Politics & Government
Napa Land Trust May Buy Historic Borreo Building
Its CEO says the conservation nonprofit would build offices upstairs and lease the ground floor of the gutted 1887 landmark – perhaps as soon as next year.
Built in 1887 and vacant since 2001, the historic on the Napa River may soon be changing hands.
The moved Tuesday afternoon to proceed with the sale or lease of the city-owned property, with a sale the most likely outcome.
Several potential buyers have come forward over the past year, said Jennifer LaLiberte, the city’s redevelopment and economic development manager, at Tuesday’s council meeting.
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One possible purchaser is the , whose CEO Joel Tranmer spoke during public comment at the meeting.
“We don’t need financing: We have the money in the bank,” Tranmer told the council.
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The Land Trust, a which celebrated its 35th anniversary this year, is currently operating from a Soscol Avenue address where the lease expires in 2012.
Tranmer said his organization would likely lease out the first floor of the Borreo Building and build its own offices upstairs, along with a kitchen and conference room that could be available to the Napa community when not in use by the Land Trust.
Currently, the building—which was seismically retrofitted by the city at a cost of about $1.5 million – is what's termed a “cold shell,” LaLiberte said:
“It still requires significant investment, including ceilings, floors, walls, electrical systems, plumbing, heating and cooling and restrooms,” she explained.
Council members agreed that the time has come to sell the stone structure, a city landmark.
“I think we should move on,” said Juliana Inman.
Several steps lie ahead before any sale of the property, LaLiberte said:
The council must declare the Borreo Building surplus property, then issue a Request for Qualifications/Proposals.
Potential buyers and developers would then make their presentations to an evaluation committee over this fall and winter and the committee would make its recommendation to the council in late 2011.
Quality design and architecture, experience with historic properties and a commitment to the long-term stewardship of the Borreo Building are important considerations in choosing the building's next owner or developer, LaLiberte told the council.
"It’s sitting there waiting for someone to love it," she said.
To learn more about the building's history, with photos, see Christy Bors' story "."
