Formal approvals have been filed for Encore Estates, the developer-backed plans to build hundreds of homes and an 81-room hotel at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga, Santa Clara County. In addition to new housing, the project will build a clubhouse, gatehouse and additional parking for the historic winery and concert venue. William Hirschman of Lexor Builders is in charge of the application.

Site map of Encore Estates, image by Dahlin Group

Elevation of the Encore Estates hotel, illustration by Dahlin Group

The existing Mountain Winery consists of the historic Paul Masson Winery, the Chateau La Cresta building and a 2,500-seat concert hall. Wine tasting rooms, event buildings, restrooms and observation decks dominate the area around the event space. The remaining built-up area consists of paved parking and access roads.

The proposal calls for 855,000 square feet of floor space, including over 725,000 square feet of residential space, 128,000 square feet for the hotel and parking for 1,607 cars. Construction calls for a five-story hotel overlooking the venue, while the 86 residential buildings will be located to the north of the venue.

Elevation of affordable housing in Encore Estates, illustration by Dahlin Group

Encore Estates Apartments, image by Dahlin Group

Project density will decrease in descending order from the 48-unit affordable housing complex with four stories overlooking the parking lot. The next densest buildings will be three four-story apartment buildings with 27 units each. The remaining buildings will be 13 three-family homes and 69 single-family homes.

Lexor will add more commercial space to the existing site, including an 81-room hotel described as a boutique luxury hotel. The project description states that four of the hotel rooms will be “casita-style,” which means “cabins” or “little houses” in Spanish. About 75 employees are expected to be needed to operate the facilities, and it also notes that employees may have the opportunity to work with the concert venue, which could reduce the overall number of employee trips required each day.

Visitors to the hotel will find a small restaurant and shops that can serve guests and local residents. Guests of the hotel will benefit from numerous amenities, including several pools, a hotel-style gym and a small spa.

Encore Estates three-unit multiplex, image by Dahlin Group

The Dahlin Group is responsible for the design. The images show a unified architectural style for the many planned buildings, with distinctive pitched roofs, gray stucco, and accent tones with stone veneer, cedar, and bronze panels.

Lexor filed the preliminary application under Senate Bill 330 in March 2024. The application was submitted before the state certified Saratoga Housing Element in early July, making the application protected by the Builder’s Remedy. The Remedy is a provision in state law that allows applicable projects to “avoid local zoning requirements when a locality’s housing elements do not substantially conform to state law,” as the Association of Bay Area Governments describes it.

The project could be built on 64 acres of the larger 591 acre property. The majority of the property is zoned as a high fire hazard zone, with some areas considered a fire hazard zone. The site is on unincorporated land bordering Saratoga in the Santa Cruz Mountains, near Pierce Road and CA Route 9, i.e. Big Basin Road. Estimated costs and timeline for construction are yet to be determined.

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