In The Preservation Pipeline
1347 and 1357 Monte Vista Avenue, 12 Apartments
On December 29, 2025, Our Town St Helena (OTSH), became the new owner of 12 rented apartments located on two adjacent properties at 1347 and 1357 Monte Vista Avenue.
About the Monte Vista Apartments
There are 41 people living in the apartments, including 11 children and a newborn. The resident workforce includes an electrician; a welder; several retail, hospitality and food service employees; hotel maids; housekeepers; and winery workers. The apartments are all two-bedrooms with one or two bathrooms and are located within walking distance to Main Street. The properties are being managed by Burbank Housing Management Company who also manages OTSH’s other rental properties along with Napa Valley Community Housing’s (NVCH) local rentals.
Three critical things came together to allow the purchase to happen:
1) a 55-year loan for acquisition, rehabilitation and preservation through the Bay Area Housing Finance Authority (BAHFA) with deferred principal and interest payments over the life of the loan with certain conditions, accompanied by a 55-year deed restriction through BAHFA to ensure long-term affordability;
2) a smaller loan through Poppy Bank to assist with the purchase and provide additional funds for some near-term property improvements; and
3) a charitable sale by Papale and Stephenson, who significantly discounted the price for a below-market sale in exchange for a seller’s tax credit.
“Without the reduced sale price, OTSH could not have justified the purchase because the lower rents could not support the ongoing property costs including management, maintenance, capital improvements, debt service, insurance, and so forth,” said OTSH board member Michael Collins. “The OTSH Board of Directors is so appreciative of the sellers’ stewardship of the properties and their dedication to make this transaction happen. The wellbeing of the residents was a driving factor for them.”
OTSH’s Growing Portfolio
With this 12-unit acquisition and the soon-to-be completed Pope Street workforce housing development, OTSH now owns 22 rental homes, and through a partnership with NVCH, co-owns an additional 5. In October 2025, OTSH and its partner, Burbank Housing, received approval for a 40-unit affordable rental complex on Main Street across from St. Helena High School. OTSH receives significant funding to do this work from local individuals and foundations.
In The Planning Pipeline
Fountain Street, 39 rental apartments and one manager’s unit:
This project will provide 39 rental apartments and one manager’s unit on a 1.75-acre vacant property bounded by Main Street (Highway 29), Mills Lane, Dowdell Lane, and Fountain Street.
Located at a gateway entrance to the town, the project is designed at a scale that fits well in St. Helena and the surrounding area. The project will provide homes for people earning 60 percent and below of Area Median Income for Napa County.
Our Town St. Helena has partnered with Burbank Housing, a highly experienced affordable housing (also a non-profit organization) with successful projects throughout the North Bay and Napa.
The Fountain Street Project Application was approved by the City of St Helena for staff-level review on October 31, 2025.
The site plan is below. The project includes a mix of 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom apartments, a community hub with indoor and outdoor common areas, a central play area, a bioretention area that doubles as a passive recreation space, solar panels, bicycle storage, low water-use fixtures and landscaping, and a public art opportunity.
New Construction: Completed
Pope Street Workforce Housing, 10 affordable rental homes: 963 and 951 Pope Street
This 10-unit project was completed in early 2026. It comprised two projects on separate properties under different ownerships. A phased approach was necessary because the properties were purchased about two years apart, with project designs, approvals, and funding strategies following different timelines.
The project at 963 Pope Street was approved by the City of St Helena in 2019, and assembling financing started in 2020 and concluded in 2025. Meanwhile, in fall 2021, Our Town St Helena was able to purchase the adjacent property at 951 Pope Street, thanks to a large gift from Stephanie and Jim Gamble. This purchase set wheels in motion to design a new project and modify the approved project so that both were compatible and seamless, allowing us to double the number of units from five to 10.
While the financing for 963 Pope was finally coming together in 2024, some extremely generous community donors together contributed approximately $3 million to the second phase at 951 Pope Street, making it possible to construct the two phases simultaneously which will create economies of scale and cause less disruption in the neighborhood. Local general contractor, Trainor Builders, will lead the construction effort and is generously donating part of their fee to the project.
963 Pope Street (Phase 1) – Owner: 963 Pope Street, LLC (a partnership between Napa Valley Community Housing and Our Town St Helena)
This phase will consist of 4 new two-bedroom, one-bath units for low- and very low-income households, while the existing house, also with two bedrooms and one bathroom, has been preserved at moderate-income rent levels for 55 years.
951 Pope Street (Phase 2) – Owner: Our Town St Helena
This phase will include one studio and one 1-bedroom unit, plus three 2-bedroom units for a total of 5 new rentals for very low-, low- and moderate-income renters.
Together, the 10 units will function as one community and provide homes for a range of people who are vital to the local workforce in support of the St Helena area’s economy. The project is located within close walking distance of public transit, downtown businesses, a grocery store, schools, and parks. The design incorporates water and energy efficient fixtures and features and is compatible with the surrounding neighborhood.
For more details, click here.
New Construction Completed
Brenkle Court, 8 ownership townhomes:
Completed in late 2022, Brenkle Court is comprised of eight townhomes for first-time homeowners with incomes between 40 and 90 percent of Napa County Area Median Income.
The project was completed utilizing the US Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development Mutual Self-Help Homeownership Program. Each homebuyer committed to work 32 hours per week building the homes, in addition to their regular employment. This is an average of 4,000 hours per family group over 160 weekends, with the help of volunteers and skilled subcontractors.
Even with a US government shutdown, three fires, three harvests, the COVID pandemic, and global supply chain challenges, the project was finished on budget. The homeowners have formed a Homeowners’ Association to manage the property.
For more details about the project, click here.
Preservation Completed
Christine Apartments on Hunt Avenue:
OTSH acquired Christine Apartments, 723 Hunt Avenue, at market rate in the summer of 2021. The City of St Helena received Community Development Block Grant funds from the State of California and partnered with OTSH to purchase the property.
In exchange, OTSH placed a 55-year deed restriction on the building, which requires rents not to exceed levels that are affordable to local workers and families for generations to come. Three long-term tenants and one new family are now assured that their rents will stay affordable, something that is a greater challenge as real estate prices continue to soar.
We are interested in purchasing additional local properties so that we can preserve housing that is affordable to those vital to our community.
