Plans to build workforce housing in one of Napa Valley’s most exclusive towns are running into resistance from a local dining scene powerhouse.
Thomas Keller, the well-known chef behind Yountville’sFrench Laundry, is asking town officials to pause a proposed housing project for local workers located just two blocks from his restaurant.
“I have reached out to each one of you; none of you has reached out to me,” Keller said at the town council meeting on Tuesday, wearing his chef’s uniform.
The Michelin-starred chef also pushed back against claims by local officials that he opposes the project outright.
“I am all for employee housing,” he said.
“Because I know some of you have been sending out the wrong message about, ‘I’m against employee housing.’ I am not. I am for employee housing, but I am for employee housing that is actually going to work.”
Critics have also flagged concerns about parking, the number of studio units, and the project’s hefty price tag, which could reach $60 million.
Keller told the council, “Let’s not spend so much money. Let’s get it right.”
Dubbed Youville Commons, the project would transform a former elementary school into a multi-unit complex tailored for hospitality workers in the area.
Town leaders say the development aims to address a growing crisis in this small wine country enclave: the people who keep its restaurants, hotels, and wineries running often cannot afford to live there.
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
