Happy Monday.

Hope you all had a great weekend and are having a good start to the week.

We have a slightly shorter one today with a few quick hits from around town. And after today, it looks like we have a pretty beautiful week ahead of us. Still warm, but hopefully not quite as hot as this weekend, so we may actually be able to spend some time outside without immediately sweating through everything.

Alright, let’s get into it. Here’s this week’s trivia:

People have been complaining about the Five-Way Intersection near Big D Burgers for what feels like forever. What year did the city actually start studying ways to redesign it?
A) 2002
B) 2008
C) 2014
D) 2020

I know there are a ton of golfers reading this, so this one is for you. But if not…this is still pretty cool!

After years of hosting a tournament at Silverado, Napa lost its PGA Tour stop when the Procore Championship moved to Oregon for 2026.

Well, the Tour just announced that it is coming back to Silverado in 2027.

The tournament will run July 29 through August 1, bringing the biggest tour in professional golf back to Napa.

Previously, the tournament swung through Napa during the fall portion of the PGA schedule, which sometimes made it difficult to attract the biggest names. This time around, it will be part of the regular season, when there is a lot more on the line for players.

So if you are a golfer, or have always wanted to see a PGA Tour event at Silverado, I would put July 29 through August 1, 2027 on the calendar…like now.

And I imagine the hotels and airline companies have already figured this out, so maybe keep that in mind if you have friends or family planning to come into town.

Here’s the Chronicle story if you want more details: https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/article/pga-tour-napa-silverado-22362695.php

I have a feeling we all think about this pretty much every time we drive through there…How did anyone possibly think this was a good idea?

Apparently, the City of Napa agrees with us.

The Five-Way Intersection, where Silverado Trail, Third Street, East Avenue and Coombsville Road all somehow come together, has been on the city’s radar for years. In fact, Napa has been working on possible redesigns going all the way back to 2014.

The reason I am bringing it up now is that the city just finished the project’s Final Environmental Impact Report in July, which is a pretty major step toward this thing actually happening.

So what are they planning to do?

Basically, get rid of the five-way intersection altogether and replace it with two neighboring single-lane roundabouts.

The idea is that traffic would be able to keep moving instead of everyone piling up at the current signals, while also making the area safer and easier to navigate for pedestrians and bicyclists.

Honestly, looking at the plans, it is a pretty dramatic change from what is there now. But the mildly ridiculous part is how long we are still going to have to wait for it.

Actual construction is tentatively scheduled to begin late 2028, and the city estimates it could take about two years to finish.

So the good news is Napa may finally fix the Five-Way Intersection. The bad news is you have another couple of years to practice figuring out which lane you are supposed to be in.

Link to city’s plans: https://www.cityofnapa.org/378/Five-Way-Intersection-Project

This is a quick one that actually affects more people than you would imagine.

For the first time in 20 years, Napa County is rewriting the rules on how we congregate.

And no, we are not talking about a 30-person barbecue in your backyard. But it is not just giant festivals either.

Napa County’s temporary-event rules can apply to things like concerts, fairs, charity fundraisers, community celebrations, large food or wine events, pop-up markets, races, and other public gatherings on private property.

So what actually changes?

For smaller events, particularly those with 400 people or fewer, the approval process should generally get easier. More of those events could be approved administratively without going through a public hearing process.

The tradeoff is that you are going to have to plan further ahead.

Applications currently need to be submitted at least 60 days before an event. Under the new rules, events with 400 people or fewer would need to apply 90 days ahead, while larger events and event series would need to apply 120 days ahead.

So my takeaway is that the county is basically making the process less bureaucratic once you are in the system, especially if you are putting on a smaller event, but considerably less forgiving if you are trying to throw something together at the last minute.

Nothing is final quite yet. The new rules go before the Napa County Board of Supervisors on August 25 and, if approved, are expected to take effect in January.

So if you are planning some kind of public event in Napa County next year, maybe start planning it a little earlier than you normally would.

Link: https://connect.napacounty.gov/temporary-event-ordinance

And the answer to this week’s trivia is 2014.

Yep. The City of Napa has been studying ways to redesign the Five-Way Intersection for more than a decade, and somehow we still have a few more years to go.

At least there finally seems to be some light at the end of the tunnel. Anyway, that is all I have for you today. A little shorter than usual, but hopefully a few useful things to keep on your radar.

Have a great week, enjoy the slightly cooler weather, and I will see you Friday.

Callie.