Plans to convert Napa's closed main post office into hotel takes step forward

Since the Napa earthquake in 2014, the main post office has sat vacant. It suffered significant structural damage and, at one point, was slated for demolition.

Now it is registered as a historic building and there is renewed optimism to bring the building back to life.

Residents in Napa remember people coming in and out of the post office when it was a bustling post office. For more than 10 years now, it's been locked up, surrounded by fencing. Courtney Lester, who owns a business next door, couldn't be happier to hear about the new plans for this building.

"I'm excited about it," Lester said. "As a new business owner, that means more foot traffic, more business. Especially on a legendary street such as Second Street."

Lester just opened up Kindled and Grounded six months ago. A robot named Kenny brews the Joe and people can come in to make slime or candles. She's looking forward to the day the post office building opens its doors.

"It's been down the whole time we've been here," she said. "So, I'm excited to bring life to the community. There seems to be so much history there and I'm excited to wake it up again and wake up the street."

This week, the planning commission unanimously approved plans for a five-story hotel with a restaurant and spa to move into the former post office location.

"What better purpose than a hotel for a historic building?" developer David Oliver said. "It's probably the most public type of private use you could possibly imagine."

Oliver said it's a planned 94-room boutique luxury hotel and is a downsized version of the original proposal. This latest development received a letter of endorsement from Napa County Landmarks, a local organization that protects historical buildings. Oliver says the key to this project is to preserve as much of the building as they can.

"I really appreciate great architecture and preserving historical buildings," he said. "So, while there may be additional challenges, both financial and procedural, we've had great support."

But can Napa support more hotels? A new report by Visit Napa Valley shows that revenue is up, but there hasn't been a significant increase in demand for hotel rooms. Oliver says he's well aware of trends in the wine industry and alcohol consumption being down overall, but he's still betting on Napa.

"We're bullish on downtown Napa," he said. "We know that the wine consumer dynamic is changing. If somebody wants to take the perspective of the total industry, yeah, consumption is down. But looking at downtown Napa, absolutely not."

Oliver says this is still just one step in the approval process and there are still ways to go for this project. While locals may have different opinions on what should replace the post office, they all agree on one thing: to turn the lot into a usable space again.

"I think Napa is experiencing a change and change is always hard," Lester said. "Change is always new, but I think it's ripe to grow and expand on the rich history that it already has. Highlight what's there and what's to come."