SEPTEMBER 11, 2015 • VOL. 39, ISSUE 19
WWW.CANNONBEACHGAZETTE.COM
COMPLIMENTARY COPY
WHAT TO DO ABOUT THE DUNES
Breakers Point
dune grading
gets a nod
By Dani Palmer
Cannon Beach Gazette
TREE CITY
USA
R.J. MARX PHOTO/CANNON BEACH GAZETTE
Trees fill the city, like this reaching to the sky at Spruce and Harrison streets.
City celebrates tree designation
at community potluck
By Dani Palmer
Cannon Beach Gazette
C
PAID
PERMIT NO. 97
ASTORIA, OR
PRSRT STD
US POSTAGE
annon Beach is well-known for be-
ing dog-friendly, but it also wants
to be known as tree-friendly. The
city applied for a Tree City USA designa-
tion, expected to be awarded next spring.
Tree City USA status is shared by
3,400 communities throughout the coun-
try and represents a commitment to core
standards of urban forestry management,
maintaining a tree board, a community
tree ordinance and a $2 per capita com-
mitment from residents. The designa-
tion was celebrated Thursday, Sept. 3 at
the city’s community potluck and grant
awards, when an Arbor Day proclama-
tion was read.
Friends of Cannon Beach Trees ap-
proached City Manager Brant Kucera
about the designation earlier this year, and
after reviewing the criteria, he said he real-
ized Cannon Beach met each requirement
except the Arbor Day proclamation and
observance. The city already has a street
tree committee, a tree care ordinance and
budgets $5,000 annually for street tree care.
Friends of Cannon Beach Trees mem-
ber Jan Siebert-Wahrmund said the city’s
Public Works Department, especially
Kirk Anderson who oversees lawn work,
does “a wonderful job” taking care of
trees. The Friends of Cannon Beach and
other volunteers will be contributing to
that care.
“I think there’s a certain amount of es-
teem that comes with this designation,
number one, but also it truly shows you’re
putting something concrete behind urban
forest health,” Kucera said.
Last month, the City Council agreed to
incorporate observation into the city’s 12
Days of Earth.
Siebert-Wahrmund said the decision to
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the community’s “conscious commitment
to care for our trees.”
See Tree, Page 11A
DAN HAAG/FOR CANNON BEACH GAZETTE
Trees and ferns beckon along
the new pedestrian-only
trail in the Ecola Creek For-
est Reserve. The winding
trail offers great views of the
North Fork of Ecola Creek
and is an easy-to-moderate
walk from the gated access
at Elk Creek Road.
For tree-related com-
mentary, see Cannon
Shots, p. 4
The Cannon Beach Plan-
ning Commission approved
a controversial application
to grade dunes at Break-
ers Point Thursday, Aug.
27. In a 4-1 vote, planning
commissioners
granted
Breakers Point permission
to grade 13,700 cubic yards
of sand west of the devel-
opment, with the condition
homeowners would not
seek permission for further
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es a sand management plan.
The grading will take
place south of West Fifth
Street and north of Ecola
Creek, with graded materi-
al deposited onto the mid-
dle and upper beach area to
the west.
The plan represented a
drastically scaled-down re-
vision from the 73,400-cu-
bic-yard dune grading re-
R.J. MARX PHOTO
The Breakers in Cannon
Beach.
jected by the city earlier
this year.
Views, habitat at issue
Roughly 75,000 cubic
yards of sand have accumu-
lated in the Breakers Point
area over 15 years, according
to geologist Tom Horning,
See Grading, Page 11A
Ordinance will wait for
dune grading study
a smaller, 13,700-cubic-yard
Breakers Point plan during its
Aug. 27 meeting. As a condi-
The Cannon Beach City tion, future dune grading per-
Council voted Tuesday, Sept. mit applications will not be
1 to draft a new ordinance pro- considered until the city sand
hibiting dune grading while plan is ready to go.
the city’s sand management
Because Breakers Point
plan update is in development. Homeowners Association
“I think it’s imperative representatives failed to abide
we hold off on accepting any by a “gentleman’s request”
other dune grading permit ap- for a similar delay earlier this
plications until we’ve had an year, council members asked
opportunity to complete our for the agreement to be put in
dune grading study,” Council- writing.
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During the council meet-
ing the city should have more ing, Bill Kabeiseman, the
VXI¿FLHQW GDWD VR LW HQVXUHV city’s land use attorney, said
there isn’t any harm done in a moratorium is “fraught with
the littoral cell.
uncertainty” in land use cases.
It could take up to 60 days The council rejected one on
to implement the ordinance, dune grading in May.
City Planner Mark Barnes
“An ordinance is probably
said, estimating a time frame the best way to go even if, in
of roughly 18 months for 18 months, we turn around
adoption of the new sand man- and revise that ordinance to
agement plan.
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A request to prohibit all the consultant study,” Bene-
dune grading projects in the ¿HOGVDLG
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The ordinance would not
2014, when the Breakers Point affect the Breakers Point
Homeowners
Association Homeowners Association’s
proposed an unprecedented recent dune grading approv-
73,400-cubic-yard dune grad- al or small projects admin-
ing project.
istratively approved. Those,
The Oregon Coast Alliance Barnes noted, are done for
made the 2014 request and public access purposes rath-
in July again asked Breakers er than for views as Break-
Point to wait until the city plan ers Point and the presidential
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streets’ were.
The Cannon Beach Plan-
ning Commission approved
See Ordinance, Page 11A
By Dani Palmer
Cannon Beach Gazette
Al fresco dining area leads to neighbor clash
process and is violating the
city’s noise ordinance.
The Cannon Beach
Wayfarer Restaurant’s 0XQLFLSDO &RGH FODVVL¿HV
new outdoor patio is crowd- family dwellings as “noise
ed with diners despite a sensitive” areas and Sears
Cannon Beach order to stop said he was able to demon-
serving outside. Cannon VWUDWH WR FLW\ RI¿FLDOV ZLWK
Beach City Planner Mark a sound-level meter that
Barnes sent a letter revok- the Wayfarer exceeds those
ing the Wayfarer’s outdoor limits.
Martin Hospitality Pres-
dining approval on July 2,
informing the restaurant that ident Ryan Snyder said the
it “should not seat diners on Wayfarer did receive ap-
proval through the proper
the lower porch area.”
In subsequent letters, of- channels — city code al-
¿FLDOVOHYLHGDSHUGD\ ORZLQJPLQRUPRGL¿FDWLRQV
¿QHRQWKHUHVWDXUDQW\HWWR without Design Review
Board approval — and will
be collected.
Neighboring
proper- not stop using the new pa-
ty owner Nick Sears said tio.
Snyder said they’re mov-
the restaurant continues to
operate despite the city’s ing forward with initial
order, failed to go through approval — even with the
the Design Review Board WKUHDW RI ¿QHV ² EHFDXVH
By Dani Palmer
Cannon Beach Gazette
the company has invested
tens of thousands in outdoor
patio upgrades.
Sears said he understands
the restaurant owners’ frus-
tration after investing the
money on patio improve-
ments. Nevertheless, he
said the Wayfarer is vio-
lating municipal code and
“completely disregarding
my property rights.”
The letters
The city’s letter to Martin
Hospitality cited two factors
for revocation of the out-
door patio license: the city’s
failure to review the propos-
al against screening require-
ments and Martin Hospitali-
ty’s failure to implement the
plans as approved.
See Wayfarer, Page 7A
SUBMITTED PHOTO
A view of the Wayfarer Restaurant and Lounge’s new patio
from neighboring property owner Nick Sears’ duplex.