Stanly Ranch, an Auberge Resorts Collection, is a luxury resort and residential community located on the southern edge of Napa, California. Occupying 93 acres of a former vineyard and centered between two other vineyards, the resort will offer plenty of privacy and room for relaxation. Once complete, the Stanly Ranch Resort will feature 135 airy cottages, a spa, three swimming pools, a large banquet barn for events, a bridal building for weddings, and a restaurant. It will also have a “yoga hill,” coffee shop, more than $1 million in commissioned artwork, and—most uniquely—an integrated vineyard situated among the buildings. These grapes will feed a wine tasting room that will be built adjacent to an existing four-acre vineyard on the property. This community vineyard concept blends an agricultural setting with a social cooperative spirit.
The project broke ground in the fall of 2018 and transitioned to underground utilities in the summer of 2019. The resort is expected to be completed in the spring of 2021, after which two additional phases will be added. These phases will include the construction of 70 homes, as well as 40 residential villas on the north end of the property. Following the rough grade work performed in 2018, GBI was contracted to construct the building pads, underground utilities, concrete flatwork, roads, and parking lots. Additionally, GBI will construct a bike path on the property and repair an existing offsite bike path that leads to the resort from nearby Highway 29. This bike path and adjacent road will be used as the main entrance to the resort.
Stanly Ranch has some quirks that set it apart from other projects. The wide-open, rolling landscape poses challenges to drainage and pad construction, which has given GBI an opportunity to provide valuable feedback regarding pad locations and the design of utilities. Various issues have been addressed, which has put the GBI team in an exciting position to support the design-build concept of both the resort and residential phases.
The resort will be a significant revenue boost to the local Napa economy, while also helping to maintain the status of the most affordable luxury resort in the region. Furthermore, it is poised to be a locally known cultural icon, with a large portion of the budget dedicated to commissioned artwork. This includes a large “infinity loop” sculpture atop yoga hill.
The GBI team has given feedback and suggestions to the design team to make construction more affordable while simultaneously maintaining a quality product. Onsite, GBI’s dedicated and experienced field team has crafted solutions to several challenges, emphasizing the “field first” mentality.
In addition to giving design feedback, the team has continued to work with the owners on their value engineering concept during the design and building phases.
