Redevelopment of former Franklin Station post office into hotel gains new life
The historic Franklin Station post office in downtown Napa has been closed since it was damaged in the 2014 earthquake. The developer Jim Keller plans to build a hotel that would incorporate the 92-year-old Art Deco building.
Although the redevelopment of First Street in downtown Napa was the main event at a recent special meeting of the City Council, another downtown project also took a significant step forward.
“It’s a pretty simple extension to make sure I’m swimming downstream with the city on an upcoming design review submission,” said Jim Keller, the Napa developer who owns the property.
For several years, Keller has proposed building a hotel that would incorporate the post office, which opened in 1933. The parking lot property would be used to build condominiums next to the new hotel.
Keller said he intends to file updated plans to city staff as early as next week. Those plans, he added, are similar to his original vision for the space, but the update reflects what he called a more viable project.
After the approval of the extension, Mayor Scott Sedgley supported further developing downtown Napa, but encouraged the council to keep a close eye on projects in the works.
“I think all of us on council, we really want the Franklin Station Post Office to be renovated and move forward; that’s a goal of all of ours,” Sedgley said. “I understand that these projects are complex, but council, we should expect developers to follow through with their promises.”
The developer also praised progress made on the redevelopment of First Street, where the former site of a Kohl’s store is slated to become home to two buildings hosting a 161-room hotel, 78 condominiums and retail spaces.
“It sets a good precedent for my project, and it will all lead to a way more vibrant west side of the city,” Keller said.