FEATURE STORY
6 • February 2021
Coast River Business Journal
Industry Spotlight:
County, developers examine space left for new housing
Story by Emily Lindblom
Coast River Business Journal
elindblom@crbizjournal.com
A
s Clatsop County’s residential property
market continues to tighten, those involved in
community development look toward the future
of new construction.
According to a market summary report pre-
pared by the Clatsop Association of Realtors
Multiple Listing Services, there were 73 active
listings for single family homes in January 2021, compared to the 209
active listings in January 2020.
Scott Hess, community development director for the City of War-
renton, said Warrenton does have buildable land available, but that
land includes steep slopes, wetlands and infrastructure restrictions.
“There is available land left but it all comes with challenges to
develop,” Hess said.
Hess said Warrenton is a real working and living town instead of a
tourist destination, and new housing needs to refl ect that.
“We’re trying to provide stock for Coast Guard families and peo-
ple in local industries, like fi shing and logging,” Hess said. “The
housing we’re hoping to get would be relatively affordable and pro-
vide opportunities for people to live where they work, not cater to
beachfront housing, which is more expensive.”
“We have a large need and demand for housing and the number
of available homes right now in the county is extremely low,” Hess
added.
Hess experienced this personally, as he moved to the North Coast
in August. He was able to fi nd a home for himself and his family,
although at that time, there were 154 active listings to choose from,
compared to 329 in August 2019.
Several new developments are underway in the county, includ-
ing Roosevelt Ridge off of Southeast Dolphin Avenue, near the cur-
rent construction of the new Warrenton Middle School. According to
Debbie Morrow, executive offi cer of the Association of Realtors Mul-
tiple Listing Services, Roosevelt Ridge will provide about 78 homes.
A 2019 Preliminary Residential Buildable Lands Inventory
report indicated that Clatsop County’s unincorporated areas outside
Proud to be partnering with the
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CAROLYN HOARD
A new house is under construction on Arrowhead Road.
of the cities had about 7,414 acres of land for potential residential
development.
“There is a substantial supply of buildable residential land in the
unincorporated portions of Clatsop County, including within several
unincorporated communities where urban-level zoning and commu-
nity water and sewer systems are in place,” the inventory study stated.
“However, many of these areas lack a full set of commercial and other
supportive services and the ability of local sewer and water systems
to serve the amount of development allowed under existing zoning is
not completely known.”
Hess said he’s seeing more interest in multifamily residences,
which is allowed in cities. But in the unincorporated parts of the
county, residential land is mostly zoned for single family homes on
two acre lots or fi ve acre lots.
Gail Henrikson, Clatsop County’s community development direc-
tor, said there is little land in the county zoned for duplexes, tri-
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plexes or developments.
“Unlike cities, the county doesn’t have the same level of infra-
structure or services,” Henrikson said. “Under statewide planning
rules, if land in an unincorporated area is not under a water or sewer
district, there are limitations on what the minimum lot size could be.”
Ryan Osburn, owner of Osburn/Olson Excavation and Land
Development and a separate plumbing company, said he would like
the county to allow smaller lot sizes to be developed in the unincorpo-
rated areas he works with between Warrenton and Gearhart.
“Construction’s a big part of the community here, and the area’s
going to keep growing because enough out of towners are trying to
come here,” Osburn said. “But we’re running out of acreage so we
need to take the acreage we do have and zone it so that we can develop
it.”
A 2019 Housing Strategies Report indicated that unincorporated
areas in the county do not need new residential dwellings to support
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