Commercial Real Estate in Pope Valley: The Crossroads, Aetna Springs and Winery Use Permits

By Matthew Martinez, Founder, CEO & Managing Broker, Diamond Real Estate Group. California DRE #01869679.

Pope Valley is a rural, unincorporated agricultural valley in Napa County, reached from the Napa Valley by way of Howell Mountain Road and other back roads. Commercial property here is scarce: a historic crossroads cluster of small businesses, the Aetna Springs resort property at the valley’s northwest end, and wineries and vineyards on agricultural land. Napa County regulates all of it, and new commercial land is very hard to create. Confirm the zoning, use permit history and water supply for every parcel with Napa County before relying on this page.

Who controls the parcel

There is no town government. Napa County Title 18 and the County General Plan govern land use, and the County’s Agricultural Preservation and Land Use Element gives Pope Valley its own section. That section lists Pope Valley among the pre-existing commercial areas designated for agricultural use. In other words, the valley’s handful of businesses sit within land the General Plan treats as agricultural.

What the element says about the valley:

• Vineyards. Vineyard acreage grew from 2,194 acres in 1990 to 3,839 in 2006, yet the valley had not drawn the large wineries found elsewhere in the county.
• People. About 1,500 people lived there in 2006, on widely spaced homes, and residents typically drove out of the valley for most services.
• Debate. Residents largely agree on keeping the valley rural but split on how. Some want limited new commercial uses to provide local services and jobs, while others fear small changes will snowball. Some favoring change resent the say that voters elsewhere in the county have through Measures J and P.

Voter approval. The element states that Measure J (1990) requires a public vote to convert agricultural land, and that Measure P, adopted by voters in 2008, keeps those policies in place until after December 31, 2058 unless voters extend them. Any plan that depends on redesignating Pope Valley farmland for business use should assume an election.

See our Napa County commercial guide for countywide rules.

Pope Valley zoning for commercial and agricultural business

We have not confirmed which district applies to any Pope Valley parcel. Check the County zoning map and the parcel’s permit file.

The crossroads and Aetna Springs

The crossroads. The General Plan element describes a cluster near where Pope Valley Road meets Howell Mountain Road:

• the Pope Valley Farm Center, built in the 1920s as a water bottling plant at Aetna Springs and later moved to the crossroads
• the Henry Haus Blacksmith Shop, noted for its intact interior
• a historic roadhouse next to the valley’s only operating auto repair shop
• a fire station, a store, a post office and a few homes, with Pope Valley School to the north

Aetna Springs. At the valley’s northwest end, the Aetna Springs resort area was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district in 1987. The element describes its craftsman-style buildings as largely deteriorated, with a new owner then planning to restore them and revive the resort. Check the current status of any permits for the property with the County.

Existing businesses. Policy AG/LU-45 lets existing commercial establishments in commercial zoning districts keep operating, add uses their zoning allows and include mixed residential-commercial uses. Policy AG/LU-46 lets legal nonconforming uses continue unless they are abandoned or become a nuisance, and allows rehabilitation that does not raise intensity. For an old crossroads building, those two policies usually decide what is possible.

What CN would allow. If a crossroads parcel is zoned CN, the chapter allows, by use permit:

• retail shops of up to 2,500 square feet and food markets under 28,000 square feet
• personal services and offices
• gas stations with incidental repair
• nurseries and garden stores

Lots are a half acre with public water and sewer and an acre otherwise. The expanded uses the chapter lists for Angwin, Lake Berryessa and Capell Valley do not name Pope Valley.

Wineries, water and roads

Most commercial investment in Pope Valley goes into wineries. Under the AP chapter and the County’s winery rules in Chapter 18.104, a new winery needs a use permit, at least 10 acres, and at least 75% Napa County grapes. It must also sit 600 feet from the centerline of a state highway, Silverado Trail or arterial road, or 300 feet from other public roads.

A County Planning Commission staff report of August 1, 2018 on a proposed winery at 3450 Chiles Pope Valley Road shows how these rules play out on AW land:

• Scale. The request was 30,000 gallons a year, with appointment-only visits up to 18 a day and 126 a week, plus a set number of marketing events.
• Water. The well produced about 1.6 gallons per minute. Staff estimated demand at 15.9 acre-feet a year against about 16 acre-feet of recharge and proposed a meter and a groundwater demand management plan.
• Fruit. Estate vineyards covered only about 60% of capacity, so a grape agreement with neighbors was needed to meet the 75% rule.

Staff recommended approval with conditions and also offered a reduced-production alternative; we did not confirm the final decision. Expect similar groundwater and grape-sourcing scrutiny on any Pope Valley winery.

No vacation rentals. Section 18.104.410 bars transient occupancy of dwellings in residential and agricultural districts, so guest lodging requires a commercial or resort approval.

Transfer tax, business tax and property tax

Napa County’s document transfer tax page sets $0.55 per $500, customarily paid by the seller. There is no city tax in Pope Valley. Ask the County about lodging tax and business licensing. A sale generally triggers Proposition 13 reassessment, and land under a Williamson Act contract is assessed on its agricultural use.

Due diligence that matters in Pope Valley

Start with our commercial due diligence checklist, then add:

• Confirm zoning and whether a commercial use is legal, conforming or nonconforming.
• Pull every use permit, especially winery production, visitor and event limits.
• Test well yield and recharge, and expect a groundwater review for new uses.
• Check septic and wastewater feasibility; there is no city sewer.
• Confirm National Register or historic status before altering older buildings.
• Check road setbacks and access, and fire risk and insurability.

Questions people ask

Sources & notes

1. Napa County General Plan, Agricultural Preservation and Land Use Element (Pope Valley section; Policies AG/LU-20, -21, -45, -46)
2. Napa County Chapter 18.16, AP (GoCodebook)
3. Napa County Chapter 18.32, CN and Chapter 18.28, CL
4. Napa County Chapter 18.104, winery sections and Section 18.104.410
5. Napa County Planning Commission staff report, Castlevale Winery, August 1, 2018
6. Napa County, Document Transfer Tax

Note: The General Plan’s Pope Valley policies themselves were not readable in the published copy we reviewed; only the descriptive text was, and it dates from about 2006. We did not confirm parcel zoning, Aetna Springs’ current permits, or the 2018 winery decision.

This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Last reviewed October 2026 by Matthew Martinez.

Related: Pope Valley real estate guide · Multifamily property in Pope Valley · Commercial real estate services · City of Napa commercial guide