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Plans for a new event space in Danville’s eastern outskirts at the longstanding Wood Ranch site are poised to move forward following a public hearing last week on an appeal from some neighboring residents as well as a showing of support for the project.
The Danville Planning Commission voted unanimously July 14 to reject a resident’s appeal over a planned 250-person event space that is being pursued by the Wood family’s current generation – more than 150 years after their ancestors first came to the area, including the namesake of Charlotte Wood Middle School.
The move came following a site visit the week prior that was spurred by an appeal from Kathleen Crosthwait, a resident on Normandy Court across Camino Tassajara from the Wood Ranch site.
“What would you do if you were responsible for the stewardship of a 164-year-old family legacy? You’re one of the oldest continually operated family run ranches in California. It’s been here so long that it was all run by horses at its founding, not engines,” said Jim Wood, one of the current property owners at the commission meeting.
Jim Wood went on to emphasize his family’s ongoing commitment to preserving their ancestors’ legacy in the community and efforts to continue it in the present day, particularly amid ongoing development aimed at increasing the town and the state’s housing supply.
“Several times a year, you receive legitimate offers to buy your land, promises of high-density housing – that housing would relocate your family, replace the largest pre-industrialization barn west of the Mississippi, tear down the oldest home remaining in the valley, and raze the grain mill once used by all local farmers to process their crops,” Jim Wood said.
“That barn and those buildings still stand today, and hopefully they’ll be here for the next 164 years, because of the choices you’d make if this was your reality,” he continued.
The proposed event space would operate alongside the site’s current activities, with Jim Wood and other family members continuing to live on the property while continuing farming operations, despite its less prominent role in recent history.
“Beginning in the 1990s, my grandparents gradually closed the ranch to the public after years of vandalism, theft, trespassing, and the pressures of a rapidly growing suburban population, protecting both the ranch and their family home became increasingly difficult,” said Emily Wood, Jim Wood’s daughter.
“Aside from the occasional school groups and historical society visits, the ranch has been largely unavailable to the community ever since,” she continued. “Today, we believe the time is right to reopen this special space in a thoughtful and carefully managed way. We do also live there. Our community has developed a deeper appreciation for Danville’s history and agricultural heritage, and this proposal allows us to preserve the ranch while once again welcoming people here.”
But those interests are in contrast with present-day needs and desires from some residents, including the appellant and several others who voiced opposition to the project, with Crosthwait emphasizing that the “highest and best use” for the site identified by the town was high-density housing.
“An event center is fundamentally a different use,” Crosthwait said. “It introduces commercial activity into a residential area, bringing with it increased traffic, keeping events amplified, sound, lighting and alcohol consumption, all of which are inconsistent with the quiet neighborhood many of us choose to call home.”
“I’m also concerned about the income of nearby property values,” she continued. “While the staff report concludes that this project is not expected to diminish values in the overall town of Danville, I find it difficult to believe that homes located adjacent to a busy event venue would not be affected.”
Crosthwait added that she was also concerned about the venue from her perspective as a teacher at Sycamore Valley Elementary School, approximately a mile from Wood Ranch, and noted that she would welcome additional housing amid declining enrollment.
“If we could welcome more families and children, I would encourage that,” Crosthwait said.
Jim Wood said that he and the family understood the concerns raised by Crosthwait and others, but that “the use that most aligns with our values, and with the least impact for our family and the community currently, is a small scale, antique gathering space.”
“The question is not whether concerns are valid, but whether this specific proposal with its operational limits and municipal oversight can operate responsibly and predictably,” Jim Wood said. “We’ve worked with staff for over a year on this application to ensure the town believes the answer to that is yes. We believe the town’s many staff experts have done an excellent job navigating this process, balancing our vision within the context of the community.”
Commissioners ultimately affirmed that sentiment, voting unanimously against the appeal.
“I can understand the appellant’s appeal, but I think the alternative is not great,” Planning Commissioner Paul Raddich said. “If there was a developer coming in here to build 35 units per acre for 8 acres, we would have a crowd in here that would be – it would be something else. So I’m in favor of this.”
