Proposed Gallo Winery Facility Raises Concerns Among Neighbors

ACAMPO (CBS13) – One of California's largest wine producers wants to build a new facility in town which would create hundreds of jobs, but some neighbors aren't happy.

"You do hear the birds. You do get to see the sky, you do get to see the sunset, and at night you can actually see the stars," said Mamie Starr who lives half a mile away from the proposal.

The facility would be on Acampo and Dustin roads.

"It's just absolute shock that something this big is going to go in right there in your neighborhood," said Phil Abba who would live right in front of it. "It's like putting an eight-story complex across the way."

According to planning documents, the proposal calls for building a large winery on 156 acres. It will include a warehouse and wine fermentation tanks. It would operate around the clock and create more than 300 full-time jobs.

But, once the facility is built, the winery says up to 250 trucks will be using these rural roads during harvest season each day.

"That's a lot of traffic. All these roads are going to have to be expanded," Abba said.

The company released this statement:

We are currently working with San Joaquin County to build a winery in Lodi. We appreciate the concerns of local residents, and will take this feedback into consideration during the planning process.

Ultimately, even homeowners agree, opening the facility near Lodi is a win, but don't like the taste of it in Acampo.

"We have a good working relationship with them, so we do want them to be successful and we do want them to be here in Lodi, but this is the wrong place for it," Abba said.

The process is very preliminary, and the proposal would have to go before the planning commission.