Twenty-eight miles from Napa Valley’s vineyards, locals might trade bottles of wine for margaritas as a new resort-style campground gets closer to opening in the Bay Area.
The Napa County Board of Supervisors approved exclusive access to explore building a Margaritaville with RVs and tiny cabins on Lake Berryessa. The project, named Camp Margaritaville, would cost around $95 million, according to county officials.
The Camp Margaritaville Resort would include glamping-style amenities, including wireless internet, resort-style pools, laundry facilities, a fitness center and more, according to the February 2021 proposal. Accommodations would be made up of 425 bungalows and cottages and an RV park.
“We’re not locked in to a specific number of cabins or slips. What is being proposed here is dramatically smaller than what was there in the 2000s when the previous resort shut down,” said Steve Lederer, Napa County Public Works director, KGO-TV reported.
But not all residents are sold on the idea. During the supervisor’s meeting on Nov. 7, some community members were concerned about the project, even calling the brand “cringey” in what’s supposed to be a nature-centered destination.
“This is way way too large,” said one speaker. “This is a development for the lake, not a destination for a lot of people to sing Jimmy Buffett.”
But officials said the project could stimulate the county’s economy and provide funding for road construction and improved emergency services.
“What a freaking mess. When they took our trailers so many moons ago, we all asked for plan A+ which was let the trailers stay until the lake is developed. We were all for improvements. But no! , the government wanted everyone gone,” David Kiely wrote on a Lake Berryessa News Facebook post. “And now, what is it, like ten or fifteen years later and it’s still the same old same old BS. So sad and such a shame. The lake resorts were exceptional family communities.”
Supervisor Alfredo Pedroza told the San Francisco Chronicle he believed there was room for the Camp Margaritaville brand in the county. (The Chronicle and SFGATE are both owned by Hearst but have separate newsrooms.)
“Whether you want to stay at the Four Seasons or stay in an airstream, we have varied experiences, and I believe Margaritaville wants to be part of that,” the supervisor said.