The city of Calistoga may finally own the fairgrounds that have been host to the county fair, a speedway and a golf course after Napa County agreed to sell it to the picturesque community for $2 million this week.
The Napa County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved the sale of the Calistoga Fairgrounds for far below the price discussed in previous negotiations with the city. The deal will still need to be voted on by the Calistoga City Council before it is finalized.
The 70-acre property is home to the Calistoga Speedway, the Napa County Fair, event centers and other community-related activities.
The Calistoga City Council had approved a purchase and sale agreement for nearly $16 million in 2022, but the deal was contingent on two-thirds of voters approving a special tax to pay for it. That measure was defeated by voters last year.
According to the county, the sale “aligns with the historical uses of the property.”
Under the new agreement, the county would still have rights to use the space for emergency response purposes and an acre of the site will continue to be leased to the Napa County Office of Education. The county would also “reserve the right to repurchase the property under specific circumstances.”
After the 2023 tax measure failed, an ad hoc committee comprised of Calistoga Mayor Don Williams, Councilmember Scott Cooper, Board of Supervisors vice chair Anne Cottrell and Supervisor Ryan Gregory negotiated the sale, according to the county.
“Throughout these months, I had the privilege of witnessing firsthand how significant the Fairgrounds are to the residents of Calistoga and the entire county,” said Cottrell in a statement released by the county Tuesday. “I’m thrilled that we have reached an agreement that will preserve this invaluable community asset.”
The county says that the property — once a hotbed of activity including a speedway, golf course and home to the Napa County Fair — has fallen into disrepair. Parts of the property are still available for some special events, but it is largely inaccessible to the public.
Negotiations were well underway for the city to purchase roughly half of the property before COVID-19 hit. Then, due to “unprecedented financial conditions” associated with the pandemic, the transaction was abandoned in the spring of 2020.
Then-Calistoga Mayor Chris Canning said that people really want the golf course to reopen, but the Calistoga Speedway is also a high priority for some. The speedway has been dubbed the “Home of Louie Vermeil,” a racing legend who co-founded the Northern Auto Racing Club, an organization with an unfortunate acronym (NARC) but a storied history.
“Calistoga Speedway is one of the only half-mile dirt tracks in California and it’s been silent too long,” said Christian Robinson of Performance Racing Industry on the PRI website. “Instead of competing at their local track, racers are often forced to visit other cities and states, and that has a negative impact on the local economy.”
Racing that was once held at the Calistoga Speedway has been moved to Chico in recent years.
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