THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2016
FRIDAY EXCHANGE
5A
Poor substitute
Community needs
n completing the survey for
which the City of Cannon
Beach is spending $30,000, we
found that its questions were
designed to apply broadly to
any city in the country. If the
present city management lived
in this small community, got
acquainted with the citizens,
took part in community activ-
ities, and walked around the
neighborhoods, they would
know the answers to all these
questions. This expensive exer-
cise is a poor substitute for
good governing.
REX and DIANE AMOS
Cannon Beach
W
I
Grandfather rentals
e vacationed in Gear-
hart several years ago
as a family, and fell in love
with the quaint little town. One
of the reasons we could pur-
chase the home in Gearhart was
because we could operate it as
a short term rental to help with
the expenses, but our long term
plan is to spend much more
time there once we are retired.
The recent developments by
the Planning Commission and
the City Council have us very
concerned.
First of all, we acknowl-
edge that change is unsettling
for everyone. We also believe
that the efforts to reduce or
eliminate short term rentals are
not personal attacks, and as we
express our views we hope that
folks will understand that this
is not personally targeted at
anyone.
We understand there are
currently 85 short term rentals
in the Gearhart area. It is pro-
posed to reduce those to 35.
That seems drastic, in our opin-
ion. Our proposal is that the
existing operators be grandfa-
thered in, since this was a valid
use of the properties at the time
of purchase. Reductions would
happen organically over time.
Since short term rentals are
a historic use in Gearhart, they
should be allowed to operate as
viable businesses without arbi-
trary or punitive restrictions. By
arbitrary and punitive, we mean
that if a home moved from
short term rental to another use,
would the outcome be better, or
worse, or no change?
For example: If there were
extra landscape maintenance
required for short term rental,
would the non-short term rental
use (the desired outcome) be
better, or worse, or no change?
In the case of landscape main-
tenance the outcome would be
no change, at best, and likely
worse.
So a landscape requirement
would be judged arbitrary and
punitive by this criteria. Many
of the proposed ordinance items
are of this nature. It would seem
that it would be better, for the
neighborhood, to have a house
occupied by approved renters
than to have the house sit vacant.
We are appealing to a voice
of reason and fairness to all
involved. We are a part of the
community by being a property
owner and part-time resident.
We want to operate harmoni-
ously, making it a win/win for
everyone.
MIKE and JANET
CRANSTON
Beaverton
W
Reinstate sanity
earhart residents: There is
a public hearing regard-
ing short-term rentals (aka
transient lodging) at 6 p.m.
Thursday at the Gearhart Fire
Station, 60 Paci¿c Way.
Your property values will be
affected, as well as the quality
of life we have come to know
and enjoy in Gearhart.
There are 87 known short-
term rentals, 77 are in Residen-
tial 1 (R1) zones. These rent-
als are changing the residential
character of this little city.
With the easy access to internet
advertising and vacation rental
companies like Vacasa, Airbnb
and VRBO, rental proper-
ties are packed witheight to
16-plus vacationers.
The parking, noise, traf¿c
is intense in summer months
and holidays. Septic systems
are de¿nitely challenged. Non-
resident property owners have
bought multiple properties,
turning these homes into hotel-
like businesses. If short-term
rental businesses take over, the
Gearhart Comprehensive Plan
will be violated in R1 and R2
zones. What’s to stop other
commercial ventures from
being inserted as your next
door neighbor?
G
Building a sense of community
very town needs businesses that
help build a sense of community.
You may not like brew pubs, but they
fall into that category. Places where
locals can get out of the house, not have
to cook, watch Oregon sports teams on
TV, have a couple of beers, get some
food, and be around a lot of fun peo-
ple. This is what Molly Lowenberg, the
E
At the Thursday meeting of
the Gearhart Planning Com-
mission, policies will be pre-
sented that will put short-term
rentals in residential neighbor-
hoods. These neighborhoods
have always been, and are still
strictly residential. Do you
want these residential zones
to now include hotel-like com-
mercial activity?
Excerpted from the Gearhart
Comprehensive Plan Goals and
Policies, Ordinance No. 677:
“Residential development
policies: The City will pre-
serve and maintain the pre-
dominantly residential char-
acter of Gearhart through
appropriate zoning and land
use development regulations.
The City will recognize the
importance of the City’s resi-
dential neighborhoods and the
need to protect them from the
negative impacts of the tran-
sient rental of property, and to
discourage increased levels of
traf¿c and similar disruptions.
“Commercial
Develop-
ment policies: The City will
limit commercial activity in
the City, in terms of both land
devoted to commercial uses
and the types of uses permitted
in commercial zones, to a level
that is compatible with Gear-
hart’s residential character.
“The City will prevent the
City from becoming a tour-
ist destination. To achieve this
policy the City, through its land
use designations shall seek to
accommodate only a limited
level of tourist development.”
We must come forward to
uphold and preserve the Gear-
hart Comprehensive Plan.
VICTORIA
ABRAHAMSON and
JEANNE and WILSON
MARK
Gearhart
Gearhart Grocery
n open letter to the com-
munity of Gearhart: As a
Gearhart resident and 5-year
Gearhart Grocery employee, I
am disheartened by the com-
munity’s response to the idea of
a new business taking Gearhart
Grocery’s place.
While I understand that the
grocery store has been a sta-
ple in the community for over
50 years, a business can not run
on sentimental value alone. I
have always been prideful of
how tight-knit the community
of Gearhart is, and can say with
con¿dence that my coworkers
and I know most customers by
name and recognize almost all.
However, over these past
few weeks we have been bom-
barded with an obscene amount
of rude demands, statements
and questions — most of which
are coming from people that
I do not recognize, or cannot
recall being a frequent shopper.
We have read and heard
inaccurate rumors pertain-
ing to what is going to happen
with the store. We have been
accused of sneakiness in the
days leading up to the zoning
meeting, as well as having a
lack of care for our community.
The city of Gearhart did every-
thing required of them when a
matter like this is voted on —
the information regarding the
zoning meeting, where our pro-
posal was approved, was made
public in a February issue of
The Daily Astorian.
We love our community
members, whether they fre-
quent our store or not. The fact
of the matter is that although
people love us, they do not
shop here nearly enough for
us to be a successful, pro¿table
business. This is what commu-
nity members need to keep in
mind when weighing the idea
of a new business.
The argument that replacing
the store with this new business
will “increase the amount of
drinking” is inaccurate as well
as invalid. This new business
will promote no more alcohol
consumption than there already
is.
Many have complained
that this transition will ruin the
A
owner of the Gearhart Grocery store, is
proposing. What is the problem?
Those who would rather have Mol-
ly’s business fail than add a little life to
the town’s core are shortsighted, and
completely off base. I’m guessing these
people have a net worth in the millions,
have bypassed their local grocery store
for years to save a few bucks, and now
tight-knit community that we
have built, and I strongly dis-
agree. This potential new busi-
ness would not necessarily gen-
erate any more activity than
other local restaurants do.
Every complaint we have
heard, whether it be negative
or positive, has been emotion-
ally charged and inconsider-
ate of the business owners and
buyers. By appealing, or being
unsupportive of this transition,
you are also being unsupport-
ive of your fellow community
members.
While we appreciate the
community’s concern, we hope
that this open letter will give
community members a fresh
perspective and enough addi-
tional information to allow sup-
portive attitudes and decrease
the negativity while we move
forward.
ALYSSA LOGAN and
GEARHART GROCERY
Gearhart
scream when a business plan has to
change.
The proposal for the Gearhart Gro-
cery is perfectly reasonable, and will
add to the community. Those oppos-
ing it, I guess, can build a wall and have
Seaside pay for it.
JIM SPURR
Cannon Beach
that come straight out of the
New Testament, which teaches,
“A woman should learn in
silence with submission. And
do not permit a woman to teach
or to have authority over a man,
but in silence.” (First Timothy
2:11, 12)
I believe this country is
great, but not because of
Christian values. This coun-
try is great because of diver-
sity and the freedom of choice.
The choice to be who we are,
not who Christians — or any
other religious group — think
we should be. This country is
also great because the founding
fathers were smart enough to
keep religion and state separate.
Just one more thing. That
loving god Mr. Mauro talks
about — the god of Abraham
— is also worshiped by Mus-
lims world-wide.
CARL A. JOHNSON
Herlong, California
Keep the sea lions
Christian values?
y partner and I are plan-
ning on making Asto-
ria our new home this coming
summer. We read the article
about trying to deter the sea
lions. Booo! We love the sea
lions, and enjoyed them on
our last visit. I understand that
while we aren’t residents, and
don’t understand the fuss, the
sea lions are a charming addi-
tion to us.
We also don’t understand
the Goonies fascination. That
seems to be more of a problem
than nature’s creatures looking
for food.
Seriously.
ROBIN RODGERS
Paradise, California
M
his letter is in response to
Gary Mauro’s Open Forum
letter, “On Chicago” (The Daily
Astorian, March 25).
He states that this country
was founded on Judeo-Chris-
tian values. (By the way, how
did that work out for the Native
Americans?). Is he talking
about those same Christian val-
ues that wiped out millions of
indigenous people through-
out the world? Or, maybe Mr.
Mauro is talking about the
Christian values that inspired
the burning of innocent women
during the Salem witch hunt.
Could he be talking about
those good Christian values
T
Help needed
applaud the employees at
Clatsop Behavioral Health
(CBH) for making an attempt
to bring issues into the light.
(“8nion takes µno con¿dence’
vote against clinical director,”
The Daily Astorian, April 1).
I do not know the clinical
director or executive director,
but I do know that the people in
our community are faced with a
daunting, and sometimes unus-
able, health care system. Many
of us in the community have
read a bit from news articles,
but in my case have also heard
frustrated comments from local
professionals in both the medi-
cal and educational ¿elds who
have received either faulty —
or no — help at all when it was
needed most from CBH.
I have also had a string of
neighbors who were CBH
employees living next door,
and have seen not only an
alarming turnover, but a frus-
tration that has been more than
a few disgruntled employ-
ees. I believe I join others in
the county in asking the CBH
Board to facilitate bringing in
an impartial third party who is
quali¿ed in both clinical and
medical-related administrative
systems. I’m sure the present
administration would appre-
ciate the assistance, as well as
the employees.
It’s too easy to miss the for-
est for the trees in frustrating sit-
uations like this, and only doing
an internal review might miss
any other issues that might be
standing in the path of a func-
tioning mental health system.
KITTY PAINO
Astoria
I
hen I learned that the
Gearhart grocery store,
from which I live around the
corner, was to become a brew
pub, I was delighted. I imme-
diately relived, in memory,
the afternoons and evenings
my wife, our three grandchil-
dren and their parents enjoyed
in the brewpubs of Portland
— the world’s best beers, the
inexpensive, tasty fare, and,
best of all, the kid-friendly
atmosphere and menus. The
high-spirited conviviality, for
all ages, is not often matched
in commercial enterprises of
any kind.
Then I thought of the sum-
mers-to-come: outdoor tables
under a blue sky, following or
preceding a day on the beach,
many people with families and
others without enjoying the
center of our beautiful town,
with the prospect of the vast
majesty of the Paci¿c Ocean
but a block or two away. Who
could not be cheered by such
a tableau of multi-generational
human gaiety?
“A handful of residents,”
that’s who, I learned from
R.J. Marx in The Daily Asto-
rian (“Residents ¿ght Gearhart
brew pub plans,” March 30).
And they attire what is noth-
ing more than their personal
disfavor in the garb of concern
for the “needs” of the commu-
nity, as if any person, or “hand-
ful” of persons are quali¿ed to
decide what are my needs, or
my neighbor’s or my neigh-
bor’s neighbor’s.
And, if it is really “needs”
we are talking about, what com-
munity “needs” more than a ¿re
department, a police station and
a post of¿ce? And what indi-
vidual “needs” more than a
glass of water, a bowl of soy-
beans and a waterproof jacket
in winter? Who needs a dog, or
a car, or a church? I don’t.
Shall I go then, through
legal channels and attempt to
have them banned from the city
of Gearhart? And if each of us
persuaded the authorities to ban
everything we either disliked
or had no use for, what would
remain? A pretty picture Gear-
hart would be then, wouldn’t it?
LOUIS SARGENT
Gearhart
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