrations Events. This creates a potential profit center for LePetit that goes far & wide beyond their stated use as
an Infant & Nursery
Development Center
-
which is what they have stated in meetings
-
and for which they Have
applied for State Grant Funds. These Activities will add additional traffic and safety issues.
Traffic and Safety Concerns
–
This petition will increase the Daily Traffic into Alta Heights to the tune of an additional 1,000 + more car trips each day –
including the weekends & all
year long with no break. Alta Heights already supports an Elementary School on the same
Monticito Street within 100 yards from this Cahpel Hill Location, and a Middle School –
both contributing already high volume of Traffic congestion to the East / Silverado Trail 5 Way intersection, and surrounding street s
–
East Ave, M
onticito, Nielsen Ave, Julian Ave,
Lakeview Ave, Bonita Ave, and on & on
–
This Location is in the Middle of a very established
Old Neighborhood, where citizens currently walk and Ride Bicycles everyday of the week.
LePetit will create a considerable Saf
tey Concern and potential Liability to the City. The
section of Monticito between East Ave and just past Chapel Hill is one of the most dangerous parts of Monticito Ave for walking, and LePetit is proposing to have that much more traffic and pedestrian Chi
ldren walking up and down that steep section
–
where there
are no sidewalks
-
putting the pedestrains into the street with the added car traffic.
I respectfully request that the Planning Commission Members issue a Denial of the LePetit Use Permit and take into consideration all the issues the residents of Alta Heights have put forward when considering future use requests for the former Mormon Church
Location
from LePetit or any other potential use requests for that property.
Thank You for your attention to this issue.
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Mayra Espinoza
From:
Sue Bachorski
Sent:
Monday, March 25, 2024 8:59 AM
To:
PlanningCommission
Subject:
Proposed childcare in Alta Heights
[EXTERNAL]
Dear planning commission,
I am writing to express my grave concern for the proposed planning agenda item Pl-23-0159 , the LPE childcare use of the former Mormon church on Chapel Hill drive in Alta Heights.
This neighborhood, specifically Montecito Blvd, on which I live, is a street which has no other exit. We have been evacuated for fire events several times-the street is already congested and adding more students and parents would be a disaster in an emergency. It would not be safe for the residents who live here now and it would not be safe for the children at the day care.
I am supportive of this idea, but not in this location. Please do not let this pass. Please consider the safety for all involved and do the right thing.
Regards,
Sue Bachorski
Sue Bachorski
Sue Bachorski
You don't often get email from
Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Doug Barnett < >
Sent:
Tuesday, March 26, 2024 9:30 AM
To:
Planning Department
Subject:
Le Petit Elephant proposal
[EXTERNAL]
I am writing to express my concern regarding the proposed Le Petit Elephant "Day Care Center" on Chapel Hill Drive in Alta Heights.
I am a 30 year resident of East Avenue. For those 30 years I have been dismayed and frustrated by the abundance of speeders on my street and the City's unwillingness to address the situation. Parents driving to and from Alta Heights Elementary School are particularly egregious violators.
If the Le Petit Elephant proposal is granted and the facility established, a conservative estimate is that more than 1100 daily car trips will be added to our residential neighborhood and, judging by the actions of those coming to Alta Heights Elementary, even more dangerous behavior is what we will have to look forward to.
With that in mind, I urge you to deny the application to Le Petit Elephant.
Thank you for your consideration of this matter.
Sincerely,
--
Doug Barnett
e
Napa, CA 94559
You don't often get email from
Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Gina Bates < >
Sent:
Thursday, March 28, 2024 1:46 PM
To:
Angela Alvarez-Cendejas; Gina B
Subject:
Application # PL-23-0159LPE
[EXTERNAL]
Hello,
Please include my name on the petition against the Daycare/Preschool/Event Center being considered at the vacant Mormon Church on Montecito.
I live at
This business would cause a massive traffic issue for our neighborhood. Not to mention attempts to evacuate in the case of an emergency.
Thank you.
Gina A Bates
Napa, CA 94559
You don't often get email from
Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
DON BERNARD
Sent:
Thursday, March 28, 2024 2:33 PM
To:
Planning Department
Subject:
PL23-0159 Le Petit
[EXTERNAL]
Hello planning department humans...thank you for your time.
My instincts tell me you have all read plenty of emails detailing facts and individual opinions of Napa residents regarding Le Petit's application for a child care center in the Alta Heights neighborhood. I share the general neighborhood concern regarding the requested size of the operation and the suggested location, on Chapel Hill, in the former church. Allow me to share my unique perspective.
I live directly across from Alta Heights drop off area. I moved in with expectations regarding traffic and noise. It truly amazes me the amount of traffic, both vehicular and pedestrian, that moves up and down Montecito daily.
I witness, first hand, the elementary school drop off and pick up, vehicles speeding up and down the hill, people crossing the road outside of the crosswalk (of course half the time with children), and endless people exercising with ear buds firmly in place. I, too, walk a loop in the neighborhood. I currently walk up Montecito and turn left onto Chapel Hill. I prefer this to either crossing at the blind curve or walking against traffic for the duration of the blind curve. There is NO safe way to walk up Montecito. Additionally, people often park westbound alongside Montecito beginning at Chapel Hill. When this occurs, pedestrian are often forced into the roadway where they are exposed to vehicles traveling from both Chapel Hill AND Montecito. This is already dangerous at best.
I freely acknowledge the easy answer to my personal dilemma. Pick a new route through the neighborhood! I'm not so sure that's the answer.
Currently, residents of Montecito Blvd and streets off of Montecito Blvd, are seasoned to school related traffic and use the neighborhood streets to avoid traffic bottlenecks related to Alta Heights Elementary School. Individuals dropping children off at the proposed day care center will too. This filtering of day care associated vehicles and additional residential vehicles due to increased traffic pressure will increase
pedestrian related safety issues everywhere and especially east of East Avenue. Addi
tional vehicular transit through residential neighborhoods increases the risk of injury to pedestrians especially in a neighborhood that has minimal sidewalks (should I mention minimal lighting?). I believe residents of Alta Heights should not feel restricted in their freedom to enjoy of the neighborhood they call home.
The roadway infrastructure does not support additional vehicular transit without significant enhancements for pedestrian safety.
Respectfully,
Shelley Bernard
You don't often get email from
Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Kirk Candland < >
Sent:
Monday, March 25, 2024 6:05 PM
To:
Planning Department
Subject:
PL23-0159 Le Petit
[You don't o en get email from Learn why this is important at h ps://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIden fica on ]
[EXTERNAL]
Dear Planning Department
I’m wri ng regarding the possibility of a day care center being approved at 15 Chapel Hill Drive. I strongly disagree with this concept. My primary reason for concern is the traffic this day care center would generate. Between Alta Heights School and the poten al day care center the traffic would pose a serious traffic hazard. There are no sidewalks going up or down Montecito or Chapel Hill Drive. I feel strongly that 15 Chapel Hill Drive does not represent a prac cal site for a day care center.
Thank you
Kirk Candland
Sent from my iPad
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Michelle Cherry < >
Sent:
Thursday, March 28, 2024 5:06 PM
To:
Planning Department; Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
Subject:
PL23-0159 Le Petit
[EXTERNAL]
Le Petit Elephant Commentary:
As an Alta Heights resident living in close proximity to the proposed Le Petit, I am strongly against the size and scope of this Child Development Center.
The applicant has
falsely claimed
in her paperwork that “LPE is very mindful of the impact that it will have on the neighborhood and based on conversations with immediate neighbors on Chapel Hill, there appears to be an overall excitement about the prospect of a childcare center coming to the site”.
This is
a blatant exaggeration on the part of the applicant
.
There are a handful of neighbors that support the project, however, far more are concerned with the proposed increase of tra ic
as well as
NO EMERGENCY PLAN
in place in the event of a fire evacuation,
a very real possibility as this has happened at least three times in the last seven years on Montecito and the surrounding blocks.
Although the daycare submitted some of what was needed for the approval process, they should have included a larger geographic polling, larger area tra ic study of streets that will be impacted, and there should be a MANDATORY EVACUATION PLAN in place before the proposal is approved.
I would encourage the Planning Department to take a longer look at this project and not be swayed by the grants the State is o ering and the limited/required work that was submitted on behalf of the project. There are many factors that have not been addressed for the safety and concern of the neighborhood and a true catastrophe is possible in the event of fire, earthquake, or other unforeseen disaster.
It was extremely disappointing that the “tone” of the Planning Member who was at the neighborhood meeting made it seem that this project was a “done deal” (stating “maybe there would only be one meeting needed”) and that the applicant had submitted everything that was needed for approval. That is simply not true.
Some people who received this message don't often get email from Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
2 If the applicant wants to be a good neighbor to Alta Heights residents, then she should have gone above and beyond to have the neighbors heard; this has not happened.
The Planning Department should conduct the proper investigation and do the due diligence that was not completed by the applicant.
Thank you,
Michelle Cherry
Napa, CA 94559
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Joan Conversano < >
Sent:
Thursday, March 28, 2024 4:30 PM
To:
Planning Department
Cc:
Michael Conversano; Joan Conversano
Subject:
PL23-0159 Le Petit
[EXTERNAL]
RE: Permit PL23-0159
To Whom It May Concern:
We are writing to share our concerns with the proposed conversion of the LDS Church located at 15 Chapel Hill Dr into a Daycare and Commercial Recreation Facility for public rental.
We have lived on Chapel Hill since 2001. During this time, we raised our 2 daughters who both attended Alta Heights Elementary School/AHE and daycare facilities in the community.
As two
full time working parents, we understand the need for quality daycare in our community; since
we were a family seeking these services. However, the scope of this project is too great for this building and its location. Even though the church may have held 200+ members at one time, they used this building when school was not in session so there was no conflict with the traffic created by the families attending AHE.
Members of the church were there only Sundays
and maybe a few hours on a Wednesday evening. They did not create the amount of traffic the proposed conversion will create. The applicant is requesting to operate their business Monday-Friday from 7:30am-5:30pm with up to 250 children and 50 staff. These numbers closely mirror the number of students and staff at AHE. When parents are coming to the school, they are already blocking Montecito Blvd with a queue of cars sometimes 6+ long. In frustration the drivers are attempting to pass on the left side of the queue creating a dangerous situation for vehicles coming down Montecito or parents walking their children int o
the school. The addition of another business with similar traffic will only increase the unsafe situation. The current traffic from AHE creates a speeding issue along East Ave. These additional cars will also be looking to access the 5 Way intersection at Silverado and East Ave. The traffic study conducted has already confirmed this intersection is over capacity and the collision rate exceeds state averages; it is rated an F. The study stated that the proposed
You don't often get email from
Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
2 roundabouts would alleviate congestion, however there is no set date to complete the roundabouts which has already been in discussion for over 10 years. Closing this intersection to that construction would only make the ingress/egress of the neighborhood that much worse. Approving this proposal would add additional traffic to the F rated intersection exacerbating the traffic problem.
We are also concerned about the safe evacuation of the neighborhood and AHE school if there is an earthquake or wildfire. Should there be a need to evacuate AHE then there will be hundreds of parents attempting to enter the Alta Heights neighborhood, whil e the residents of
the neighborhood are trying to evacuate. With the limited access to the neighborhood, we see a dangerous situation of people in panic. Add to this another business of 200+ children who need transportation to come and get them out of th
e neighborhood would be a great risk
to everyone in AH.
In addition to the Monday-Friday daycare, the applicant has also requested to make the building available to the public for rent Monday-Friday from 5:30-8:00pm and Saturday and Sundays from 9:00am-8:00pm. This property is currently zoned for single family use, not a commercial business. We are aware that exceptions can be made for daycare use, however they are requesting usage far beyond a daycare. This use permit request has become one for full commercial business, not solely daycare.
With all of the issues mentioned, we do not feel it is appropriate to approve this revised use permit.
Thank you for hearing our concerns,
Joan and Mike Conversano
Napa CA 94559
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Cantankerous _Too
Sent:
Sunday, March 24, 2024 4:36 PM
To:
Planning Department
Subject:
Preposed Business for Montecito!
[EXTERNAL]
The real problem with your proposal; with the amount of traffic this is going to create, and the choke points @ Silverado Trail, East Avenue, Montecito Blvd, and Clark Street: With this proposal there is limited entrance and egress points this will not just be a traffic and noise issue, but a Safety issue
as
well, should we ever need to evacuate (again for some of us). The other problem is going to be the proposed Roundabout at the Five Way Signal (Silverado Trail, East Avenue, Coombsville Road, and Third Street) Traffic congestion is already a nightmare at this intersection, what's going to be like with 1,038 daily car trips to the neighborhood, including weekends and summer. A one day traffic flow count is NOT the perfect way to asses traffic flow, get one that takes into consideration the traffic pattern with the Alta Heights school actually in session. Did anybody really looked at this physical proposal instead of just seeing it on paper? Please Think This All The Way Through!
J. F. Cortese
You don't often get email from
Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Joe Cortese, Jr.
Sent:
Sunday, March 17, 2024 7:09 PM
To:
Planning Department
Subject:
Preposed Business for Montecito!
Follow Up Flag:
Follow up
Flag Status:
Completed
[EXTERNAL]
The traffic on East Avenue is really congested every morning with Alta Heights School, and the way these Mothers Drive it's like the Daytona 500 in the morning and afternoon. We definitely don't need more traffic in this area and think about the chaos this will cause at the proposed ROUND-ABOUT.
Does anybody think these projects all the way through or are you just looking for more revenue to waste? HOW ABOUT FIXING
THE POTHOLES IN ALL OUR STREETS AND SOME OF THE
SIDEWALKS! Especially the ones around the Chevron Gas Station at Soscol and the ones in front of Walmart on Lincoln! THAT WOULD BE A BETTER USE OF YOUR TIME, instead of proposing more traffic chaos in this small neighborhood!
Joe Cortese, Jr.
You don't often get email from
Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Joe Cortese, Jr. < >
Sent:
Tuesday, March 26, 2024 6:02 PM
To:
Planning Department
Subject:
Subject: PL23-0159 Le Petit
[EXTERNAL]
These are some of my concerns about running a daycare center in a residential neighborhood with safety issues. It is important to prioritize the safety of children and ensure there is an acquit plan for any emergency that might happen in the area around the Daycare Business. Here are a few suggestions to address the concerns:
1. Safety Measures: Implement safety measures within the daycare center, such as secure fencing, childproofing, and trained staff to ensure the safety of the children within the premises.
2. Traffic Management: Work with local authorities and traffic experts to address the traffic concerns in the area like widing the streets. This may include installing traffic calming measures, such as speed bumps or traffic lights, to reduce speeding and improve safety.
3. Pedestrian Safety: Advocate for the installation of new sidewalks and crosswalks in the neighborhood to provide a safe path for pedestrians, including children and parents accessing the daycare center.
4. Transportation Alternatives: Encourage parents and caregivers to use alternative modes of transportation, such as walking, biking, or carpooling, to reduce the number of cars in the area and alleviate traffic congestion.
5. Regular Safety Audits: Conduct regular safety audits within the daycare center to identify and address any potential safety hazards. This can help ensure that the facility meets all safety standards and regulations.
It is crucial to work closely with the communities in the area to address these concerns and create a safe environment for the daycare center and the neighborhoods around the area.
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Laura Corthell < >
Sent:
Thursday, March 28, 2024 2:55 PM
To:
Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
Cc:
PlanningCommission
Subject:
PL-23-0159 Le Petit
[You don't o en get email from Learn why this is important at h ps://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIden fica on ]
[EXTERNAL]
Dear Planning Commissioners,
I have lived at for 10 years and try to be aware of what is happening in the neighborhood. I was very surprised when I learned only recently about the proposal for a very large daycare center/nursery school (250 children) at the site of the former LDS church. Many neighbors in Alta Heights are s ll unaware of the proposed project and it’s size.
As a mother of 3 grown children I absolutely support quality daycare and nursery schools. I’m also aware that it’s very difficult to find quality daycare in Napa especially for infants and there is a wai ng list at many of the daycare centers.
However, I can’t support the proposed daycare center/nursery school at this loca on for the following reasons-
Safety-Montecito is a very narrow, steep and winding road with no sidewalks and no shoulder where you can pull over.
The speed limit is supposed to be 25mph, I walk almost everyday and am forced to wave at the cars to get them to slow down. LPE is near the bo om of Montecito where the speed poten al due to the steep grade of the road is the greatest!
Emergency evacua on and access- I live at the top of Montecito and had to evacuate during the Atlas Peak fire in 2017. I was also told to evacuate in July of 2023 early in the a ernoon due to a rapidly expanding brush fire near the Silverado Middle School. Since the fires in 2017, I and many others use the “Watch Duty app” to no fy us of poten al fire danger.
How will the residents of Montecito be able to evacuate if the parents from both the Alta Heights Elementary school and the proposed LPE school are trying to come up Montecito when the residents are trying to escape? It’s not a ma er of if, it’s a ma er of when the next fire will occur. Should CALFIRE evaluate this loca on for evacua on safety?
Traffic conges on-I’ve reviewed the traffic study, it indicates an increase of over 1000 addi onal cars coming to this ny, old neighborhood with narrow streets and no parking. The 5-way intersec on @ Silverado, Coombs and 3rd Street is already over capacity. On numerous occasions I have waited through 3or 4 light changes before I could get through the intersec on. I try to plan my trips down Montecito when parents at Alta Heights elementary are not picking up or dropping off their children. The traffic is bad but nothing compared to the distracted driving, U turns in the middle of the street, failure to yield -ac ons by parents picking up their small children. The addi on of 250 children at LPE whose parents will be coming throughout the day will make lower Montecito impassable and will cause residents and many of these parents from both facili es to use other streets in Alta Heights to avoid the traffic disaster on Montecito. This rerou ng will further impact the en re neighborhood and the quality of life in Alta Heights.
I ask all of you to please review the informa on and input from the Alta Heights neighbors and request further analysis before approving this project. We as neighbors know that something is going to be built on this site, let’s make it something compa ble with the exis ng residen al neighborhood. I’m aware the property is zoned for 10 homes and I’m willing to accept that may happen.
Thank you,
ATTACHMENT 3
2 Laura Corthell
ATTACHMENT 3
b
a
b
b
a F a
I
( a I
a ecting the
( F F ( F( o
F “ ib( b
(“ (a( (b ( “Iib “ evacuations have proven di icult AS IS for residents, let alone F(
( on and o
a
F bi I ( “
“
“ I
The tra ic study completed did not take into account the FULL IMPACT of tra ic on the neighborhood and “ “
I i a Ia a
I
b “ bi
I b Fi ( ( profit BUSINESS
( (b
fit for our neighborhood
“
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Sanna Delmonico < >
Sent:
Thursday, March 28, 2024 2:50 PM
To:
Planning Department
Subject:
PL23-0159 Le Petit
[You don't o en get email from Learn why this is important at h ps://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIden fica on ]
[EXTERNAL]
Hello Napa Planning Department,
My name is Sanna Delmonico and I am a resident of Alta Heights. I am wri ng regarding the proposed move of Le Pe t Elephant daycare center into the former church building on Chapel Hill.
This business is too large for the site and the neighborhood. There are significant, unaddressed concerns regarding traffic in the streets around Alta Heights that were not reviewed in the traffic report. Increasing trips in the neighborhood by at least 1000 per day will fundamentally change the neighborhood, turning it into a congested, commercial zone. The streets all over Alta Heights, the intersec on at Silverado Trail, East, and Coombsville, as well as the intersec on at Silverado Trail and First Street will be overwhelmed.
The area around Chapel Hill, and most of Alta Heights, has no sidewalks to keep residents, children, and pets safe from the increased traffic. The streets are narrow and as I resident, I know that speeding is common among parents dropping children off or picking children up at Alta Heights school. This daycare center would double the number of cars bringing children in and out of the neighborhood.
In addi on, Alta Heights residents have had to evacuate or been on evacua on warning several mes in the last few years due to wildfires. This con nues to be a significant risk. This day care center would double the number of children in the area around Alta Heights School, which, in case of fire, would put them at great risk and prevent residents from escaping as parents arrived to pick up children. There are very few streets out of the neighborhood and those are narrow.
I want to acklowledge the need for daycare in Napa. My daughter went to Alta Heights School and a ended the a er school program there. My granddaughter currently a ends Children’s Co age Daycare center. However, this project is too big. It is not a fit for our neighborhood.
Please do not approve this project.
Best wishes,
Sanna Delmonico
Napa CA 94559
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Susan N Duke < >
Sent:
Thursday, March 28, 2024 2:39 PM
To:
Planning Department; Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
Cc:
Susan Duke
Subject:
COMMENT TO COMMISSION FOR 4/4 MEETING – PL23-0159 Le Petit [EXTERNAL]
Dear Planning Commission,
The proposed location cannot support the number of participants and activities requested in the use permit application.
While the building itself may be able to, the surrounding infrastructure does not have the capacity. Because I live within 500 feet of the proposed project, I received the notice of application for a use permit for the property at 15 Chapel Hill.
The impact of this project on our neighborhood goes well beyond 500 feet, and most of our neighbors had no idea this project was even being considered.
Safety, traffic, and emergency evacuations will be significantly and adversely affected by the size and scope of this project. The traffic study estimated this project will generate more than 1,000 daily car trips. This will occur during the same general time frame of drop off and pick up at the Alta Heights Elementary School on Montecito Blvd as well as Children's Cottage Child Care on East Ave
. The proposed use permit application is for 250 children and 50 staff (and does not include the public event space rentals which will occur when the childcare isn’t operating). The elementary school has 275 students. Each school day cars queue up on Montecito Blvd, East Ave, and First Street, to drop off/pick up at the school while others park along the streets, and parents and children sprint in between cars to cross the street. There are limited crosswalks, and most streets in Alta Heights do not have sidewalks. To access the proposed childcare, parents will likely try to avoid Montecito, bringing more traffic to Bonita, Julian, and Lakeview, which I don’t believe were even mentioned in the traffic study.
At some point Alta Heights will be under emergency evacuation orders again, and those who live further up the hill on Montecito Blvd as well as those on the dead-end streets branching off Montecito, will be significantly impacted. So will those at the proposed daycare center. The increase in the number who will need to evacuate (including infants and toddlers, which will require parents or others to enter the neighborhood in order to retrieve them), and the emergency vehicles trying to access the neighborhood, will create an untenable situation.
Thank you for your consideration,
Susan Duke
You don't often get email from
Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Sent:
Saturday, March 9, 2024 3:49 PM
To:
Planning Department
Subject:
PL23-0159 Le Petit
[EXTERNAL]
Dear Planning Department,
I cannot believe that anyone would seriously consider the LePetit Elephant Nursery and Preschool Child Development Center for the already over-tra icked Alta Heights neighborhood and Montecito/East Avenue. The sheer size and scope of the operation preclude it from being suitable for any residential neighborhood, especially one that has a magnet elementary mere yards away. Please do not approve this project. It is unthinkable.
Robin Ellison
You don't often get email from
Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Mary Luros
Sent:
Wednesday, March 20, 2024 10:49 AM
To:
Cc:
Steve Potter
Subject:
Re: Thursday meeting regarding the proposed childcare Alta Heights Thank you Robin for your email.
Mary Luros
Councilmember, District 3
City Manager’s Office, City of Napa
PO Box 660 / 955 School Street, Napa, CA 94559
Phone
(707) 258-7800 x5284
Email
[email protected]
Website
www.cityofnapa.org
Social
www.facebook.com/CityOfNapa
· @CityOfNapa
Pothole? Graffiti? Litter?
You can
make a service request online here
!
On Mar 19, 2024, at 8:08 PM, wrote:
[EXTERNAL]
Hello Mary,
I’m a concerned citizen of Alta Heights opposed to the proposed childcare facility. Among other horrible effects, this would bring-- according to their traffic study-- an additional 1,087 cars to East Avenue each day, a street long beset with traffic problems and twice daily congestion.
During the pandemic lockdown when there was no tourism, Oahu stored its 1000-1500 rental cars in the Aloha Stadium parking lot. Here is a partial photo (attached) as reference for what 1.1 K cars looks like.
It is my understanding that there is a daycare shortage in Napa. As unfortunate as that is, I do not understand how an entire neighborhood could be made to pay for that problem. It would destroy our neighborhood.
I will be at the meeting on Thursday. Just wanted to express my thoughts in advance. Thank you.
Robin Ellison
ATTACHMENT 3
2 <web1_0323-aloha-stadium-timothy-lee.jpg>
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Sent:
Sunday, March 24, 2024 12:37 PM
To:
Planning Department
Subject:
PL23-0159 LePetit
Attachments:
web1_0323-aloha-stadium-timothy-lee.jpg
[EXTERNAL]
Planning Commission,
I am a resident of Alta Heights opposed to the proposed childcare facility. Among other negative e ects it would bring-- according to the tra ic study-- an additional 1,038 cars to East Avenue each day, a street long beset with tra ic problems and twice daily congestion.
I have read the full Tra ic Study and found it woefully inadequate. The conclusions made in the Tra ic Statement are not accurate and fail to address glaring tra ic flow issues and pedestrian and bicycle safety issues. We would like a more qualified and comprehensive tra ic study done.
This project is completely inappropriate, dangerous and unacceptable for a residential neighborhood.
Robin Ellison
**During the pandemic lockdown when there was no tourism, Oahu stored its 1000-1500 rental cars in the Aloha Stadium parking lot. Attached is a partial photo as reference for what 1.1 K car trips would look like.
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Patrick Fitzpatrick
Sent:
Monday, March 11, 2024 2:01 PM
To:
Planning Department
Subject:
LePetit Elephant Nursery and Pre-school Concerns
[EXTERNAL]
My name is Patrick Fitzpatrick. I live at Napa directly across the street from the site of the proposed LePetit Elephant Nursery and Pre-school. A few months ago I happened to meet Milli Pal Pintacsi and her architect as they were checking the grounds at 15 Chapel Hill Dr. I had been interested for sometime in hearing what was going to happen with the church site. She explained to me that she was trying to establish a daycare center at this location. That's it. A daycare center. She did not provide any details and I assumed it might be one's standard daycare, albeit somewhat larger due to the size of the church. I expected perhaps a hundred kids or so per day which, although impactful, would be a beneficial use of the old church.
However, it has come to my attention that the true intention of Ms. Pintacsi is to create an industrial sized Nursery and Pre-school at this location open 7 days a week! She is proposing a school for 250 children within a block of Alta Heights School and it's 278 students. This will potentially double the amount of traffic at the intersection of Montecito and East as well as significantly impact the traffic at the 5-Way intersection at Silverado/3rd Street/East/Coombsville an already packed intersection in search of traffic abatement solutions. All traffic leading to these two schools on East St. will be a nightmare for all residents and school parents alike.
The historical access to the LDS Church was intended for church services on Sunday only. For the past 30 years I've lived here those Sunday traffic streams of worshippers were sometimes annoying during ingress and egress but the benefit of having a great neighbor, which the church was, made the one day a week flow of cars a manageable intrusion. We knew to not walk those days and keep animals and children safe during those times. There are NO SIDEWALKS on Chapel Hill Dr. or Montecito. The street is narrow and with two cars parked across from each other turns Chapel Hill into a one car lane. The church managed this by having incoming morning traffic enter on Chapel Hill into their parking lot and then exiting on Montecito. To do it any other way would be untenable and DANGEROUS. This is due to the poor site lines down the STEEP hill at the western Chapel Hill intersection with Montecito which is another hill. Where there used to be a Yield sign there is now a Stop sign put there by the city a few years ago having acknowledged that IT CAN BE A HAZERDOUS INTERSECTION with the additional traffic being introduced seven days a week!
The site itself has minimal outdoor space for children to play. The front lawn is a hill, not suitable for 250 children to us e to
play. The grass area in the back between the gym and parking lot have beautiful trees with minimal area that can be used for children playing. The church was built as a place of worship and NEVER intended to house anything the size of what is being proposed here.
Currently, and for the 30 years that we have lived here, we are "blessed" with the sound of children playing, shouting, screaming at Alta Heights School. It is something that initially took some getting used to but with four children of my own I learned to appreciate this youthful cacophony of exuberance that mostly ended at 3 PM Monday through Friday during the school year. This calendar permitted countless days off for holidays and weekends. We had quiet time in which to enjoy our lives. The proposed nursery will not offer any of that. Not only will we be asked to deal with noise from Alta Heights School but simultaneously asked to now deal with noise from LePetit Elephant!! Our houses will literally be surrounded by school children. The proposed weekend parties, music and sports events will turn our quiet neighborhood into something none of us moved here for, something none of us should be asked to endure.
This industrial child care should not be permitted at this small church lot in this small quiet neighborhood, ever!
Sincerely Concerned,
Patrick and Chrystine Fitzpatrick
You don't often get email from
Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Patrick Fitzpatrick
Sent:
Saturday, March 23, 2024 4:24 PM
To:
Planning Department
Subject:
Le Petit Elephant Concerns
[EXTERNAL]
I've gone over the Traffic Study for this project and have found a number of significant concerns. The following are excerpts followed by my observation.
1 ) "The project is presumed to have a less-than-significant impact on vehicle miles traveled (VMT) since trips to and from the site would be locally generated." (page 1)
The VMT will be extremely significant once it's added with all traffic coming up Montecito for Alta Heights School today and the future drop off for LPE childcare. There is very little traffic on Chapel Hill today. Prior to COVID, when the LDS church was open it was only Sunday that there was any significant traffic. For the past five years or so the church parking lot has chains across both the Chapel Hill entrance and Montecito entrance. Due to the minimal traffic Chapel Hill, Lakeview and East First are all used extensively for walking, biking and exercising.
Regarding " trips to and from the site would be locally generated" does not seem to be an accurate statement at all. The LDS church is in an area surrounded by dead end streets: Montecito, East First St. and Elan Way. Julian Ave and Bonita Ave dead end into Montecito and Ramona. The only through street in the neighborhood is East Ave which dead ends into the dreaded 5-corners and Clark St. This means the site will rely on most of it's clients driving far distances.
2 ) "The proposed project is expected to generate 1,187 trips per day, including 214 a.m. peak hour trips and 218 p.m. peak hour trips. Though not currently functional, for comparative purposes it is noted that after deducting trips that the church would have been expected to generate, the proposed project would be expected to generate an average of 1,038 net new daily trips..." (page 1 and shown on page 7)
The net new numbers really must remain at 1,187 because they want to subtract 149 trips due to current daily trips already experienced from the church. This has never been the case even when the church was open. There are so few cars traveling Chapel Hill that those doing the Traffic Statement couldn't determine speeds being traveled: "Vehicular volumes on Chapel Hill Drive were too low for an accurate speed sample." (page 14) There was church traffic ONLY on Sunday and I'd have to say that there were never 149 trips in the 30 years I've lived on Chapel Hill. They would have ALL driven by my house as the church required incoming vehicles to enter on Chapel Hill and exiting on Montecito at the end of service.
In addition the number of "current trips daily for the church" should really be 0 since it's been unused for at least 5 years.
3 )
"The project is located approximately one mile from the center of Napa, so it is likely that trips would either be shorter than current trips to and from day care/after school providers or only nominally longer; therefore, it is expected that the VMT associated with project trips would either be reduced or remain at existing levels." (page 13)
Napa High is probably a much better location for "the center of Napa". That is 2.2 miles from 15 Chapel Hill Dr. which negates any benefit of moving LPE to this location. It eliminates most of the benefit of moving this daycare to that location due to the negative impact of all those living west of Jefferson. They'd eventually all be funneled onto East and then Montecito having to queue up with all the traffic at Alta Heights School. Please don't do that!
Let's review
City of Napa 2040 General Plan
goals as the affect the neighborhood around the proposed LPE development.
4) "GOAL TE-1: Foster a comprehensive network of safe, accessible roads, trails, sidewalks, and pathways that emphasize a Complete Streets approach, while reducing vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and dependence on single occupancy vehicles." (page 2)
"GOAL TE 2-4 As part of streetscape design, incorporate features that enhance safety for all users ..." (page 3) ATTACHMENT 3
2 It fails because it actually makes the neighborhood LESS SAFE. Introducing all of the car trips past Alta Heights School into very quiet, highly pedestrian neighborhoods would destroy the current use of so many people today. These of dead end streets with humans, dogs, deer, fox, etc not expecting an onslaught of heavy metal.
5) "GOAL TE-3: Promote active transportation, support active lifestyles, and encourage physical activity by providing safe pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure citywide." (page 3)
This is how this neighborhood lives today. This project will impact all those who bike and walk East First, Lakeview, Montecito and Chapel Hill. The project even admits that due to the hill climb required to get to 15 Chapel Hill both pedestrian and bike considerations are negligible at best. It will take automobiles driving toward dead end streets as the primary, or sole method of getting to LPE on page 10 of the Traffic Statement:
Project Impacts on Pedestrian Facilities
"Although the site is near residential development, given the type of proposed use it is likely that a minimal number of
project patrons and/or employees will walk, bicycle, and/or use transit to reach the proposed daycare."
Please don't accept this project as it is. A much much smaller daycare at this site would be much more appropriate.
Patrick and Chrys Fitzpatrick
Napa
ATTACHMENT 3
Stephanie Hahn
Napa, CA 94559
March 27
, 2024
RE:
Application
PL23-
0159 Le Petit
Dear Napa City Planning Commission
ers,
I am writing to voice my
opposition to the application
“PL23-
0159 Le Petit
",
that will be coming before
the planning commission on April 4
th
.
I emphatically urge you to vote NO on this proposal.
Childcare in Napa is important, and as a neighborhood with two childcare centers and an elementary school, I think all of us in the Alta Heights would agree. This application is not for that. It
is for an
intensive use
,
for
-
profit
business
with a
childcare center
attached
.
Most aspects in the proposal fall
outside of the childcare license and I am greatly concerned what this open -
ended, u
nclear business
proposal would develop into.
This
is both unsafe and irresponsible to put in the center of a residential neighborhood.
As you review this application, please consider:
Neighborhood safety
The traffic study states that an average of m
ore than 1,100 additional vehicle trips would come through the neighborhood. Alta Heights is a neighborhood full of pedestrians, cyclists, joggers and children at play. With narrow wind
y
roads, blind spots, and no sidewalks there is no space between pedest
rians
and
automobiles.
I am a frequent walker and cyclist in the neighborhood
and the addition
of
this amount of
new traffic
would be hazardous to everyone.
Evacuation routes/access
Alta Heights has limited ingress and egress points. We were evacuated i n 2017 and then again on alert
last year for evacuation. Neighbors who live above the former Mormon Church have one road in and out. Should an evacuation occur again, it would be a disaster for those who live on Montecito and in the surrounding
neighborhoo
d trying to get out while hundreds of parents were trying to enter the neighborhood to pick up their children at the elementary school, two childcare centers already in the neighborhood and now this, 250
-
child childcare
,
event
-
space business
proposal.
I am at a loss to understand how it would even be possible to evacuate a childcare center of 250 children
ages five and under
-
30% infants
-
safely, let alone adding all of the other factors stated above.
Traffic
Traffic study
only took into account four intersections, during one day, when school attendance was light. It is not an accurate depiction. It did not take into account the significant impact it would have on ATTACHMENT 3
ancillary streets
-
Montecito, Chapel Hill, Lakeview Drive, 1
st
Street, E. First Street, Julian, Bonita, and
E.Berna,
Elan Way
. Particularly Chapel Hill and Montecito in the area around the Church.
Stating that
1,100 additional vehicle trips per day would not have a signifi cant impact on the
neighborhood is ridicu
lous.
This is far from the case. It will have far reaching
impacts throughout the
neighborhood.
Additionally, the five
-
way intersection at Third Street
-
East Ave
-
Coombsville Rd
-
Silverado Trail already
has an accident rating above the State average and is r ated F for level of service, the lowest possible
rating.
This is not a like
-
as proposal for use to the Mormon Church, which saw around 100 cars on Sunday for a few hours and occasional small pickup basketball games. It is a seven day a week business oper ation
that would function from 7:30am to 8pm on weekdays and 9am to 8pm on weekend s.
And what about the environmental impacts? Have these been considered? Where is the EIR that show effects of exhaust and negative living conditions from the vehicles and noise this would generate?
Broad and Unclear Scope of the Business
I
would like to reiterate here that this is not a proposal for a childcare center. It is a proposal for an event and recreation center in tandem with a large, scale, industrialized childc are.
The majority of the
activities in the proposal are “unlicensed” and outlined as a space for rent, events, tournaments, parties, anniversaries, classes, birthdays, day
-
camps etc. Where will this end? What are the limits on this and the number of people
who can attend?
Again, this is not appropriate for a neighborhood environment.
As a longtime resident of Alta Heights who loves my neighborhood, the people ,
and the community, I
respectfully ask that you vote NO on PL23
-
0159 Le Petit.
If quality of
life means anything, it is clear that this proposal would do nothing but destroy it in the neighborhood.
Thank you for your attention.
Sincerely,
Stephanie Hahn
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
J Hanson < >
Sent:
Wednesday, March 27, 2024 12:35 PM
To:
Angela Alvarez-Cendejas; Planning Department
Subject:
PL23-0159 LePetit
[EXTERNAL]
City of Napa Planning Department and Ms. Alvarez-Cendejas:
We know you will be receiving countless emails in opposition to the LePetit project being considered at the Montecito-Chapel Hill site. We also are OPPOSED.
Yes, Napa needs additional childcare facilities, but this is NOT the right place for a project this size!
Because we are sure our concerns are duplicated by the many, many others who are opposing this site for this business, we will just share this....
We purchased our home on Bonita Avenue in 1986 and still live there. We raised 2 children who both attended Alta Heights Elementary School, who are now in their 30s. We were very active parents at Alta Heights, so we were aware at that time and still very concerned now, of the issues concerning the area due mainly to:
1. No sidewalks across the street from the school as well as on Bonita and on Montecito past the school going up the hill. Many times we have seen near misses over the years of children nearly being hit. We ourselves have also almost been hit by cars while walking on Montecito near the former church - with no sidewalks and no crosswalks everyone is at risk. Children walking alone to and from home and school will be targets if there is even more traffic added from this project than what there already is.
2. The multiple T-intersections: East and Montecito, Montecito and Ramona, Ramona and Bonita, Bonita and Montecito. This causes not only traffic congestion on any given day, but also many dangerous points for children and families walking in the area, not just during school hours but at any time.
3. A permit for after hours and weekend use for a facility that size and for the purposes they're asking in the middle of a residential neighborhood is inappropriate. The compactness of this area is entirely too small for the footprint of what they're wanting to do.
We respectfully submit our opposition and hope that the city will respectfully hear the seriousness of the concerns for the neighbors of this area.
Bradley and Janice Hanson
Some people who received this message don't often get email from Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Robert Heilig
Sent:
Sunday, March 10, 2024 12:48 PM
To:
Planning Department
Subject:
Opposing Le Petit Elephant PL23-0159
[EXTERNAL]
To: City of Napa Planning department,
I am sending this email regarding the proposed childcare business coming into the church on Chapel Hill Drive.
I am an 87 year old senior citizen who is still able to take walks on the street where I reside.
Unfortunately, there are no sidewalks here, and I must walk in the street.
On my morning and afternoon walks I very seldom see any cars driving on Chapel Hill Dr. and I have just learned that an additional 1,000 car trips per day will come with this school. The peak times for traffic will align with my current walking schedule.
Because of my age and the medication I take daily, my balance is not good, so walking on this very quiet street is the only opportunity I have for exercise and for my mental well-being.
I suffer from rheumatoid arthritis and the walking exercises are very beneficial to my moving joints, as well as the fresh air that I need, which my healthcare providers all recommend.
The Le Petit Elephant childcare center, if approved, will negatively change the few remaining years of my life completely. I will no longer feel safe walking on my street if this business is allowed to operate here and I fear that I will become homebound.
The character of this neighborhood will change from a walkable village to an urban jungle and racetrack for hurried parents.
Please take into consideration my well-being as you consider allowing this permit to be approved.
All the best,
Robert Heilig
You don't often get email from
Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
Stephen Heilig
Napa, CA 94559
City of Napa Planning Commission
Re: Use Permit Application PL23-0159 Le Petit Elephant
Dear Planning Commissioners:
I am a resident of Chapel Hill Dr, adjacent to the proposed daycare center at 15 Chapel Hill.
I am writing to request you VOTE NO on the use permit request for Le Petit Elephant.
I am the caretaker for my 87-year-old father who needs to go for daily walks, he currently utilizes our street to get exercise and to maintain his health and well-being.
I am concerned that the proposed day care business will generate an additional 1,100 car trips on our street, and his safety will be in jeopardy as our street does not have any sidewalks. We currently have very few cars on our street, and he also enjoys chatting with the neighbors on his daily walks, therefore having social interaction in addition to exercise.
If this proposal is approved, he will be forced to remain inside, where he will not get the exercise, he needs greatly changing his quality of life.
I also regularly walk and jog on the streets in Alta Heights, and these additional car trips are a concern for my safety as well. When walking in the morning cars waiting to drop o their children at Alta Heights Elementary School entrance block the tra ic flow going east (up hill) on Montecito and I have witnessed cars try pass on the left of the waiting cars to continue up Montecito putting safety at risk. Cars also go up Montecito and do a U-turn on Chapel Hill to park on the north side of the street. With all this increased tra ic on Montecito safety of people walking will be greatly impacted.
Our home was evacuated during the fires of 2017 and were on alert for evacuation just this past year. With climate change evacuations will become more regular, this is the unfortunate reality we face. My concern for this business coming into our residential neighborhood will make the next evacuation even more precarious. Can you imagine frantic parents coming up the hill to retrieve their children, along with emergency personnel while we are trying to get out? Many streets in Alta Heights are barely wide enough for one car if and with all this increased tra ic, I am really concerned about my family’s safety in an evacuation.
The tra ic congestion in the area due to the existing elementary school, and at the 5-way intersection will be greatly increased if this project is approved to go through. The increased cars will also impact the streets, we waited many years for our Alta Heights ATTACHMENT 3
streets to be repaved. There has been a pothole close to Montecito and East Street that was not correctly filled and causes cars to swerve to avoid this pothole. If the city cannot address a pothole, then what is going to happen to our streets with this increased tra ic?
The applicant’s written proposal of running a business in this location that would operate 7 days a week, until 8 p.m. should not be allowed in a residential area.
While I understand Napa needs more daycare, there is a state mandate to add more housing.
This location would be better served if it were converted into housing.
Thank you for your consideration,
Stephen Heilig
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
sara irving
Sent:
Thursday, March 21, 2024 4:33 PM
To:
Planning Department
Subject:
LePetite Elephant Nursery and Preschool Child Development Center Follow Up Flag:
Follow up
Flag Status:
Completed
[You don't o en get email from Learn why this is important at h ps://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIden fica on ]
[EXTERNAL]
Hello,
We are emailing you in regard to the Le Pe te Elephant Nursery and Preschool that is proposed to occupy the Mormon Church facility on Montecito / Chapel Hill in Alta Heights.
Our life on Sproul Ave will be directly affected by the increased traffic. As it currently is with Alta Heights Elementary, traffic is very congested at scheduled start and dismissal of school. We walk daily and the thought of increased traffic is scary as we do not have sidewalks or bike lanes.
Addi onally, it would be very chao c and unsafe for all should there be an evacua on of the neighborhood.
Napa does need quality, affordable childcare in an area where children live. This area of Alta Heights has few children and this Child Development Center is not appropriate for this neighborhood.
As a homeowner in proximity to this proposed Child Development Center we urge you to deny this use permit applica on.
Thank you very much,
Sara and Glen Irving
Napa,CA
Sent from my iPad
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Cheryl < >
Sent:
Thursday, March 28, 2024 8:45 AM
To:
Planning Department
Cc:
Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
Subject:
PL123-0159 La Petit
[Some people who received this message don't o en get email from Learn why this is important at h ps://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIden fica on ]
[EXTERNAL]
To the planning department of the City Of Napa:
We are wri ng concerning the proposed La Pe t Day Care. We are saying up front that we totally support safe and affordable day care for the children of parents working in Napa. Parents need to know their children are safe and well cared for.
With that in mind we want to state our concern about the La Pe t day care that is proposed.
We live at and see the traffic from our front window every day. The infrastructure for adding a large day care to the already crowded area is just not there. The safety of the children and the surrounding residents should be of utmost priority.
We are against the proposal due to:
Child and resident safety
Traffic
Evacua on concerns
Thank you,
Cheryl and Neil Iza
Napa
Sent from my iPhone
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Luc Janssens < >
Sent:
Wednesday, March 27, 2024 8:55 PM
To:
Planning Department
Cc:
Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
Subject:
PL23-0159 Le Petit Elephant
[EXTERNAL]
Dear Members of the City Planning Commission,
I am writing to express my concerns regarding the proposal for the establishment of a daycare center at 15 Chapel Hill Drive in the Alta Heights neighborhood. While I recognize the importance and necessity of such facilities within our community, I believe that the proposed location raises significant issues.
The proposed site’s accessibility is a matter of great concern in my opinion. Situated in the heart of a residential area with single lane two-way traffic with no dedicated left turn lane onto Chapel Hill Drive, accessing the daycare center could prove to
be challenging, particularly during peak hours. Montecito Boulevard is the main road to access residences located up the hill from the proposed facility, with many cars driving on this road during peak commute hours, which would be the same hours vehicles are accessing the proposed daycare center.
Given the potential congestion and safety
hazards associated with navigating this area, I am questioning the practicality and suitability of locating such a facility at the proposed location. While I appreciate that a traffic impact study has been conducted by the project applicant, I believe it is essential for the city to commission an independent study. For example, the traffic impact study makes assumptions without explaining how those conclusions were reached. The study equates the childcare facility to a retail establishment for determining vehicle miles traveled. Why is it being compared to retail? Retail establishments do not necessarily have consistent vehicle access during peak morning and evening commute times, but may rather have trips generated throughout the day.
That would not be the case with the childcare facility, as the project description specifies the allowed hours of child drop off and pick up. The transportation impact study additionally assumes that many of the trips will be generated by families in the neighborhood on their way to and from work. The study does not address how this conclusion was reached or if there is a significant number of households in the neighborhood with children of the ages suitable for the childcare facility. A lot of the analysis focuses on the major intersections in the vicinity (e.g. First Street at Silverado Trail, First Street at East Ave, Montecito Blvd at East Ave, and Third Street/East Ave/Coombsville Road/Silverado Trail), but does not analyze traffic impacts, intersection capacity, and queuing at Montecito Boulevard and Chapel Hill Drive, the intersection where the proposed project is located, which would create impacts to the community.
As residents of this community, many of us rely on walking, biking, and other modes of transportation to navigate our neighborhood. Introducing a daycare center with a capacity for 250 children could significantly impact the existing traffic patterns and pedestrian flow. There are limited sidewalks in the area of the proposed daycare center, so pedestrians often walk on the edge of the road.
Increased vehicle circulation and cars parked along the road could potentially create hazards to pedestrians in the neighborhood. There is also minimal public transportation to the site, requiring families accessing the site to use their cars rather than relying on public transportation.
Moreover, the chosen location falls within a fire zone area, posing inherent risks to the safety and well- being of both the
children and staff who would frequent the daycare center. As previously mentioned, Montecito Boulevard, which is the access road to Chapel Hill Drive where the proposed childcare facility would be located, is the main road for residences higher up the hill and is the road used for evacuation in instances of fire. As we all remember, residences in this neighborhood were required to evacuate during the fires in 2017 and 2023. Montecito Boulevard was the road used to evacuate the area. The limited water supply in the area raises questions about suitability in the event of emergencies or
natural disasters. Given the potential risks inherent to this location, it is imperative that the city's evacuation plans be ATTACHMENT 3
2 thoroughly evaluated to ensure the safety and well-being of all residents, including those attending the proposed daycare center.
In conclusion, while I am supportive of initiatives aimed at enhancing childcare services within our community, I urge the City Planning Committee to carefully consider the concerns raised. It is essential to prioritize the safety, accessibility, a nd
overall quality of life for all residents when making decisions that will shape the future of our neighborhood.
Thank you for considering my input on this matter. I look forward to the opportunity to engage in constructive dialogue during the upcoming meeting and trust that my concerns will be given the attention they deserve.
Sincerely,
Luc Janssens
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Christina Jennings < >
Sent:
Wednesday, March 27, 2024 11:27 PM
To:
Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
Subject:
RE: application # PL-23-0159LPE
Categories:
Unverified Contact
[EXTERNAL]
Hi Angela,
I was told you would make sure the Planning Commission would get my email by the March 28 deadline. Thank you.
Christina Jennings
To the members of the Planning Commission,
I am a resident of Alta Heights for 15+ years, at I've seen a fair amount of change in Napa... some good, some not so good. I'm not someone against the necessity of progress, growth and change, especially when it's done responsibly, with common sense and foresight. And I realize you cannot please all of the people all of the time.
That said, I am concerned about the large expansion of Le Petit Elephant, an excellent daycare/preschool center, which Napa needs and where we would want all of our children to go, into the huge Mormon Church building on Montecito Blvd, a residential neighborhood with limited access, causing a serious increase in traffic congestion. The location is right above the existing Alta Hgts Elementary School, which we all know to avoid as best we can during school drop-off and pick-up hours, due to that traffic. Also, with the impending construction of the Silverado/Third/Coombs round-about, I don't know how anything can be considered until that is complete and functioning. Traffic will be a total mess up here while that's going on. Our outlets all empty on to Silverado Trail, which is backed up every single afternoon from Soscal past Lincoln, sometimes to Trancas, with existing! daily traffic. I've been evacuated 3 times due to fast-moving fire. It is scary. Montecito is a dead end. There are only 2 ways down, on narrow, 2- lane, windy
roads... which would certainly be complicated by panicked parents rushing up, to gather their children.
I know Milli Pintacsi, owner of Le Petit Elephant, personally and think the world of her and her center. I wish her luck with her expansion but do not think the Mormon Church building in Alta Heights is the right location for it. It doesn't make sense.
Sincerely,
Christina Jennings
You don't often get email from
Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Estreya Kesler < >
Sent:
Thursday, March 28, 2024 1:16 PM
To:
Planning Department
Subject:
Le Petit Elephant
[EXTERNAL]
Dear Planning Commission,
In addition to all the listed concerns with a daycare (coupled with a destination event center, running 24/7) going in to a residential area, there is the simple fact that as residents coming out of Monte Vista and Montecito Avenues, we have only Lakeview and Monticito to escape in case of evacuations. An additional 1000 cars per day, (plus overflow) not to mention the frenzy of parents attempting to retrieve children in the midst of an evacuation, would be devastating to the current residents of Alta Heights. I have already been evacuated 4 times from my home here. It is unthinkable that such a business could be considered in the light of the very small escape routes and numbers that exist to date. This shouldn't be possible even to permit. This sounds very much like a law suit that will be forthcoming. It will be additionally heinous should such a situation prevail,and people's lives lost or compromised, because this was wrongfully permitted and executed.
Why is the old Safeway location downtown or the old wine store on the corner of Silverado Trail and 1st not being considered? Both are commercial areas. Alta Heights is not.
Most sincerely,
Estreya Kesler
Resident Alta Heights
You don't often get email from
Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
03.21.24 Regarding:
PL23
-
0159
Le
Petit
To:
The
City
of
Napa
Planning
Commission
From:
Kim
Kocher
Napa
Dear
members
I
will
address
two
of
the
many
concerns
facing
our
Community
with
the
potential
approval
of
Le
Petit
Daycare
Center
being
placed
on
Chapel
Hill
.
1. Sidewalks
and
bike
lanes.
We
as
a
community
in
Alta
Heights
have
learned
to
exist
with
a
grammar
school
of
over
two
hundred
children,
two
day
care
centers,
and
the
traffic
from
the
middle
school
of
Coombsville
road
at
the
5 way
stop.
To
exist
in
Harmony
is
a
challenge
.
We
are
an
elderly
community,
most
of
us
have
lived
here
25 to
50 years.
Our
children,
as
well
as
ourselves
have
attended
AH
school.
We
were
the
force
behind
the
installation
of
sidewalks
down
East
Ave
to
Clark
to
provide
a
clear
and
safe
route
for
our
cars
and
school
age
pedestrians
to
co
-
exist.
We
are
an
active
Nieghbor
hood,
in
daily
walking,
biking,
cross
fit
at
the
park,
and
dog
walking.
We
also
support
a
large
existing
wildlife
population.
BUT
WE
ALL
AVOID
WALKING
FROM
EAST
AVE
PAST
CHAPEL
HILL
ON
MONTECITO.
This
is
a
steep
curving
and
fast
route
with
blind
turns.
Difficult
for
adults
to
manage.
We
will
not
accept
that
children
will
be
safe
without
sidewalks
and
bike
paths.
We
also
don’t
believe
that
pedestrians
and
bikes
will
not
be
used
to
arrive
and
depart
from
this
proposed
Complex.
THE
TRAFFIC
STUDY
PROVIDED
TO
YOU
WAS
TAKEN
ON
A
DAY
THAT
SCHOOL
WAS
NOT
IN
SESSION.
we
will
demand
the
City
provide
a
second
traffic
study.
2. The
Use
Permit
We
need
a
clear
explanation
on
the
Grant
that
Le
Petit
was
awarded
,
clearly
it
was
for
infant
daycare
and
clearly
there
is
an
entire
other
proposed
purpose
for
this
Complex.
A
profit
center
for
sports
activities,
events
,
weddings.
Is
the
Use
Permit
that
you
could
approve
include
all
these
other
activities?
Are
you
approving
activities
outside
of
daycare?
Kim
Kocher
Napa
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
susan konold < >
Sent:
Monday, March 11, 2024 2:55 PM
To:
Planning Department
Subject:
PL23-0159 Le Petit
[EXTERNAL]
Hello,
I live at As a resident of Alta Heights and directly adjacent to the former Mormon church on Montecito Blvd and Chapel Hill, I am concerned about the proposed use of the former church location as a day camp, day care, recreational public and private event and childcare center.
More than anything my concern is with the safety of residents. When we had the fires a few years ago, the fire department evacuated the homes up the hill from Lakeview Drive and higher in order to manage and mitigate traffic jams and potential risks to home and lives as the fire trucks had to go up the hill to manage the fire. Imagine the risk to property and lives with even more cars and people impeding evacuation and rescue vehicle should anything similar happen again.
The streets and the area cannot accomodate a commercial business of the size proposed by the Le Petit center. Who is going to compensate the neighbors when their property values decrease by hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Childcare is important. Smart use of property and neighborhoods is even more important.
I oppose the proposed use of the mormon church building by the huge commercial Le Petit Childcare operation. Surely there are other options.. convalescent home, etc.
Susan Konold
You don't often get email from
Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Gunter Konold < >
Sent:
Monday, March 25, 2024 4:13 PM
To:
Planning Department
Subject:
Proposed Daycare Facility
[EXTERNAL]
Gunter & Aurora Konold
____ ___________________________________________
March 25, 2024
Planning Commission
City of Napa
P. O. Box 660
Napa, CA 94559
Dear Planning Commissioners,
We are in receipt of your notice of a proposed daycare facility and other youth services at 15 Chapel Hill Drive. We own property on Montecito Blvd in Napa and we must believe that a city of the stature of Napa would not allow a facility of such magnitude impact a residential neighborhood.
We question the planning staff's alleged determination that finds the use exempt from environmental review. We agree that infill development and existing facility are significant factors. But there are other considerations: the proposed use would cause monumental impacts on the residential neighborhood.
Montecito Blvd is already impacted by extensive auto traffic and considerable pedestrian traffic, with practically no infrastructure besides a poorly maintained asphalt pavement. Montecito would have to handle ALL traffic to and from the facility.
The Traffic Study reads like it is written by the daycare execs. It finds practically no impacts on Montecito. No responsible city can accept such a report that has many charts and graphs, but omits the most significant aspects.
You don't often get email from
Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
2 The report ignores the considerable pedestrian traffic on Montecito Blvd alongside fast moving auto traffic. It glosses over the existence of an elementary school with its own uncoordinated traffic impact.
It ignores the lack of infrastructure that forces
mothers to push their strollers practically alongside auto traffic. And it does not have the foresight to address the inevitability of children walking on Montecito to and from the daycare facility, with or with a parent, within feet of passing traffic. Du ring winter rains,
these children would have to walk in the flow of rainwater as it cascades down both side of Montecito Blvd., or move even closer to dangerous car traffic.
It is inconceivable that the City of Napa, which prides itself as being the gateway to a premier wine producing region, and that attracts visitors from all over the world, allows such a situation to prevail and possibly exacerbate it by accepting an inappropriate use in a residential neighborhood.
The Alta Heights area, of which the proposed daycare would be part, has experienced evacuation alerts in the past due to wildfires. Emergency vehicles were traveling Montecito Blvd day and night.
Such a possibility in the future is a constant concern and, with Montecito Blvd being the only evacuation route, would present a nightmare scenario in attempting to evacuate the many children from the daycare facility. Incidentally, has the building been certified as to meeting earthquake standards for the proposed use?
It is commendable that the Le Petit Elephant owners plan to expand its operation. But the proposed residential area with limited access and egress is not the answer. The organization needs to combine its own resources with the generous grant money, seek additional grants and, along with City incentives, locate a more suitable location with more appropriate and safer access and egress for their precious children and staff, possibly build an appropriate facility that serves its needs.
We strongly oppose the proposed daycare facility and other youth services (PL23-0159) at 15 Chapel
Hill Drive, due to its inappropriateness in a residential neighborhood.
Gunter Konold
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Kevin McElroy < >
Sent:
Wednesday, March 27, 2024 5:17 PM
To:
Planning Department
Subject:
PL23-0159 Le Petit
[EXTERNAL]
To the Napa City Planning Commission,
Re: PL23-0159 Le Petit
As a 10 year resident of Chapel Hill Drive I am writing to let you know that I am highly opposed to the use permit application and proposed business plans being brought forward by Le Petit Elephant Nursery.
As child care is an important issue for any community, it is also just as important that the facilities used for a business of the manner be in an appropriate location. The chruch on Chapel Hill Drive is not an appropriate location for a business of this manner or magnitude. The surrouding neighborhood has a significant lack of public safty infustructure to handle a business as is being proposed.
Our streets have no sidewalks, crosswalks, and on multiple location have no stop signs. Many of the streets also have blind corners in which pedestrians can not see oncomming cars and the cars are not able to see pedestrians. As a person who walks these
streets daily for exercise and recreeation, I can say
all to well about the numerous times I have come too close to accident. And this is before including the additional +1000 car trips that will come to our neighborhoood because of this business, as listed in the submitted traffic study. A study that I will add is a gross underestimate of the traffic the neighborhood expects to truly see coming due to this business.
Another matter of great concern is the risk of fire evacuations. As being a resident who was evacuated during the 2017 fire, I first hand saw the line of cars that crowded the streets as residents of upper Montecito Blvd., lower Montecito Blvd. and Chapel Hill Drive were trying to leave their homes. This incedent happened in the very ealry hours of the morning and the streets were lined with cars
If this incedent were to happen during the day, with the already existing Alta Heights Elementary School, Childrens Cottage Day Care, Yellow Brick Road Day Care center, and the proposed Le Petit Elephant all in session, I fear the surrounding streets would be so congested with traffic with parents frantically trying to get to their children, that many would not be able to get out safly. Especially the residents of upper Montecito Blvd. who have only one way in and one way out, along with the elderly reside nts, in which Alta
Heights has many. It is also very suprising and disturbing that in the traffic and safty reports submitted, this topic has not come up, and that CalFire has not been consulted in these studies.
I greatly urge you to oppose and vote no on this proposal.
Sincerly and respecfully,
You don't often get email from
Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
2 Kevin McElroy
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Laura Meister < >
Sent:
Thursday, March 21, 2024 2:30 PM
To:
Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
Subject:
Chapel Hill
Categories:
Unverified Contact
[EXTERNAL]
Angela,
I’m o ering my concerns on the Le Petit application for a massive daycare facility at 15 Chapel Hill. My home for the last 15 years or so, is a block away at
We already have driving and parking issues associated
with Alta Heights School! Adding drop-o and pick-up tra ic for up to 250 children per day would be extremely impactful and, frankly, dangerous for many reasons. That’s 1,000 MORE vehicles up and down Montecito or Lakeview per day which is already a challenge and test of patience for residents during AH school drop-o and pick-up times. Sadly, a great number of drivers are making Uturns, blocking driveways, and rolling through stop signs already! Very few of the surrounding streets have sidewalks so kids and pedestrians are already competing for walking space on the pavement.
Additionally, an emergency evacuation for an additional 250 children plus sta due to fire, etc, could be a disaster as exit street options are extremely limited. The light at East Ave and Silverado Trail often allows only 6 cars on East Ave to clear the intersection at a cycle. How long would it take for hundreds more cars to get through on any regular day? We residents were very worried on how we could safely and quickly evacuate from the threatening wildfires a few years ago.
Did Napa require an environmental impact report for the proposed use? Tra ic, water, sewer, noise, infrastructure, etc.
Limit a daycare operation at that location to 30 children or less. That’s still a potential for an additional 120+ vehicle trips per day.
Consider this property for an a ordable senior housing facility.
Tra ic impact would be just a bit more than
sta .
Another church would be fine also.
Sincerely,
Laura Meister
You don't often get email from
Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Mayra Espinoza
From:
Laura Meister
Sent:
Thursday, March 21, 2024 10:03 PM
To:
PlanningCommission
Subject:
COMMENT TO COMMISSION FOR APRIL 4 MEETING - PLEASE READ"; (477 words) [EXTERNAL]
I’m o ering my comments on the application for a massive daycare facility at 15 Chapel Hill. My home for the last 15 years or so, is a block away at
We already have driving and parking issues associated with Alta Heights School. Adding drop-o and pick-up tra ic for 250 more children per day would be extremely impactful and, frankly, dangerous for many reasons. That’s 1,000 MORE vehicle trips (not
including sta ) up and down Montecito or Lakeview per day which is already a challenge and test of patience for local residents during AH school drop-o and pick-up times. Sadly, a great number of drivers are making U-turns, blocking driveways, letting children out on the street side, and rolling through stop signs already! Very few of the surrounding streets have sidewalks, so kids and pedestrians are already competing for walking space on the street.
Additionally, an emergency evacuation for an additional 250 children plus sta due to fire, etc, could be a disaster as egress options are extremely limited. How would parents get to their kids while neighbors are trying to flee? Residents were very worried on how we could safely and quickly evacuate from the threatening wildfires a few years ago.
On a regular day, the light at East Ave and Silverado Trail often allows only 6 cars from East Ave through the intersection per cycle. How long would it take for hundreds more cars to get through that intersection?
Here’s a simple but very serious suggestion: Ask 250 community members and neighbors to drive from their homes to 15 Chapel Hill between 7:30 and 8:15am, spend a couple minutes in the line of cars to simulate dropping o a child, then head back down the hill. Do the same again between 3p to 5:30p for the pick-up trip, all happening on one regular school day so the AH Elementary school parents can be part of the experience. Have drivers note and report the time it takes for the two round trips. That wou ld be a fair reality
check and SO simple. If it goes smoothly, great! If it’s a nightmare, good to know before things progress further. And then consider the impact of adding an evacuation to the mix.
Was tra ic and environmental impact studies performed on an average school day? How about e ects of water, garbage, sewer, noise, infrastructure, etc.
Consider limiting a daycare operation at that location to 30 children or less. That’s still a potential for an additional 120+ vehicle trips per day.
Consider working with potential smaller daycare owners to help them meet operational requirements so they can provide several convenient locations throughout the valley instead of impacting one access- restrictive neighborhood.
Consider this property for an a ordable senior housing facility. Tra ic impact would be mostly from sta and various visitors.
Another church would be fine also.
Sincerely,
Laura Meister
You don't often get email from
Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Roberta Manell Montero < >
Sent:
Monday, March 18, 2024 8:06 AM
To:
Planning Department
Subject:
PL23-0159 Le Petit Elephant
[EXTERNAL]
To whom this may concern,
I understand there is a proposal by Le Petit Elephant Nursery and Preschool to operate in the former Mormon Church on Montecito / Chapel Hill for 7 days a week. I live in the neighborhood, and am already impacted by the Alta Heights Elementary School and the Children’s Cottage preschool care that operates next to my back yard. I think this community has already gone to great lengths to support / tolerate preschool and school activities that involve lots of car traffic on week days and the inconvenience they involve several times a day.
Now we are being asked to tolerate yet another source of traffic over seven (7) days a week.
This is a residential neighborhood. I am very concerned and upset about this potential further erosion of the “peace and quiet” that I need to function both as a self-employed person and someone who counts on a relaxing weekend in my garden. I have lived in my home for almost 40 years and have seen and heard the increased volume and inconvenience from both Children’s Cottage and the Alta Heights Elementary School.
Please do not allow Le Petit to add to this in our neighborhood.
I would love to see the Mormon Church become a useful entity once again, but please take my neighbors concerns in mind as to the type of business to be encouraged in this already very busy section of Alta Heights.
Best regards,
Roberta Manell Montero
Napa, CA
Roberta Manell Montero
Barrels, Puncheons and Tanks
: Billon * Damy * European Coopers Hungary * Master Coopers * Maury * Schneckenleitner
Premium Oak Barrel Alternatives:
Canadell
Eggs, Amphorae, Concrete Tanks, Globes:
Drunk Turtle * Egginox * TAVA * CLC Dreams * WineGlobe
- 2024 Oak & Non-Oak Pricing Available -
You don't often get email from
Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Evelyn Camilo Morrand < >
Sent:
Thursday, March 28, 2024 2:38 PM
To:
Planning Department
Cc:
Monica
Morrand; Kenrick Morrand;
Subject:
Subject PL23-0159 Le Petit
[EXTERNAL]
Evelyn Morrand
Napa, California 94559
03/28/2024
Napa County Planning Department
1600 First Street
Napa, CA 94559
Subject:
Subject PL23-0159 Le Petit
Dear Napa County Planning Department,
I am writing to express my firm opposition to the proposal for a large-scale preschool named "Le Petite" at the Alta Heights location. Our community of Alta Heights faces significant safety, traffic, and zoning concerns that render this proposal unsuitable for our residential area.
Safety is our primary concern, and the current infrastructure around Alta Heights is inadequate to handle the increased traffic and pedestrian activity that a large preschool would bring. The absence of sidewalks and crosswalks poses a significant risk to pedestrians, cyclists, children, and pets. Additionally, the narrow streets, blind intersections, curves, and hills contribute to the likelihood of speeding and accidents, endangering the safety of both residents and visitors.
In the event of an emergency evacuation, the limited points of egress from the neighborhood, especially for those residing on or near Montecito Blvd, pose a serious threat to public safety. The concurrent movement of residents evacuating and parents arriving to retrieve their children from the preschool could further impede emergency services, putting lives at risk.
Moreover, the proposed preschool would exacerbate traffic congestion in our already strained neighborhood and arterial streets. The anticipated addition of over 1000 daily car trips has not been adequately addressed in the traffic study, disregarding concerns about air quality, road damage, and the overall quality of life for residents, pets, and wildlife. The existing five-point intersection is already at maximum capacity and rated "F" in traffic flow, making it incapable of accommodating additional volume without compromising safety.
Furthermore, the applicant's request for a use permit to operate "Le Petite" is concerning. While the zoning may allow for daycare facilities, the proposed operating hours (seven days a week, from 7:30 am to 8:00 pm) and the broad scope of activities suggest a commercial enterprise that is incompatible with the residential character of Alta Heights.
You don't often get email from
Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
2 While we acknowledge the need for quality daycare in Napa, the size and scope of "Le Petite" are not conducive to our residential area. We implore the Napa County Planning Department to consider the safety and well-being of our community and reject this proposal.
Thank you for your attention to this matter and for your ongoing efforts to maintain the safety and character of Alta Heights.
Sincerely,
Evelyn Morrand
Before printing this e-mail, please consider the environment.
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Monica < >
Sent:
Thursday, March 28, 2024 1:08 PM
To:
Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
Cc:
Brian Nagy; PlanningCommission; Scott Sedgley; Liz Alessio; Beth Painter; Mary Luros; Bernie Narvaez; [email protected]
Subject:
Planning Commission Application PL-23-0159LPE, April 4, 2024 [EXTERNAL]
Re: Napa Planning Commission Application # PL-23-0159LPE Meeting date: April 4, 2024
Public Comment by Brian & Monica Nagy at
Dear Planning Commissioners Bob Massaro, Beverly Shotwell, Gordon Heuther, Paul Kelley and Alex Myers:
We are opposed to this application for safety reasons. We do not believe proper consideration has been given to how increased traffic will negatively impact a safe evacuation for the residents and children of this daycare in the event of a fire.
In July of 2023, we were advised to evacuate, and at the bottom of the hill there was congestion. School was on holiday. It was alarming to think how far up the hill we would be stopped if school were in session. We have over a mile to reach the one exit available to us. If you grant this permit, you would double the traffic during school hours and make evacuation very difficult.
Adding more traffic to Montecito Boulevard would be irresponsible.
The safety of the children and the residents should be your top priority.
Regards,
Brian & Monica Nagy
Some people who received this message don't often get email from Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Sheila Newberry < >
Sent:
Sunday, March 24, 2024 6:03 PM
To:
Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
Subject:
LPE
Categories:
Unverified Contact
[You don't o en get email from Learn why this is important at h ps://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIden fica on ]
[EXTERNAL]
My name is Sheila Newberry and I live at
I am wri ng in opposi on to the applica on for the LPE nursery school, day care and event center.
Our neighborhood is already impacted with Alta Heights School which has no real parking lot, but with most parents driving their children to and from school. Adding 1000 cars per day on our streets-without sidewalks, for the most part- would be hugely dangerous. There are only 92 parking spots at the old Morman church. Each child has to be escorted to and from the classroom. Carpooling is not a viable op on. Where are these people going to park? Our hilly area has visual limita ons as anyone who has tried to make a le turn from either end of Chapel Hill to Montecito can a est.
Ingress and egress is also a major issue with only two controlled intersec ons, East Third and East First. No evacua on routes or procedures were addressed at the public mee ngs I a ended. In 2017 and again in 2020 evacua ons were ordered. How will that work with no sidewalks?
I believe the city needs to find a more suitable loca on for this large project. Alta Heights shouldn’t be responsible for the city’s lack of foresight. I feel this project is being shoved down our collec ve throats.
Sheila Newberry
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Cj Norton < >
Sent:
Thursday, March 28, 2024 1:51 PM
To:
Brandon Kotaniemi; Planning Department
Subject:
Subject PL23-0159 Le Petit
[EXTERNAL]
Dear Planning Commision,
We'd like to voice our concerns about the Day Care
proposed at the site of the former Mormon Church on
Montecito Blvd in Napa. We have lived at since 2018. Initially, when we heard about this we were in favor of setting up a Day Care for the neighborhood. We then heard from other neighbors who were in closer proximity to the site about the document that they received detailing the plans, since they live within a 500 feet proximity. We are a small community in Alta Heights...This is not a place for a big corporation to set up a 12 hour a day 7 days a week facility of this magnitude - 380+ kids and 200+ staff.
The 5 way intersection coming out of the neighborhood is already heavily congested. Especially during pick up and drop off times for the elementary school that is just a block away from the proposed sight. I'd like for the planning commision to reconsider the proposal and think about the ramifications to our neighborhood of having 1000+ cars between parents and staff entering and leaving our neighborhood everyday.
We had a neighborhood meeting last week and the owner of Le Petit tried to take it over...even though he was not invited. When he said "take out your pitchforks this is happening here" I was alarmed by the utter
lack of consideration during our community meeting. This is no place for him and his company to set up a business. I'd like to know if his threat to build low income housing on the site, if the Day Care is not approved, is valid? Can you please confirm this?
These are some of the concerns that were voiced at the neighborhood meeting:
1. Safety
1. No separation of cars and pedestrians, cyclists, children and pets due to lack of sidewalks and crosswalks
2. Narrow streets with blind intersections, curves and hills
3. Speeding
2. Emergency Evacuation
1. Few points of egress from the neighborhood, and single point from those on and just off of Montecito Blvd
2. Resident evacuation whilst parents are coming into neighborhood to retrieve children
3. Impediment of emergency services required for residents who are not mobile
3. Traffic Congestion
You don't often get email from
Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
2 1.
Impact on neighborhood and all arterial streets of over 1000 additional daily car trips.
Traffic study did not take into account the full impact of traffic on the neighborhood and arterial streets.
2. Environmental impact of additional car trips including air quality, road damage, and quality of life for residents, pets and wildlife.
3. The 5 point intersection is already at max capacity, and can't shoulder additional volume. Intersection already has above average state collisions and is rated F on traffic study (with F being worst possible rating)
4. Use Permit
1. Applicant is requesting a use permit to run a daycare. The scope of the business is much broader than that, operating seven days a week, 7:30 am - 8:00 pm. Zoning for that plot of land allows for daycare, it is not zoned for a commercial business.
2. The center of a residential neighborhood is an inappropriate location for a business to operate.
While we understand the need for quality daycare in Napa, this size and scope of this business is not a good fit for our residential area.
I plan on being at the April 4th meeting along with many neighbors. We are all mostly in agreement we will make every effort to keep this business out of our neighborhood. They can take his $4 million dollar grant from the county and go find a more feasible location.
Please let us know if you would like additional information.
Best, CJ Norton and Brandon Kotaniemi @
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Daniel Nothmann < >
Sent:
Thursday, March 28, 2024 1:32 PM
To:
Planning Department
Subject:
PL23-0159 Le Petit
[You don't o en get email from Learn why this is important at h ps://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIden fica on ]
[EXTERNAL]
Members of the Planning Department,
I recently moved to the Alta Heights are of Napa in 2023. I can see the building proposed to be used as a daycare from my house. I have some concerns about the proposed use of this building which would supposedly house 250+ infants/toddlers.
1. Traffic: What I heard from at the informa onal neighborhood mee ng suggested the traffic study was inherently flawed. I do not recall the date it was conducted but people pointed out that it was done during a me of year where the student census was lower (i.e. around a holiday). Given the exis ng traffic challenges from the exis ng Alta Heights Elementary school down the hill from the proposed site It is mind-boggling to imagine the increased traffic not just from the parents dropping off 250+ children but all the vehicles to support such an endeavor (e.g., care-givers, support staff, food service trucks, garbage removal, etc.). Given the layout of the local streets as well as the entrance and exits for the proposed site, it is hard to imagine this not leading to massive traffic delays.
The 5 point interac on on east road is already a congested mess. I heard there were plans to add traffic circle(s) but given the difficulty many have managing the concept I suspect this will not improve things with such addi onal volume of traffic.
2. Safety: There is the day to day concern about safety. This neighborhood is a quiet one where people are o en walking/running, dog-walking, biking, etc. Increased traffic volume will inherently increase risks for pedestrians. As you may be aware the number of pedestrian accidents have increased since the pandemic. The tremendous increase in volume raises significant concerns about the safety and welfare of individuals who reside in the neighborhood and the risk to them posed by vehicular traffic.
Then there are the greater risks to the community in the event of a natural disaster. I was not a resident several years ago but I heard about a fire event during which the community was placed on an evacua on no ce. Residents recalled being told they would have very li le no fica on to evacuate in case of a rapid moving wildfire. I believe someone men oned about 15 minutes. If this were to occur during the day, with the school at capacity it would seem to be impossible to evacuate everyone from the school (par cularly as small children/infants can’t even be evacuated in a regular bus, en masse) plus residents. Given the narrow streets and limited access in this neighborhood how can firetrucks get into the area to fight fires while all the residents
and 250+ students and their caregivers are trying to get out. Not to men on the fact that presumably the parents of said children would be jamming the streets as they all tried to get there to pick up their kids as well.
Natural disasters can be a ributable to “an act of God.” The myopic decision to place such a large facility, with so many small children to be evacuated in an emergency in a place that makes this prac cally impossible to do quickly/safely, coupled with the aforemen oned factors removes God from the equa on and places the responsibility for a poten al catastrophic disaster squarely on us. Or more to the point, on people responsible for making such a decision. I would ATTACHMENT 3
2 rather have my taxes going to benefi ng the city of Napa, not having to pay for the inevitable lawsuits that would arise from a poten al catastrophe which forethought could have prevented.
3. Noise: I work from home using online mee ngs. I have heard from others about the exis ng Le Pe t Elephant daycare and have heard the kids are “always outside”. I can not imagine how much noise would be generated by 250+ children playing outside approximately 30 yards from my house.
4. Loca on: Given the demographics of this neighborhood which is on the older side I imagine most of the children would be coming from other neighborhoods. Why not have a plan to build a daycare in/closer to the neighborhoods more of the children would be coming from? This could cut down on the transporta on/traffic problems. It seems as though there are apartments being built in other areas of Napa. Why not build a daycare there? Besides, there is already a daycare right across the street from the Alta Heights Elementary School.
I appreciate the commissioners' me on this important issue.
Respec ully,
Daniel Nothmann
Napa, CA 94559
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Sergio Novak
Sent:
Friday, March 1, 2024 11:16 AM
To:
Angela Alvarez-Cendejas; Ricky Caperton
Cc:
Scott Sedgley; Mary Luros
Subject:
Le Petit Elephant (LPE) Childcare Center
Follow Up Flag:
Follow up
Flag Status:
Completed
[EXTERNAL]
Dear Mr. Caperton/Planning Manager and Ms. Alvarez-Cendejas/Assistant Planner,
I am writing to the City of Napa Planning Division to express my deep concern regarding the size and scope of the proposed Le Petit Elephant (LPE) childcare program on Chapel Hill. I live on the corner of Montecito and Bonita Ave., thus this project will have significant effects on my family's quality of life; noise, traffic, wild-life, pedestrian and pet safety. We moved here over 10 years ago from South Napa for an increase in safety, peace, quiet and tranquility and to enjoy our retirement years. We intentionally did not move next to or across from a school for the aforementioned reasons. In recent years, many people have moved to this area of Napa because they require a quiet and peaceful environment to work from home. In addition, many have moved to this niche to plan for their retirement years. Recently, a couple toured the house for sale at 10 Chapel Hill and strongly considered purchasing the property. As soon as they found out about the magnitude of the LPE project, they withdrew their offer! LPE is planning for 280 students! Alta Heights Elementary School has 278 students on a much larger property. Most people do not want to live close to a school, especially one that will be open 7 days a week, plus evenings and year round! The church property is located in a residential neighborhood, not a commercial area!
As mentioned, our neighborhood already has an elementary school that creates a great deal of traffic and congestion. Often, the parents are in a hurry to drop off and get to work, thus their driving etiquette is questionable by racing around, making U-Turns and driving different routes throughout Alta Heights. Since there are no sidewalks on Montecito, an increase in traffic will also increase the potential for pedestrian, wildlife and pet accidents. In addition to Alta Heights Elementary School, we also have the Children's Cottage and we must contend with Bottle Rock and other Faire events.
The 5 way signal is already a nightmare! Add 250+
cars everyday and it will be CRAZY! People will be forced to add congestion to First St. and Lincoln/Clark along Silverado Trail.
A NextDoor Neighbor discussion commenced following the February Q&A session with LPE. Below are only some of the comments:
"This is a proposal that will have significant impact on our neighborhood, particularly in the area of traffic, congestion, and noise. During a meeting we learned that the target is 200 to 280 children in the near future, with growth expected. Additionally, they are planning to have space for private parties, as well as sports in the basketball court, and theater events. Summer camps for kids up to 12 will also take place. They initially said it was a five-day a week operation, but in the conversation that expanded to also include evenings and weekend.
Drop off and pick up times would be during the busy morning hours of 7:30 to 9:00am and evening hours 3:00 to 5:30pm. There is also a mid-day pickup for half day children.”
You don't often get email from
Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
2 The proposal "will have an effect on those that live near the school as well as the broader community, particularly on streets that give access to the neighborhood and the church, including East Avenue and First Street as main arteries into and out of the area, not to mention Montecito and streets people will take get around or avoid congestion.”
“This doesn't sound good. Keep in mind, too, that the number of kids given for a childcare-- let's say 200-- is the
number of kids that can be accommodated at any given time, not the total number throughout the day. We are already supporting traffic from residents, the elementary school and people who bypass Silverado Trail. A behemoth childcare business would be a disaster, and would have a stunning impact on everyone.”
“Doesn't seem like a lot of notice was given, nor to a large geographic area. It doesn't just impact the residents on Chapel Hill!”
“We did not receive a letter informing us of the meeting and we live on the corner of Montecito and Bonita.”
“At the meeting it was shared with us that their administrative staff is 50 persons and children in attendance would be upwards of close to 250. So a lot of additional cars traveling through Alta Heights. Since we don’t have many young families in our neighborhood, we know they’ll be coming in from all directions, through the 5 way and probably off of Clark, potentially using alternate streets to get to the church and avoid the traffic around the school in the morning. The notice for this meeting should have reached a broader segment of our neighborhood.”
“50 staff persons and around 250 children and the attendant traffic? Our neighborhood cannot support an operation of this size, too much negative impact. And essentially next door to the elementary school of the same size?”
“This area is in Mary Luros’ district, I have mentioned the issue to her and she has agreed to be involved in the conversation if a neighborhood meeting is put together…which needs to happen.”
“I checked with a friend down the street as well to see if she got the meeting invite - she did - but with the short notice, she could not attend. Obviously the point of sending the meeting notification on such short notice.
Although I don't think the letter was sent beyond houses on Montecito and Chapel Hill. We all need to work together to get this information out to fellow neighbors throughout Alta Heights. We cannot support 250 cars coming through this neighborhood twice a day, particularly if there is ever an emergency that requires evacuation. I personally am not feeling that what has been communicated thus far has been on the up and up.
When asking about expansion plans, 5 to 10 year growth plans etc. the questions were evaded."
"When daycare is done and all are packed onto Montecito, trying to get out of neighborhood onto East Ave, the closest other way out will be down Lakeview and down East First St to East Ave. where there it is already a speedway."
“K And I think a lot of residents on upper Montecito who normally travel Montecito to and from their homes would switch to Lakeview/ E.First as their normal route, to bypass the lower Montecito mess altogether, too many kids, too many cars.”
“A really big concern I have is that Alta Heights school already causes traffic blocks before and after school as there is no parking for parents so they block traffic waiting in line to drop off and pick up students as there is nowhere to pull off to the curb. Add another facility just a few houses up the street would be horrible!”
ATTACHMENT 3
3 In closing, I am not against a small childcare program occupying the former Church property, but I am strongly opposed to a huge childcare program that will negatively impact my family's quality of life.
Please listen to the Alta Heights community's concerns and not allow such an enormous project to move forward.
Sincerely,
Sacia Novak
Napa
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Greg Pappas <
Sent:
Tuesday, March 26, 2024 1:09 PM
To:
Planning Department
Subject:
PL23-0159 Le Petit
[EXTERNAL]
Dear Planning Commission,
We were recently made aware of the proposed business on Chapel Hill and are extremely confused and concerned.
Approving a large-scale business enterprise in a neighborhood that lacks infrastructure creates several safety, risk, and liability issues.
The streets are narrow with several blind spots and hills. Speeding is natural as residents, vineyard management, yard maintenance, contractors and other business personnel descend the neighborhood past the proposed site. There is only one way out for residents that live on Montecito, Monte Vista, El Camino, El Cortez, El Nido and Via Arroyo.
In addition to the day-to-
day safety concerns, based on history, fire evacuations (or any other evacuation) would create an extremely dangerous scenario. An evacuation while the business enterprise is in session creates additional safety, risk, and liability.
We do not believe the Planning Commission would design this business in this neighborhood – it does not make any sense. We strongly encourage the Planning Commission to disapprove this business proposal.
Sincerely,
Concerned Neighbors
You don't often get email from
Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
kent < >
Sent:
Wednesday, March 27, 2024 10:49 AM
To:
Planning Department
Cc:
Mary Luros; Tracy Lynne Parker;
Subject:
Comments regarding PL23-0159 Le Petit
Attachments:
Le Petit nursery docx 2.pdf
[EXTERNAL]
To: The City of Napa Planning Division March 26, 2024
Regarding: PL23-0159 Le Petit
From: Tracy Lynne and Kent Parker
Residents at
Napa, Ca. 94559
Dear Planning Dept.,
This letter is to inform you that as residents living on East Ave. for the past 22 years, we are both opposed
to the
proposed use of the Chapel Hills church as outlined in the use permit application submitted by the Le Petit Elephant Nursery and Child Development Center.
Please take the following into consideration during your review of this application.
This project does not respect, compliment, or benefit the needs of the existing neighborhood.
It will increase traffic in all arteries leading to and from Chapel Hill Drive to include the already congested 5-way intersection (East, Coombsville, Third, Silverado Trail), Montecito Blvd., Lakeville Drive, 1st Street and East First Street, East Ave and several of the streets that intersect with East Ave.
This increase in traffic will also be compounded by the building of the proposed traffic circle at the 5-way intersection.
The increase in traffic will also affect the use of East Ave. as far North as Lincoln Ave, as East Ave. is a collector street for emergency vehicles which we see frequently used as an alternative route to Silverado Trail. We also see larger trucks and large empty buses use East Ave. for the same reason.
The increase in traffic we will see will negatively impact the peaceful environment of our neighborhood and in doing so, our lives.
Montecito Blvd. is the only exit street for the entire neighborhood built upon this hill which overlooks Alta Heights.
This hill was evacuated during the 2017 Atlas Fire
. Egress from this area in an emergency would be
problematic for management of up to 250 very young children and compounded by the evacuation of the existing residents themselves. The road is without sidewalks and narrows with street parking so that only one car could descend at a time.
You don't often get email from .
Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
2
RS zoning (Chapel Hills Drive) states a day care facility may have 15 + children or 9 adults.
There will be additional stress on the utilities to include water and sewage.
There will be an increase in traffic from delivery vehicles as well, such as food vendors, event vendors, that would be outside the hours of operation proposed for the day-care of children.
The submitted traffic impact study by W-
Trans was performed at limited locations and only one day, a day when the Alta Height Elementary school was out of session. It should not be relied upon.
The outside of the church property is not secure for children as a playground. There are sloped hills and no fences to contain the children. There are no surrounding sidewalks to act as a buffer between the church property and traffic.
The outside grounds are not protected from predators.
The neighbors have been informed that an EIR report was not performed for this proposed substantial project that would significantly impact the entire neighborhood.
Respectfully submitted,
Tracy Lynne and Kent Parker
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Kim Cabral < >
Sent:
Monday, March 25, 2024 4:59 PM
To:
Planning Department
Subject:
PL23-0159 Le Petit
[EXTERNAL]
Dear Planning Commissioners,
I am writing to express my concerns regarding the proposed business project slated for our neighborhood. As a resident deeply invested in maintaining the unique character and charm of our community, I feel compelled to address the potential implications of introducing such a large-scale enterprise into our midst.
Our neighborhood thrives on its intimate, neighborly atmosphere, and the introduction of a major business could significantly alter the fabric of our close-knit community. It is essential that we carefully consider the long-term consequences and ensure that any development aligns with the values and character that define our neighborhood.
I've detailed below the most relevant concerns we have at this time as residents in Alta Heights.
1. Facility Size and Scope: We understand that this project will be (by far) the largest daycare facility in the city of Napa. For neighbors the scope of the proposal is the issue. The addition of extracurricular activities and unrestricted events makes the neighbors nervous as to the magnitude of what is proposed. This is a much more intensive use than is expected for what is presented as a daycare.
If the intent is to address a need for daycare in our community, then the use should focus on daycare and not throw in all the unrelated more intense activities. The applicant should reduce the daycare portion to a reasonable size and remove the event center and other addons that have nothing to do with daycare.
2. Emergency evacuation issues: Recent fires and associated evacuation notices in the area have residents concerned about the ability to evacuate during any type of disaster. Please address this concern as it relates to the project as a whole and the addition of the potential need to evacuate 220+ very young children, employees, and others.
3. Playroom Membership – Explain the indoor playroom membership concept described in the LPE Narrative bullet point #12. It is unclear how this works in general and why it is needed, how many additional participants and staff will be generated and whether the numbers are included in the traffic study. Please clarify.
4. Traffic Flow (Drop Off/Pick Up) – Please address resident’s concerns regarding peak hours traffic volume impacts on Chapel Hill and Montecito Blvd at the project frontage. Include drop off and pickup queuing backup onto streets, anticipated onsite and offsite traffic flow patterns, drop off zone capacity/traffic flow, required accessible (ADA) parking numbers required, and impacts associated with the vehicles maneuvering through the parking area and attempting to access and exit the site at the two driveways.
a. The concern is based on what has been witnessed at the Alta Heights Elementary School and other similar facilities in the city. Drop off and pick up activities for this type of use are typically chaotic as parents/caregivers are trying to get in and out quickly all at the same time. The impact to the fronting streets is the issue.
b. There is no mention in the traffic study of project impacts on Chapel Hill Drive and Montecito Blvd. Please provide existing versus proposed traffic volumes, impacts and mitigating factors for these streets. No matter what the magnitude of these impacts may be, they are a concern to the residents and should be acknowledged and addressed.
c. The Narrative indicates that all pick up and drop off will be accommodated by the 12 parking spaces that front the church and there will be staggered drop off/pick up times. Provide a detailed description noting actual planned staggered drop off and pick up times and provide an analysis identifying the traffic flow impacts of the anticipated volumes at peak drop off/pick up times. Is this enforceable? How is this monitored and enforced?
d. Please address the concern that drop off and pick up of 0 – 5 year old children requires more time and effort than is associated with the quicker process involving older children. Queuing backups onto streets are more likely to occur since
You don't often get email from
Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
2 it is assumed that the parent’s/caregiver’s process will include: parking the vehicle, walking the child into the building, getting the child settled in, then returning to the vehicle and attempting to exit the site as others are all doing the same (repeated for pick up time). It is unclear how this all will occur in an efficient and orderly fashion.
e. The plans show accessible (ADA) spaces in what appears to be a gated area that is assumed to be for employees only. Where are the daycare attendee’s (ADA) spaces located? How many ADA spaces are required for employees and how many for daycare attendees?
f. ADA spaces are typically required to be located directly adjacent to the building and include an accessible path of travel. This will limit use of some of the drop off spaces. Please provide/include ADA space and path of travel information.
5. Event Center Activities:
a. Is this a day care facility or is it an event center? The addition of an event center and other non-daycare uses is a concern. Our understanding is that (unlike the fairly modest activities at the previous church) the proposed facility would be a much more intensive use in that it operates 7 days a week (all day and some evenings) and would include an unrestricted event center and all of the other side uses. It is reasonable for neighbors to be concerned.
b. The Narrative indicates that the “Special Events” use has no occupancy or use limits. Only a reasonably sized daycare should be proposed, and the event use should be eliminated from the application. If events are allowed, then limits on the type and magnitude should be specified at some reasonable level (the applicant has expressed a willingness to do so).
6. Conclusion:
We are not against having a well thought out reasonably sized childcare facility as a neighbor.
What seems unreasonable
is the size of the daycare portion (much larger than any in Napa) and the addition of all the extracurricular and unlimited unrelated event activities.
Sincerely,
Kim Peters
Mike Taylor
Napa, CA 94559
ATTACHMENT 3
Thai Pham
Napa, CA 94559
City of Napa Planning Commission
Re: Use Permit Application PL23-0159 Le Petit Elephant
Dear Planning Commissioners:
I am writing to request you VOTE NO on the use permit request for Le Petit Elephant.
This business is projected to add an additional 1,100 car trips to the neighborhood.
These are my concerns why this business should not be allowed to operate at this location:
PUBLIC SAFETY:
Alta Heights lacks physical separation between motor vehicles and pedestrians, bicyclists, pets, and children due to very few existing sidewalks
Narrow streets carrying peds/cyclists with blind intersections, curves and hills.
Existing issues throughout the Alta Heights with speeding by residents, contractors, landscapers, and delivery vehicles. Additional cars will compound the issue.
EMERGENCY EVACUATIONS:
In the event of wildfire or earthquake, residents will need to evacuate narrow streets impeded by parents coming into neighborhood.
Single point of egress for residents living on or o Montecito Blvd during emergency
Before use permit is approved, we request that a site visit, a study, and an evaluation be performed by Cal Fire under an emergency focus area.
Has the scenario in which an evacuation of Alta Heights been considered? TRAFFIC CONGESTION:
The site of this daycare is on a local street, the 1,100 additional cars will have a detrimental impact on all local streets in this neighborhood.
A business of this size belongs on an arterial or collector street.
The 5-point intersection that will be primarily utilized to access this site is already considered at max capacity. The additional loads from this business will create more delays for residents and commuters.
Already existing tra ic on SB East Ave at 1 pm on Wednesday 3/13/24
ATTACHMENT 3
Cars lined up to turn into AH Elementary Montecito Blvd at 8 am Thursday 3/14/24
USE PERMIT
Applicant is requesting a use permit to run a daycare, but the written application states ancillary business operations 7 days a week, from 7:30 – 8:00 pm. The size and scope of this project is far greater than just a daycare.
The center of a residential neighborhood is inappropriate for a business to operate.
The size and scope of this proposed business should require an EIR, despite planning sta having “
determined that the Project is exempt from CEQA review based on Sections 15301 (Existing facilities) and 15332 (In-fill development)"
The ancillary uses of the property have not been defined, so conditional use restrictions must be applied to limit number of children, limit operational days and hours, limit activities, and limit outdoor use.
While I understand the need in Napa for additional daycare facilities, the granting of this permit will allow the applicant to run a large-scale business, not just a daycare.
If allowed to proceed, use restrictions must be implemented to ensure this residential location does not become the nexus of a large-scale commercial business.
This site would be better served addressing Napa’s even greater need, housing.
The existing building can be saved and converted into townhomes, while the open area that currently serves as parking can be transformed into housing units.
As a resident of the adjacent project site, I would not oppose, nor would I lead an opposition to this property becoming housing.
There must be other locations in Napa that are better suited for this business to operate.
Thank you for your consideration in not allowing this use permit to be approved,
Thai Pham
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Lach Reed < >
Sent:
Thursday, March 21, 2024 2:01 PM
To:
Planning Department
Subject:
PL23-0159 Le Petit
Follow Up Flag:
Follow up
Flag Status:
Completed
[You don't o en get email from Learn why this is important at h ps://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIden fica on ]
[EXTERNAL]
As a resident of Alta Heights, I am very concerned about the poten al development of the Mormon Church property.
With the school just below the church, there will be chaos in the morning and at a er school pickup, and the streets are just too narrow and busy as it is today.
Lachlan Reed
Napa 94559
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
CSR
Sent:
Monday, March 18, 2024 10:17 AM
To:
Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
Subject:
Re: Application (PL23-0159) (PL23-0159) Daycare facility for up to 250 children - 15 Chapel Hill Drive
[EXTERNAL]
Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
City Of Napa Planning
[email protected]
(707) 257-9639
Angela:
I'd like to register my strong opposition to the idea of placing a Daycare Center (of any size) at the Chapel Hill Drive location - or any other location in Alta Heights.
East Avenue is already an unregulated drag-strip with parents blazing down the street after dropping off kids at Alta Heights School.
BTW - the solar powered speed indicators (asking drivers to work within the honor system) is really a joke...
Charles Ryan
East Avenue, Napa
You don't often get email from
Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
m.cristina s.flynn < >
Sent:
Wednesday, March 27, 2024 5:25 PM
To:
Planning Department
Subject:
PL23-0159
[EXTERNAL]
Dear Planning department.
17 years ago when I moved from New York to California I was asked to move in with my father in law Dr.
Flynn. He was the director of the Napa State Hospital and he used to live (before becoming a director) in SoCal. He decided to move to Alta Heights and make this his new home for several reasons. Alta Heights was that one neighborhood in Napa that was a bit downtown but not so close, it had plenty of nature gorgeous trees with birds, quiet streets, small schools, kids playing on the streets , bucolic streets and homes, friendly people, dogs and cats roaming the streets. So, with those charming way of life he asked me and my family to move here and we raised our kids in Alta Heights. They both went to Children’s Cottahe day care and attended Alta Heights Elementary where I worked as a yard duty for years. What I loved most about living here is the fact that I felt a very tight and safe neighborhood with not much cars of businesses making it safe for our kids to walk around.
Now I feel this community will loose everything I see in a quiet and safe neighborhood. I was very dissatisfied and disappointed to see the city is allowing a business to take over Chapel Hill without any consideration on the consequences of a neighborhood that is drawn exactly by the qualities I mentioned above. I cannot imagine 1000 cars passing per day on my street or in nearby areas blocking passage, driving fast regardless of traffic signs and disturbing the piece and quiet of pedestrians, home owners, the environment and community. The only reason Alta Heights is sought after is because it has that many qualities and that is valued more than size of homes.
Working as a yard duty I would see non resident cars passing by very quickly and not being careful despite all the signs. Traffic is congested and already a problem with Alta Heights at those peak times.
The prices of homes with devalue. I already see a house across the street of the proposed development for sale. Very sad.
So, with that in mind here is what I think:
I am upset with the construction of a large scale day care facility center in a small bucolic street because it will bring an increase of 1000 cars a day to an area that is not equipped to handle such traffic. This will not only disrupt the peace and quiet of the neighborhood, but also pose a danger to the residents, especially children who may be playing outside.
You don't often get email from
Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3
2 Additionally, the lack of an environmental impact analysis raises concerns about the potential damage that this construction could have on the natural surroundings. The increase in traffic and the potential pollution from the facility could harm the local ecosystem and wildlife.
Furthermore, the lack of fire safety measures in place for such a large scale facility raises significant red flags. In the event of a fire or other emergency, the safety of the children and staff at the facility, as well as neighboring homes, could be at risk.
To stop this construction I would like to petition local government officials to conduct a full environmental impact assessment and address any safety concerns.
The community and local authorities should engage in a thorough evaluation of these issues before moving forward with the project.
I am in favor of a small project for day care. But not a big one with after school recreation activities!
Maria Cristina Skowronski Flynn
Owner
Napa, CA 94559
ATTACHMENT 3
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
kurt websterwindow < >
Sent:
Friday, March 22, 2024 9:44 AM
To:
Planning Department
Subject:
PL23-0159 Le Petit
[EXTERNAL]
Hello-
Thank you for taking the time to read my e-mail regarding the proposed Le Petit Day Care in Alta Heights and the major concerns that I have. While I think it is a great idea to help out the community with a Day Care Center there are a few concerns with the location of this proposal that I have. Here are the following issues and possible solutions:
Alta Heights Fire Danger and Evacuation Egress
- This is a safety issue whether there is a new
day care or not, the issue would be adding the additional 250+ children that would need to be evacuated in the event of a fire.
I would propose to close the day care on the "Extreme Fire Danger Forecasts". These would be in line with the PG&E Power shut down thresholds, when those low humidity & high wind thresholds are met- the day care would be under a mandatory shut down for the safety of the children and residents of Alta Heights. Day Care customers would be made aware of this shut down possibility up front and I would assume they would be more than happy finding other arrangements for their children on those days/weeks that the area is at high risk.
Days of Operation
- The Day Care location is not ideal for a Commercial Business to operate with family residences immediately surrounding it. The business operating Monday-Friday (7:30am- 5:30pm) is one thing, but operating over the weekend with various hosted events would be unacceptable. The disruption to nearby neighbors every day of the week does not sound like a feasible project to drop in the middle of a neighborhood. The solution would be to limit the hours of operation to line up with Alta Heights school or to find another location all together that would fit the business model.
Zoning Issue
- Much like the last point, this is not a Commercial area for a business to operate even though past zoning designations technically allows it. The proposed project is located in the middle of a neighborhood, not a business park. I believe that this location needs to be seriously looked at for a zoning change to residential application.
Thank you,
Kurt Schmidt
You don't often get email from
Learn why this is important
ATTACHMENT 3