An illustration from the Global Stack Opportunity Overview shows Global Stack LLC's proposed revitalization of the Calistoga Fairgrounds, which has been closed since 2018 except for an RV park and campground on the site. The fairgrounds is opened occasionally for events like circuses and the annual Calistoga Agriculture Fair. In 2025, the city of Calistoga formed a 5-member Fairgrounds Revitalization Committee to explore ideas for re-opening the historic outdoor event space. (City of Calistoga via Bay City News)
CALISTOGA RESIDENTS confronted plans from a developer that included a data center and a multi-story parking garage with a vertiport for helicopters in the city’s 70-acre Calistoga Fairgrounds.
Nearly 100 people packed the room on Thursday for the Fairgrounds Advisory Committee’s monthly meeting, which featured a presentation by Global Stack LLC president Nicholas Kovacevich. The proposal touted “perpetual wins” for Calistogans, with AI renderings of flying cars, evacuation zones, hot air balloons and turbines lining the base of a small-scale data center.
Most were vocally opposed to the plans, with some hissing at the mention of a data center. The words “grotesque,” “nightmare” and “monstrous” were repeated in public comments. Others said that the development just wasn’t a good fit for a small town of 5,200 people.
“We’re in exploration mode,” said a beleaguered Kovacevich. He acknowledged he did not “know the fairgrounds intimately.”
Selling a futuristic vision
The plan doesn’t stop at Calistoga. Global Stack LLC was founded in March with a vision to revamp 70-plus fairgrounds around the state and make money in the process. According to Kovacevich, who is based in Orange County, there’s wind in their sails: In April, they presented plans to boards at San Francisco’s Cow Palace and the Solano County Fairgrounds in Vallejo.
“We’re excited about creating a circular economy” in California, Kovacevich said.
The company is aiming to get all 70-plus fairgrounds on board with similar proposals. The model on offer is a centralized hub for all kinds of gatherings, from festivals to disaster evacuations, akin to a quarantine zone in a zombie movie, with small data centers providing immediate energy access should the grid fail.
A 2025 survey sent to Calistoga residents found that most think the fairgrounds need an upgrade. A majority of residents said they wanted the fairgrounds to include a speedway and evacuation center — a high priority for the fire-prone area. But respondents also overwhelmingly agreed the space should “foster community.”
“I think it’s outrageous that the fair board would even consider something like this,” wrote Calistoga resident Vicki Edwards in a comment.
An illustration from the Global Stack Opportunity Overview shows Global Stack LLC’s proposed revitalization of the Calistoga Fairgrounds, which has been closed since 2018 except for an RV park and campground on the site. The fairgrounds is opened occasionally for events like circuses and the annual Calistoga Agriculture Fair. In 2025, the city of Calistoga formed a 5-member Fairgrounds Revitalization Committee to explore ideas for re-opening the historic outdoor event space. (City of Calistoga via Bay City News)
“The plans being presented to the fair board meeting tonight are not what I had in mind when I supported the city’s plan to buy the fairgrounds,” Edwards said.
Others noted environmental impacts, like pollution from the data center, and added strain on the limited water supply and electrical grid.
Global Stack’s plans offer a promising future, estimating $2.24 billion in revenue for Calistoga and 70,000 local employment opportunities created by the project.
Committee members reassured the room that the plans were just a look at possibilities for the site, and not up for a vote.
“Eventually, we will hire master plan consultants,” said vice chair Karen Jensen.
A historic site at a crossroads
The 100-year-old Calistoga Fairgrounds closed down in 2018, leaving lawns unkempt and only an RV park standing. In a past era, the site hosted the Napa County Fair, circuses and golf courses. But its grounds have been in disrepair since 2012, the last year of the fair’s 80-year run. Napa County sold the fairgrounds to the city of Calistoga in 2024.
Now, the city wants to bring the fairgrounds into 2026, breaking from its quaint history. The five-member Fairgrounds Advisory Committee was established in 2025 to form a revitalization plan for the nearly 100-year-old event area, and Thursday’s presentation was just one possibility among many to explore, said Jensen.
Kovacevich said after the meeting that the state’s numerous fairgrounds, mostly run by the California Department of Food and Agriculture, have fallen on hard times. He and CEO Dan Kang are just trying to help.
“We figured out a business idea that helps fund them,” he said.
Committee meetings are typically over in 30 minutes, said Jensen. Once public comment was through, Thursday’s lasted almost two hours. Former planning commissioner Douglas Allan was pleased with the turnout. He acknowledged that Global Stack’s plans weren’t right for Calistoga, but they got people talking — something he said has taken years.
“I don’t know if it was intended to be a Trojan horse, but it had that effect,” said Allan.
But, he said, without a master plan, there can’t be a realistic discussion about the fairground’s future.
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Residents voice fierce opposition to data center proposal at Calistoga Fairgrounds
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CALISTOGA RESIDENTS confronted plans from a developer that included a data center and a multi-story parking garage with a vertiport for helicopters in the city’s 70-acre Calistoga Fairgrounds.
Nearly 100 people packed the room on Thursday for the Fairgrounds Advisory Committee’s monthly meeting, which featured a presentation by Global Stack LLC president Nicholas Kovacevich. The proposal touted “perpetual wins” for Calistogans, with AI renderings of flying cars, evacuation zones, hot air balloons and turbines lining the base of a small-scale data center.
Most were vocally opposed to the plans, with some hissing at the mention of a data center. The words “grotesque,” “nightmare” and “monstrous” were repeated in public comments. Others said that the development just wasn’t a good fit for a small town of 5,200 people.
“We’re in exploration mode,” said a beleaguered Kovacevich. He acknowledged he did not “know the fairgrounds intimately.”
Selling a futuristic vision
The plan doesn’t stop at Calistoga. Global Stack LLC was founded in March with a vision to revamp 70-plus fairgrounds around the state and make money in the process. According to Kovacevich, who is based in Orange County, there’s wind in their sails: In April, they presented plans to boards at San Francisco’s Cow Palace and the Solano County Fairgrounds in Vallejo.
“We’re excited about creating a circular economy” in California, Kovacevich said.
The company is aiming to get all 70-plus fairgrounds on board with similar proposals. The model on offer is a centralized hub for all kinds of gatherings, from festivals to disaster evacuations, akin to a quarantine zone in a zombie movie, with small data centers providing immediate energy access should the grid fail.
A 2025 survey sent to Calistoga residents found that most think the fairgrounds need an upgrade. A majority of residents said they wanted the fairgrounds to include a speedway and evacuation center — a high priority for the fire-prone area. But respondents also overwhelmingly agreed the space should “foster community.”
“I think it’s outrageous that the fair board would even consider something like this,” wrote Calistoga resident Vicki Edwards in a comment.
An illustration from the Global Stack Opportunity Overview shows Global Stack LLC’s proposed revitalization of the Calistoga Fairgrounds, which has been closed since 2018 except for an RV park and campground on the site. The fairgrounds is opened occasionally for events like circuses and the annual Calistoga Agriculture Fair. In 2025, the city of Calistoga formed a 5-member Fairgrounds Revitalization Committee to explore ideas for re-opening the historic outdoor event space. (City of Calistoga via Bay City News)
“The plans being presented to the fair board meeting tonight are not what I had in mind when I supported the city’s plan to buy the fairgrounds,” Edwards said.
Others noted environmental impacts, like pollution from the data center, and added strain on the limited water supply and electrical grid.
Global Stack’s plans offer a promising future, estimating $2.24 billion in revenue for Calistoga and 70,000 local employment opportunities created by the project.
Committee members reassured the room that the plans were just a look at possibilities for the site, and not up for a vote.
“Eventually, we will hire master plan consultants,” said vice chair Karen Jensen.
A historic site at a crossroads
The 100-year-old Calistoga Fairgrounds closed down in 2018, leaving lawns unkempt and only an RV park standing. In a past era, the site hosted the Napa County Fair, circuses and golf courses. But its grounds have been in disrepair since 2012, the last year of the fair’s 80-year run. Napa County sold the fairgrounds to the city of Calistoga in 2024.
Now, the city wants to bring the fairgrounds into 2026, breaking from its quaint history. The five-member Fairgrounds Advisory Committee was established in 2025 to form a revitalization plan for the nearly 100-year-old event area, and Thursday’s presentation was just one possibility among many to explore, said Jensen.
Kovacevich said after the meeting that the state’s numerous fairgrounds, mostly run by the California Department of Food and Agriculture, have fallen on hard times. He and CEO Dan Kang are just trying to help.
“We figured out a business idea that helps fund them,” he said.
Committee meetings are typically over in 30 minutes, said Jensen. Once public comment was through, Thursday’s lasted almost two hours. Former planning commissioner Douglas Allan was pleased with the turnout. He acknowledged that Global Stack’s plans weren’t right for Calistoga, but they got people talking — something he said has taken years.
“I don’t know if it was intended to be a Trojan horse, but it had that effect,” said Allan.
But, he said, without a master plan, there can’t be a realistic discussion about the fairground’s future.