Developers eye once-sleepy downtown Napa
A new hotel and retail/office block will lead the makeover of what used to be a pit stop for gas
Napa, California
IN the 1980s, when John Truchard was a teenager, the most happening watering hole in downtown Napa was the McDonald's on Jefferson Street. "It was a ghost town," said Mr Truchard, the owner of a wine room, JaM Cellars. "There were no good restaurants, nothing good to do."
Napa, with a population of about 80,000, is Napa Valley's largest city and the county seat. Until recently, even as Napa Valley became an international wine destination, tourists tended to bypass the city in favour of venturing "up valley" for wine tasting, luxury lodging and upscale restaurants. Places like St Helena, Yountville and Calistoga attracted tourists while Napa, an hour north of San Francisco, tended to be a pit stop for gas. It didn't help that there was also flooding in the downtown streets after torrential rains.
BT is now on Telegram!
For daily updates on weekdays and specially selected content for the weekend. Subscribe to t.me/BizTimes
Property
Luxury private home rents jump in Q1 amid wider market slump: Huttons Asia
Evictions surge in Arizona with housing shortage and rising prices
China property shares firm after Politburo highlights clearing inventory
Dubai billionaire’s children plan to revive troubled world islands
UK commercial real estate lending plunges to lowest in a decade
Hybrid, flexible working set to curb Singapore office usage and rents