Municipaf Memo
O bserver
ISSUE 47 * MAY 1995
CITY COUNCIL
M AY 2, 1995
♦ Held a public hearing on the Morton
appeal ol the Planning Commission'*
approval ol SUB 94-03, Scanlan
Kemper Bard Companies application
lor tentative plat approval lor a 19 lot
subdivision known as Chapman Point
Subdivison. Morton and some ol his
Laurel Street neighbors appealed the
approval as it related to the alignment
and characteristics of proposed Oak
Street extension south ol 7th Street.
The Laurel Street neighbors were con­
cerned that a paved through-street in
the subdivision ol new homes may
attract a significant number ol sight­
seers.
Council voted to tentatively
uphold the Planning Commission’s
decision to approve the subdivision
but modified an approval condition re­
lating to the proposed Oak Street ex­
tension to require the developer to
gravel the road in the areas that adjoin
7th Street and Laurel Street to discour­
age non-residential traffic in the neigh­
borhood. Council held a special meet­
ing on May 15 to consider the final
findings ol fact and conditions for the
subdivision. Councilors adopted the
findings and conditions with one mod­
ification; a condition specifying where
the interface between graveled and
paved surfaces will occur was modi­
fied to permit the city engineers some
flexibility in determining the best loca­
tion for the pavement break from a
public safety and maintenance per­
spective. (A)
♦ Held a public heanng regarding Ore­
gon Department of Transportation
Tourist Oriented Directional (TOD)
signs. Council recently met with ODOT
representatives to discuss the status
of ODOT-placed signage on Hemlock
Street now that Hemlock Street has
been transferred to city responsibility.
Council discussed the signage and
decided to direct staff to recommend
which signs on Hemlock Street are
appropriate to remain in place and to
consider re-design of the signs.
gallon garbage container service from
Cannon Beach Sanitary.
♦ Discussed the Blue Ribbon Commit­
tee report on future space needs of
Cannon Beach and decided to pursue
the #1 recommendation of the commit­
tee by obtaining cost estimates for
geological survey, obtain appraisal and
return to Council with preliminary infor­
mation including usability of existing
buildings. The first choice of the Blue
Ribbon Committee is to locate the
school/arts center and sports park
at the RV Park site and leave the
IMPACT site as open space.
♦Adopted findings of fact and first
reading of proposed Ordinance 95-07,
establishing off-street parking stan­
dards for the downtown C1 zone. The
second reading and adoption of the
ordinance will be considered at Coun­
cil's June meeting.
♦Adopted Ordinance 95-08, replac­
ing Ordinance 94-11 to provide for
accessory dwellings in the R1, R2, R3,
RL, RM, RAM and C1 zones and to
provide for the dispersal of duplexes in
the R2 zone.
♦ Accepted Councilor Adamson's
resignation as Council representative
to Clatsop Tillamook Intergovernmen­
tal Council (CTIC ) and appointed
Rainmar Bartl to represent the city on
a Coastal Transprotation Policy
Advisory Committee.
Kirk Anderson, Mayor
City Councilors:
Laurel Hood
Clevs Rooper
Frank Little
Karolyn Adamson
Adopted a supplemental budget to
provide funding tor the resurfacing of
the city park tennis courts; construc­
tion of a base tor the bandstand at city
park, monitoring at Haystack Rock and
hiring a temporary accounting clerk.
♦Accepted a recommendation by the
Energy Committee to ask the Budget
Committee to determine availability of
funds to increase Shuttle service from
five to seven days per week Also
authorized the Energy Committee to
send an informational letter to all users
of electricity regarding solar hot water
heater opportunities.
♦ Accepted a property line settlement
proposed by Chuck and Carlene
Lenard regarding the Pacific Street
boundary of the Lenard's property at
1956 Pacific. (B)
♦ Adopted a resolution forming a
local improvement distnct tor the
purpose of installing storm drainage in
the area of Femwood Avenue and
Pacific Street. (C)
DESIGN REVIEW BOARD
MAY 18
♦Held a public hearing on DDAJ appli­
cation for building and site modifica­
tions to existing commercial building,
located at 3401 South Hemlock. (D)
♦ Held a public heanng on Cannon
Beach Conference Center application
for a major modification to approved
plan for a mixed use building located at
163 East Third. (E)
♦Continued discussion of Stephanie
Inn parking lot landscaping. (F)
John WHIIama, City Manager
Published monthly by the
City of Cannon Beach,
P.O. Box 368 Cannon Beach,
OR 97110 (503) 436-1561
PLANNING COMMISSION
APRIL 27
♦ Held a public hearing on an application
by the City of Cannon Beach for Zoning
Ordinance text amendments regarding
short term rentals Several changes had
been recommended by a committee
formed by City Council to review the
short term rental ordinances, including a
recommendation to extend by three years
the period of time in which licensed short
term rentals will be allowed to operate.
The Planning Commission voted to rec­
ommend approval of the amendments to
the City Council; a public hearing on the
matter will be held at Council's June 6
meeting.
♦ Held a public hearing on a City of
Cannon Beach application for Zoning
O rdinance am endm ents concerning
Assisted Living Facilities. The Planning
Commission initiated the amendments
in response to a request from Mike
Morgan, representing the Community
Development Corporation (C DC). The
CO C is interested in developing an
Assisted Living Facility for elderly or
disabled persons, w here the facility
provides certain services such as meals,
h o u s ek e e p in g , tra n sp o rtatio n and
personal care. The Planning Commis­
sion recom m ends that City Council
approve the addition of Assisted Living
Facility as a conditional use in the R3,
RAM. RM and C l zones. Council will
hold a public hearing on the matter at the
June 6 Council meeting.
♦ Held a public hearing on a request by
Robert and Jo Ann Norrie for two vari­
ances in association with a lot line adjust­
ment at Z86 Kenai Street. The applicants
wish to create a second oceanfront lot in
association with their existing house at
the west end of Kenai Street in Tolovana
Park. At the request of the applicant, the
record was held open for the submission
of additional evidence and the request
will be considered at Planning Commis­
sion's May 25 meeting. (G)
♦ Held a public hearing on a conditional
use request by James O'Hanlon to per­
mit selective harvesting of forest lands
on a 17.36 acre parcel of land located
east of Highway 101 and south of Eh
Mountain Road, within the Cannon Beach
urban growth boundary. The applicant
would remove approximately half the
harvestable Sitka Spruce and Western
Hemlock trees, with buffers provided
adiacent to streams and Highway 101.
The cond itio nal use re q u e s t w as
approved. (H)
♦ Continued consideration of Ter Har off-
street parking vanance requests. The
public hearing on the matter was held at
the January Planning Commission meet­
ing and at the request of the applicant,
consideration was postponed until the
April meeting. The variances requested
by TerHar are In conjunction with the
PUBLIC MEETINGS
30
♦Held a public hearing and estab­
lished rates for new 34 gallon and 90
MEETING HIGHLIGHTS
T uesda y , M arch
21, 1995
Willapa Bay spartirla spraying opponents
call for gubernatorial veto
pruuMl on r t i ycbd ppptr
MEETING HIGHLIGHTS
O pinions
M A Y , 1995
CITY COUNCIL
WORKSBSSION. 7 P.M.
JUNE, 1995
C ITY COUNCIL, 7 P.M.
PARKS & COMMUNITY
SERVICES, 9 A.M.
15 PUBLIC WORKS CMTE.,
4:30 P.M.
15 DESIGN REVIEW, 6:30 P M
20 BUDGET ADOPTION, 7 P.M.
21 EN ERO Y CMTE., 8:30 A M
22 PLANNING COMMISSION,
7 PM
6
15
proposed conversion of the present tire
station on Spruce Street to commercial
use. The Planning Commission approved
off street parking variances to permit the
provision of a total of twelve off street
parking spaces where the current Code
requires 22 spaces and tc allow the appli
cant to not provide landscaped planters
at the western end of the proposed park
inglot. The vanance approvals are con­
ditioned upon the City Council approving
amendments to the downtown C1 zone
parking standards which are presently
under consideration. (I)
NEW RECYCLE BINS
AT POST OFRCE
New recycle bins with more compart
ments for sorting have appeared at the
post office thanks to the dedicated
efforts of the Cannon Beach Energy
Committee. The bins will have signs
both in Spanish and English Indicating
which items go into each compartment
Best of all. almost an materials and
labor were donated lor the project!
HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS
WASTE COLLECTION EVENT
SCHEDULED FOR JUNE 1
The Oregon Department of Environmen­
tal Quality, Clatsop County and local City
governments are sponsoring a collection
day for household wastes on Saturday,
June 17 from 10a.m .-4p .m . The collec­
tion sites are at Cannon Beach City Hall
Parking tot at Hemlock and Gower Streets,
and the Public Works yard in Seaside
between 10th and 12th on Roosevelt.
Residents are encouraged to bnng house­
hold toxic chemicals to the collection sites
where professionals will property dispose
ot the wastes No container larger than
five gallons will be accepted nor will ex­
plosives. ammunitions or radioactive
waste (primarily smoke detectors), bio­
logical waste or waste from a business or
commercial (arm operation. All contain­
ers Should be tigntfy sealed, packaged m
an upright position and placed in a card­
board box. Labels should be left on all
containers, and dry substances, if in a
bag or box, should be double bagged to
prevent spillage.
For further information, call City Hall at
" WTxaz is a weed? A plant whose
virtues have not yet been discov­
ered. " — Ralph Waldo Emerson
The Spartina issue is complex,
as most environmental issues are,
such as salmon, seals and spotted
owls. There are overlapping juris­
dictions, corporate agendas, public
health concerns and often a long
history o f abusive practices or poor
management. Fortunately, there is a
p o s itiv e trend emerging w hich
broadens management approaches
from single species to an ecosys­
tem perspective.
Spartina has been growing and
spreading throughout the upper
tidelands o f W illapa Bay fo r the
past 100 years, since it was appar­
ently introduced accidentally when
used as packing material fo r rail
shipment o f Eastern oyster seed
from the Chesapeake. In 1946 it
was transplanted from W illapa to
P a d illa Bay by a gun club to
improve duck hunting, subsequent­
ly spreading to other parts o f Puget
Sound. Spartina has been trans­
planted also to San Diego Bay,
estuaries in New Zealand and sev­
eral Chinese coastal areas, mainly
fo r erosion control, shoreline stabi­
lizatio n and sediment collection.
On the East Coast, where spartina
is the dominant salt marsh vegeta­
tion from Nova Scotia to Mexico, it
is highly valued for w ildlife habi­
tat, shoreline protection, foundation
fo r the detritus-based food chain,
b io - f ilte r fo r contaminants and
excess n utrien ts carried by
stormwater runoff, animal fodder,
fiber source for papermaking and a
major contributor to water quality
so essential for shellfish produc­
tio n . Chinese researchers have
demonstrated its value as feed pel­
le ts in fis h farm s, as a natural
source o f minerals for dairy ani­
mals that boosts m ilk production
20% , and as a booster fo r the
human immune system, specifical­
ly beneficial for kidney and urinary
tract infections.
So what’ s the problem? Spartina
is clearly a net benefit in Willapa
Bay as water quality is famously
excellent, oyster reproduction is
co n s is te n tly good, and eroding
shorelines have been stabilized.
But the large oyster growers rely
on pesticide control o f burrowing
shrim p (using carbaryl, or Sevin,
made by Union Carbide) to main­
ta in fir m ground necessary fo r
m o n o c ro p p in g bottom cu ltu re .
T he re is m ounting pressure to
cease shrim p spraying, w ith o u t
w hich the large companies claim
they could not remain in business.
CANNON BEACH
BOOK COMPANY
have been fortunate to have the
p o litic a l and legal support o f the
S h o a lw a te r In dia n T rib e and
Friends o f the Earth We have suc­
cessfully blocked herbicide use the
past five years, arguing that spray­
ing is unnecessary and unwise. We
have demonstrated safe and effec­
tiv e sp a rtin a c o n tro l by hand­
pulling seedlings and mowing large
clumps. Harvesting and marketing
various spartina products has paid
fo r the control efforts, disproving
the argum ent that spraying is
cheaper.
In spite o f serious questions
about long-term impacts raised by
an
E n viro nm e nta l
Im pact
Statement, permits for glyphosate
use were issued in A p ril, 1994.
Appeals were filed by the three
opposing groups, effectively stop­
pin g spraying last year. A jo in t
hearing o f the appeals was sched­
uled for December 1994 before the
W ashington State P o llu tio n
C o n tro l Board and the State
Shoreline Hearings Board. The
Nature Conservancy provided legal
defense o f the spray permits, but
the strength o f public support and
our arguments against widespread
aquatic herbicide use resulted in a
settlement agreement, so no hear­
ing was held. Basically, the settle­
ment was a compromise fo r both
sides: limited spraying with careful
monitoring for impacts was agreed
to, in exchange for a redefinition o f
Integrated Pest Management where
chemical control is the least pre­
ferred method.
Unfortunately, the settlement is
unacceptable to the W illa p a
Alliance, Nature Conservancy and
Monsanto. Our district’ s state sena­
tor, Sid Snyder, was persuaded to
introduce emergency le g is la tio n
w h ic h n u llifie s the se ttle m e n t,
elim inates most p e rm it re q u ire ­
ments and appropriates $1.5 m il­
lion for glyphosate use. O f course,
no monitoring is required.
A letter campaign is underway
encouraging Gov. Low ry to veto
the b ill, allow ing the negotiated
settlement to remain in place. I f
the b ill becomes law, there is one
remaining option: an appeal o f the
Department o f E cology’ s Short-
Term Water Quality M odification.
Public support is needed at this
critical time. Letters to the gover­
nor urging a veto are suggested.
Financial contributions for legal
expenses are also w elcom e.
Thanks for any help you can pro­
vide.
LA R R Y W ARNBERG
Ad Hoc Coalition fo r Willapa Bay
O YSTER R O A S T
& S P A R T IN A B A Z A A R
P.O. B om 634
132 North Hemlock
Cannon Beach, 436-1301
Help make Willapa Bay
a Chemical Free Zone!
June 1 1, 2-6 pm
_________
436-9356
Cannon Beach OR
M o b y Diclc H o t e l
Sandridge Road, Nahcotta WA
D o n a tio n $ 2 5
S P E A K E R S:
"Top-drawer eats"
.. The Oregonian
436 1561.
RRCYCI E SCHEDULE
An important aspect o f the struggle
to o b ta in p e rm its fo r spartina
spraying, therefore, is an effort to
protect the farm ers’ rig h t to use
pesticides, especially shrimp spray.
Evidence exposing th is hidden
motivation is the political alliance
oystermen formed w ith cranberry
growers, tree farm ers and other
upland farmers. Locally, this coali­
tio n is know n as the W illa p a
A llia n c e , funded by the Nature
Conservancy and Eco-Trust.
The h e rb ic id e proposed fo r
sp artina c o n tro l is glyp ho sate,
made by M onsanto and sold as
Rodeo and Round-Up. Monsanto’s
m otivation is not hard to figure.
Spartina has spread or been intro­
duced to estuaries w o rld -w id e ,
offering a huge potential market i f
glyphosate is permitted for use in
W illa p a Bay. M on san to ’ s w e ll-
financed promotional campaign has
exaggerated the invasive character
o f spartina, describing it complete­
ly out o f c o n te x t as a noxious
weed.
S partina can spread q u ic k ly
when c o n d itio n s are fa vorab le,
much as fireweed re-vegetates a
clear-cut. As clumps o f spartina
trap silt, the elevation o f the tide
flats is raised, allowing the grass to
creep outward creating large mead­
ows along the shore. Eventually,
spartina fills its niche on the upper
tidelands, reaching a dynamic bal-
ance determined by predation (for
example, by insects and geese),
currents and wave action, sediment
loads and n u trie n t a v a ila b ility .
S partina may be considered a
symptom o f abusive activities in a
watershed: too much mud from
clear-cut logging, road construc­
tion, and oyster dredging; too many
nutrients from agricultural run-off,
sewage outfalls and leaky septic
systems. An ounce o f prevention is
worth thousands o f gallons o f her­
bicide, but it’s hard to sell preven­
tion, and herbicide is highly prof­
itable ($125 a gallon). Treating
symptoms with a short-term chemi­
cal fix is the culturally sanctioned
approach to com plex problems.
Monsanto becomes the beneficiary
as a consequence o f society’ s lim it­
ed attention span. Long-term con­
sequences fo r human health and
ecosystem balance are obscured by
scare propaganda th a t creates
demands for immediate and drastic
action.
The A d H oc C o a litio n fo r
W illapa Bay is a group o f con­
cerned citizens and small organic
oyster farmers committed to a poli­
cy o f no aquatic pesticides. We
A bsolu tely delicious homemade soups and sandwiches
Freshly baked desserts and Torrefazione Italia Coffee.
Michael Gendler,
Atty, Ad hoc Committee
for Willapa Bay
David Ortman,
Friends of the Earth
to defray legal expenses
of ad hoc coalition.
Food, Music, Harvesting
Demonstration,
Product and Art Display.
.IL N E . 1995
Jennifer Hagans,
A Good Tim e
w ith Good People!
LLKBiU2h
Shoalwater Indian Tribe
No Host Bar.
MON. Collection
12th & 26th
TUES. Collection
13th & 27th
WED. Collection
14th & 2Hth
FRI. Collection
9th A 23rd
RFCYC1.F. SATURDAY
9a.m .-lp.m .
3 rd & 1 7 th
For Information or R.S.V.P.
(360) 665-4543
Fax (360) 665-6887
P.O. Box 82, Nahcotta, WA 98637
J
I am lo o k in g fo r a lo t o f m en w ho have an
in fin ite c a p a c ity to n o t k n o w w h a t c a n 't be
done.
H e n ry F o rd
M a n y o f life 's fa ilu re s are people w ho d id
n o t re a liz e how close th ey w ere to success
w he n th e y gave up.
Thom as Edison
★ ★ *
Northwest Best Places
(503) 4 3 6 -2 8 3 2
Caiman Pearfi
A w a r d • ! B xc allta ca
77ie Wine Spectator
c ____________________________ >
1207 S H .w b c k
Beach, 0 2 97110
(903)450*1179
C bmmbb
239 N HEMLOCK • P.O. BOX 905
CANNON BEACH, OR 97110
WPEfc LETT tbGL TUUE l??5 3