North Bay Catholic Diocese selling Napa vineyard, former clergy residence as abuse claims rise

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More real estate from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Santa Rosa is being offered for sale as the organization seeks to shore up its finances as it navigates bankruptcy reorganization amid hundreds of allegations of sexual abuse.

The diocese, whose territory includes 40 parishes stretching from Sonoma and Napa counties north to the Oregon border, has been in mediation with insurers and groups of alleged victims, whose claims have totaled 260, The Press Democrat reported. A portion of those sexual abuse lawsuits have been headed for trial potentially this year. The claims prompted the Chapter 11 filing in April 2023.

RELATED: Oakland Diocese proposes new $242 million sex abuse scandal settlement

The latest five real estate listings, mentioned vaguely in a recent court filing, are a couple of vacant acres in Sebastopol, a Napa Valley vineyard, a small Napa home, several undeveloped acres in Humboldt County and the long-vacant former clergy residence next to a 125-year-old stone church in downtown Santa Rosa.

These new listings follow the sale last fall of the two unused church properties: Our Lady of Mount Carmel church in Cloverdale for $450,000 and the St. Francis church in Hopland for $275,000.

The Sebastopol property for sale is 2.46 acres north of Valentine Avenue and south of St. Sebastian church. The diocese applied in October to the city to split the 6.4-acre lot into a church parcel and a vacant parcel to allow for the sale.

The land received multiple offers on Dec. 5, according to Kris Riley, one of the listing agents with Newcastle Properties Group.

“We expect to have a buyer selected by early first quarter,” Riley said.

Sales of property via bankruptcy court can take several months. Purchase agreements must be approved by the judge — in this case, Charles Novack in Santa Rosa — and are subject to overbid from other parties.

The Napa Valley property is a 12.44-acre vineyard behind St. Joan of Arc church in Yountville. Also part of that listing is a two-thirds-acre easement to access the vineyard from Highway 29, according to Riley, who is also marketing that property.

“It has more challenges, with flood issues that have to be addressed,” Riley said.

Zoning for the site allows 10–20 housing units per acre, according to the listing. A call for offers is planned for early this year.

In Santa Rosa, a sale is pending for the former bishop and priest residence next door to the historic St. Rose of Lima church. Listed for $475,000, the nearly 5,300-square-foot home at 547 B St. has been vacant for about a decade, according to Cynthia Cunningham, one of the Klassic Key Properties agents listing it.

“It’s been in the condition of being taken down to the studs for a long time,” Cunningham said. That allows a buyer to more easily pursue renovations. The site may be able to accommodate multiple housing units and does have some historical protections by being adjacent to the St. Rose District.

A potential buyer has deposited earnest money – funds representing a percentage of the purchase price placed into an escrow account – with the diocese to vie for the property in court, Cunningham said. But the subdivision map dating back to 1881 is being worked out to clearly distinguish the parcels for the home and the historic church and diocese administrative offices, even though both parcels were recorded as separate at the county and city levels.

The Humboldt County property is 8.19 acres of undeveloped land at 800 Rigby Ave. in Rio Dell, listed for $749,000.

“The City of Rio Dell has expressed willingness to work with a developer to create residential development here,” Marc Matteoli of Benchmark Realty Group wrote in the listing.

The property could be split into eight 1-acre parcels or potentially accommodate 40–50 homes with another subdivision approach, Matteoli wrote. Sewer and water lines run by the Rigby Avenue side of the property, but the city would have to upgrade the sewer infrastructure.

The last diocese property currently being offered for sale is a 750-square-foot one-bedroom, one-bathroom home at 918 Napa St. in Napa. John Garaventa of Coldwell Banker Brokers of the Valley is listing it for $569,000, and a sale is pending court review.

Jeff Quackenbush joined North Bay Business Journal in May 1999. He covers primarily wine, construction and real estate. Reach him at jeff@nbbj.news or 707-521-4256.