A visit to “wine country” in Oregon is a lot of fun. The scenery is beautiful. The wines are tasty and the various wineries are each unique.
If you are visiting the Yamhill County area, you are close to the city, yet in a rural farming area. The rolling hills planted with grapes and hazelnuts. You will see homes, barns and animals dotting the landscape.
The one thing that you will not see in wine country is development. You will not see large stores, manufacturing plants or hotels.
That may change. Developer, David Kahn, has proposed building a 50-room luxury hotel, spa and restaurant in the Dundee area. Patterned a bit after The Inn of the Sun in Napa, which charges $500-$1,750 a night, is it needed in Oregon?
There are those who oppose such a hotel and those who welcome the idea. So, what will become of this idea?
Our wine country is still small, by California standards. We do not have wineries
producing millions of cases of wine each year. We do not have large numbers of
tourists coming to Oregon simply to visit wineries, although tourism to wine
country is certainly up and growing. Some also question if our wine country is
ready for a hotel that is so expensive.
Another consideration is the land itself. The proposed hotel would share a property line with Domaine Drouhin. This is prime land for future plantings of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris or the return of Riesling, which is regaining popularity in Oregon. While the land now sits vacant, it is prime for grape growing. Is it also prime for lodging?
A hotel on the site would not only take over land where grapes could be grown, but it also would use water needed by the surrounding vineyards and winery facilities. Water, in wine country, is not as easy to come by as it is in Portland, Salem, Eugene or other city areas. Most wineries use well water. They certainly do not have the Bull Run Reservoir at their disposal. Water is a precious commodity in wine country. Another concern is that the hotel may have treated water that will runoff onto vineyard land. The hotel has yet to provide their water plan.
The Yamhill County Board of Commissioners had approved the proposed zoning to allow the hotel to be built. On September 7, 2006, the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals received notice that the state has filed to appeal that decision. The appeal was brought by a group of winery and vineyard owners.
Many winery owners and workers have opposed the building of such a facility. Some of these people are fairly new on the scene, others are pioneers of the Oregon wine industry. On the other hand, some small businesses in the area welcome such a project as it may increase their bottom line as well.
This proposal is very much like walking on a balance beam. It may take
considerable time to find just the right balance. Such a project would definitely
bring lodging tax dollars to the area. It would also bring in guests who may
shop and dine at local businesses. On the other hand, it takes away that
valuable vineyard land, puts a commercial business in a rural setting and would
add more traffic in the area.
One main concern, of the hotels opponents, in the precedent such a building would set in rural areas. There have been laws in place since the 1970’s to protect agricultural land. There is validity in the thought that if this project is approved, others will follow and rural Oregon will become urban Oregon.
Currently, there are 314 wineries in Oregon (compared to California, which has over 1200 wineries). The largest concentration are in Yamhill County and nearby Washington County. The Oregon wine industry brings in $1.4 billion annually. Would a hotel in the center of it all increase that number?
This will be a defining moment in Yamhill County. Stay tuned to find out which way this all plays out!
Until next time,
Cheers!