The pitch for Calistoga’s fairgrounds revival landed with a thud. When a developer rolled out a glossy vision for turning the 70-acre site into a high-tech hub complete with a data center, multi-story parking garage and even a vertiport, residents responded with boos, eye rolls and a packed lineup of public commenters.
Nearly 100 people showed up Thursday for the Fairgrounds Advisory Committee meeting as Global Stack LLC president Nicholas Kovacevich walked through renderings and revenue projections, according to the Northern California Public Media. His presentation featured air-taxi pads, wind turbines and a compact data center and promised billions of dollars in local revenue and tens of thousands of jobs. Public speakers repeatedly labeled the proposal “grotesque” and “monstrous,” the outlet reported.
City records describe the Calistoga Fairgrounds as a roughly 70.6-acre parcel on North Oak Street that has sat largely idle since 2018. The Napa County Board of Supervisors voted in January 2024 to sell the property to the City of Calistoga, part of a long-running effort to find a sustainable future for the deteriorating site. Background on that transfer and on community priorities comes from Napa County and a resident survey published by the City of Calistoga.
What the Developer Brought to the Table
Global Stack pitched a concept that would turn the fairgrounds into a mixed-use complex, part event space, part campus and part data center, and framed it as a way to bankroll long-term operations. The company’s materials, shown at the meeting, projected roughly $2.24 billion in revenue and said the project could be connected to 70,000 jobs. Those eye-popping numbers, along with the industrial look of the designs, drew angry reactions from residents who said the proposal clashed with Calistoga’s small-town character, according to the Northern California Public Media.
Residents Zero In on Water, Power and Town Character
Speakers did not just object to the visuals. They raised worries about whether Calistoga has the water to spare for a data center, what the facility would do to the local power grid, and how much noise and light it might generate. Video from CBS Bay Area shows residents warning that the project could drain scarce resources and permanently alter the town’s feel.
City Process and What Happens Next
The city has already laid out a broader planning effort for the property. A 2025 resident survey identified an emergency evacuation center and other community-oriented uses as top priorities and called for a comprehensive master plan for the fairgrounds. The Fairgrounds Advisory Committee, created in March 2025 and meeting monthly, serves in an advisory capacity while the city works toward that master-planning stage, according to meeting notices from the City of Calistoga.
City staff have said any developer concepts will be run through that public planning process, not pushed through on a fast track. The committee meets on the last Thursday of each month, and the city calendar lists the next session for Thursday, July 30. Members and staff say they intend to hold community workshops and craft a formal master plan before any binding development decisions are made. The City of Calistoga provides the meeting calendar and contact details for residents who want to follow or weigh in on the process.
Part of a Bigger Data Center Backlash
The uproar in Calistoga reflects a broader national fight over where and how data centers get built. Across the country, communities have raised alarms about water use, electricity demand and noise from massive server farms. Municipalities from Utah to Georgia and in parts of California are weighing temporary bans or stricter rules on data center projects as residents push for tougher public review, according to reporting from Fortune.
For now, Calistoga’s futuristic fairgrounds makeover is just one idea on the table. Judging from the crowd’s reaction, though, it has a long way to go before it wins over the hometown audience.
