'Most Significant' Downtown Napa Investment Pushes Forward

NAPA VALLEY, CA — The largest investment in Downtown Napa in more than a decade is now under construction, according to city officials.

The next phase of the First Street Napa project — also called the Kohl’s Redevelopment for the department store that was demolished — broke ground last month, shifting from planning to full-scale construction, city officials said.

High hopes are attached to the massive project, which is supposed to fuel the local economy and nearby businesses by attracting new visitors and neighborhood foot traffic to downtown Napa.

The project includes a 161-room upper-upscale hotel with restaurant, retail, spa, banquet, and ballroom space, and a separate 78-unit condominium site.

The Brown Street Corridor between Pearl and First streets will be converted into a landscaped paseo decorated with public art. The redesign restores the historic street grid and is intended to create a link between Main Street, the 9/11 Memorial Garden, the Napa First Street shops, and nearby neighborhoods, so pedestrians can easily navigate downtown.

Don Perico, a family-owned downtown restaurant that vacated its former space to allow construction, will reopen in a custom-designed restaurant.

Officials said the hotel and related retail will support about 177 full-time equivalent hospitality jobs. They expect it to generate more than $5.2 million annually in Transient Occupancy Tax during the first five years and up to $380,000 yearly in sales tax revenue.

Construction is underway, with heavy foundation work and temporary street closures, city officials said in a press release.

Updates and contact information for noise or disturbance complaints are available on the project website.