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3A THE DAILY ASTORIAN MONDAY, MARCH 7, 2016 Gearhart market seeks to make transition to brew pub Seaside Chamber, executive director sever relationship Market couldn’t compete, but owners hope café will succeed Technology skills drove decision, president says By R.J. MARX The Daily Astorian By R.J. MARX The Daily Astorian SEASIDE — Terry and Molly Lowenberg, owners of the Gear- hart Grocery and Sum Properties in Seaside, want to expand on their business with a restaurant, brew pub and specialty market. They say there is “not a pub- lic need” for a grocery store in the location, but there “may be a need for an additional food ser- vice option” for Gearhart resi- dents and visitors. Their application will undergo public comment before the Plan- ning Commission Thursday at 6 p.m. at Gearhart City Hall. If the plans are approved, the grocery store would close and the interior space would be remodeled for a brew pub and deli business, according to ¿nd- ings presented by city staff. The grocery store has been for sale for over two years and has struggled to compete with regional grocers north and south of Gearhart, the report stated. The 4,100-square-foot building has two existing street entrances. The applicant proposes interior improvements to add a brew area with four beer tanks, two restrooms, nine dining tables seating 36 cus- tomers plus four barstools at the deli. The rear part of the build- ing contains the stock area, a meat smoker and a freezer unit. “In addition to the competition, demand for a local grocer in Gear- hart is signi¿cantly diminished R.J. Marx/The Daily Astorian The Gearhart Grocery presented plans to the Planning Commission for a brew pub and café. in the winter months,” the city’s staff report noted. “The reuse of an existing building for a better business opportunity could prove to ensure a stable and healthy city center business district.” The brew pub proposes to serve wine and locally brewed craft beer and to provide a deli for customers to either dine or to take out. While there are other empty storefronts in the neighboring commercial zone, none have an existing kitchen, septic capacity and space for dining, restrooms and brewing. “Changing the use from a small grocery store to a cafe will reduce morning noise impacts and extend evening noise impacts to 10 p.m.,” the report stated. There may be “odorous impacts” from the meat smoker, the report added. In their review, city staff sought to determine if the pro- posed use is consistent with the city’s comprehensive plan poli- cies, some of which limit or dis- courage development and seek to prevent the city from becoming a tourist destination. Since this is an existing struc- ture, it does not need to meet off- street parking rules. “If a new café wanted to come into town, they would need parking,” City Manager Chad Sweet said. “We made an exception for existing structures.” After Thursday’s public hear- ing, the Planning Commission will make a decision on the conditional use permit and add any conditions they deem necessary, Sweet said. If the decision is appealed, it could go to the City Council for review, he added. SEASIDE — Executive Director Susan Hun- tington and the Seaside Chamber of Commerce have severed their relation- ship, chamber President Brian Owen announced Friday. Huntington was hired in March 2013. “It was time for the cham- ber to look for somebody with more experience with technical ¿elds,” Owen said. “We would like to see more technology for- Susan Huntington ward interfacing with our membership, more on the website, more Twit- ter-type products, more Facebook connectivity. It’s there, but it needs to be taken to the next level.” Owen said the board and Huntington “left on good terms.” “I truly appreciate where she brought us, moving us into new events. She really ramped where we were and I really hope to work on the building blocks she helped create.” Huntington could not immediately be reached for comment. Owen said the chamber would look for a new executive director active in their community who can bring in those skill sets, and “bringing some energy, some enthusiasm to that techni- cal side.” “We have a great connection with our businesses. It’s time to do more things like the visitors’ center is doing with their online appli- cations, with their connectivity, client-based, business or businesses.” The board will meet to put together a time frame for the hiring process. He said the Seaside Downtown Develop- ment Association, which is also in the process of looking for a new director, has found a “good group” of candidates and anticipates success in ¿lling the role. Salary details were not available, he said. Lawmakers want special session to avoid corporate tax ballot By KRISTENA HANSEN Associated Press SALEM — An aggres- sive proposal by labor unions to raise taxes on the biggest corporations doing business in Oregon is headed for the November ballot, and some lawmakers are talking about calling a special session to ¿nd an alternative. With the legislative ses- sion over, a special session is the only viable way to hash out a compromise in lieu of the ballot proposal. Some lawmakers say they’re will- ing to do that, but they hav- en’t been able to get both sides — the proposal’s labor union-backers and the big corporations it would affect — to come to the negotiating table. State Sen. Mark Hass, D-Beaverton, introduced an alternative plan at the begin- ning of the session as a con- versation-starter, but it never went anywhere. He said some businesses and private-sec- tor unions recently expressed interest in compromise but not nearly enough to justify a special session. “It’s now an appropriate time to focus on the potential for World War III in this cam- paign, unless people can come together and lay down the sword,” Hass told The Associ- ated Press. “Business brands are going to be damaged, the brands of public unions are going to be damaged, regard- less of who wins.” The ballot proposal, Initia- tive Petition 28, would require big businesses with $25 mil- lion in sales to pay a minimum $30,000 tax, plus 2.5 percent on anything above that sales threshold. It poses a signi¿- cant boon for the state bud- get, with revenue expected to jump by $5.2 billion during the upcoming 2017-19 cycle. Republicans and busi- nesses strongly oppose the petition, but sentiments are somewhat mixed among Democrats, who control both chambers and often lean with unions on certain issues. State House Speaker Tina Kotek, D-Portland, said she’s “personally supportive” of the measure because the rev- enue- boost could help meet the needs of many public agencies and services. Hass and other Dem- ocrats worry a bitter and costly ¿ght between unions and businesses would only deepen the cultural and political divides that shape many policy decisions at the Legislature. “That’ll be a bloodbath,” Senate President Peter Court- ney, D-Salem, told report- ers Thursday. “That could be another very bad battle, a brutal, brutal battle that will divide us. And whoever wins doesn’t win for long because the wounds will take us years and years to get over.” W A NTED &at¿sh bass waOOeye FatFh Oimits eOiminateG Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber N orth w es t H a rdw oods • Lon gview , W A Contact: Steve Axtell • 360-430-0885 or John Anderson • 360-269-2500 Associated Press VANCOUVER, Wash. — Washington state of¿cials have eliminated the size and daily catch limits on Colum- bia River cat¿sh, bass and walleye. State ¿shery of¿cials made the decision last week for the portion of the Columbia River shared with Oregon. Oregon’s rule deregulating the ¿shery went into place on Jan. 1. Washington state has also eliminated limits for bass, channel cat¿sh and walleye on nearly two dozen Washington tributaries as well. )ish and Wildlife of¿cials say the goal of deregulation is to increase the harvest of those non-native ¿sh species. FREE AUDITION WORKSHOPS PREPARE FOR A COLD READING - SATURDAY, MARCH 12 TH Time: 1:00pm - 3:00pm All Ages Welcome* Learn techniques to make a cold reading audition less nerve-wracking. NEWS TALK FOR THE COAST Providing live a nd loca l new s covera ge every da y Y ou could see it ton igh t, rea d a bout it tom orrow or h ea r it live N O W ! PREPARING FOR A MUSICAL AUDITION - SUNDAY, MARCH 13 TH Time: 2:00pm - 5:00pm All Ages Welcome* Work on preparing a 1-minute audition song & musical audition prep. Visit coastertheatre.com/calendar/auditions for more information. R.S.V.P. to 503-436-0609 to insure a spot in the workshops. * Actors & Singers under the age of 12 must be accompanied by an adult. ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A CHANGE? The Daily Astorian is currently seeking highly-motivated, goal oriented individuals to deliver The Daily Astorian Newspaper as an independent contractor. If you’re a dependable, organized, self- starter with excellent communication and customer service skills, Please call 503-325-3211 CITY OF ASTORIA HISTORIC LANDMARKS COMMISSION DR. EDWARD HARVEY HISTORIC PRESERVATION AWARD The City of Astoria Historic Landmarks Commission is seeking nominations for the Dr. Edward Harvey Historic Preservation Award. The award is presented each year to recognize a property owner who has completed exterior restoration or beautification of a building which exemplifies the historical attributes of the building or the architectural heritage of Astoria. The work must have been completed within the last two years. Nominations may include residential, commercial, public, and other types of buildings. The awards will be presented by the Mayor to celebrate National Historic Preservation Week in May. Anyone wishing to submit a nomination should contact Sherri Williams at the City of Astoria, mailto:swilliams@astoria.or.us / 338-5183, or send a nomination (no form required) to the Community Development Department, City of Astoria, 1095 Duane Street, Astoria OR 97103. Nominations must be received no later than 5:00 pm on April 15, 2016.
