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whatever can be found, the building can be used as a cellar for storing barrels to justify <br />the investment by Wente. <br /> <br /> Ms. Ayala believed the County anticipated there would be two reconstructed <br />wineries in this area and she felt the city needed some assurance that this would happen. <br />If only a shell of a building is approved, how does the City know an actual winery will be <br />established? <br /> <br /> Mr. Wente disagreed that the County required the buildings to be rebuilt. He <br />agreed with Mr. McKeehan's statement that the condition was to either plant all the <br />acreage in grapes or get credit for building the buildings. Wente is willing to rebuild the <br />building. The only zoned use for the area is as a winery function. Wente will use it as a <br />winery function, although in the beginning it will not be a typical open to the public <br />winery. Eventually it will be a separately operated, independent winery with all the <br />public amenities everyone is hoping for. He reiterated his belief that the County was <br />approving zoning for operating a winery, not legislating the business to exist. <br /> <br /> Ms. Michelotti clarified that Mr. Wente has plans to move forward with <br />construction of the building at the end of the palm tree lane, and is asking Council not to <br />mandate that a wine tasting operation take place in the building. She understood that in <br />the next one to five years it may be operational. In the meantime, the building can be <br />used by Wente and will have the ambiance and appearance of the winery being <br />reconstructed on site. <br /> <br /> Ms. Dennis believed a statement had been made that Wente would own and <br />operate the winery. There are many functions of a winery and not all wineries have <br />tasting rooms. <br /> <br /> Mr. Wente agreed. In Napa Valley, no more tasting room permits are being <br />allowed, but there are wine storage facilities being allowed to be built. <br /> <br /> Mr. Dennis felt that mere wine storage doesn't make a winery either. She asked <br />what else could be done on this property other than storage and without a tasting room <br />that would make it more functional? <br /> <br /> Mr. Wente said it is a question of semantics. At the time of the County approval, <br />he wanted to make certain that the zoning allowed the existence of wineries. He was <br />certain there was a potential for those sites. It was uncertain Fenestra would be able to <br />continue in business; fortunately it has. He assured Council they would make the site <br />ready for a winery in the instance that the market justifies that business. <br /> <br />Ms. Dennis asked why Wente products could not be made available at that site. <br /> <br /> Mr. Wente said federal law allows a winery to have only two tasting rooms under <br />its federal winery permit and Wente already has two tasting rooms. <br /> <br />Pleasanton City Council 11 02/06/01 <br />Minutes <br /> <br /> <br />