DailyAstorian.com // TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2016
143RD YEAR, NO. 204
ONE DOLLAR
Astoria
uneasy
about
vacation
rentals
City sees warning
signs in Gearhart,
Cannon Beach
‘ACTION!’
Photos by Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian
Crews set up lights and prepare to film a scene of the movie ‘Seaside’ in a cave at Hug Point on Monday. More photos at Daily
Astorian.com
‘Seaside’ movie shoots with eye on the tide
Cast and crew
begin two weeks
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South County
By DERRICK DePLEDGE
The Daily Astorian
Vacation rentals are not allowed in Asto-
ria’s residential neighborhoods. Technically,
the term doesn’t even exist in the develop-
ment code, which was written when the city
was known more for work than play.
But the City Council is concerned that a
lack of enforcement on homestay lodging,
which is permitted, could lead to the kind
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divided Gearhart and Cannon Beach.
The popularity of Airbnb, VRBO and
other vacation rental websites has contrib-
uted to what Kevin Cronin, the city’s com-
munity development director, on Monday
night called the sharing economy revolution.
Whether intentionally or because of
confusion, some in Astoria are advertising
homes online as short-term rentals and are
not paying license and hotel-room taxes or
are violating the development code.
Homestay vs. vacation rentals
By LYRA FONTAINE
The Daily Astorian
Homeowners can rent out two bed-
rooms as homestay lodging in medium and
high-density residential neighborhoods. A
permit is required for homestay lodging in
low-density neighborhoods.
C
ANNON BEACH — Cam-
eras rolled as actors Ari-
ana DeBose (“Daphne”)
and Matt Shingledecker
(“Roger”) approached the cave.
“A little slower and more mys-
terious,” a voice called out.
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scenes alongside Hug Point’s
waves and caves for the indepen-
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The thriller, written and
directed by Oregon native Sam
Zalutsky, will be shot in areas
between Arch Cape and Seaside
until early May.
The coast’s natural landscape
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“The beach house was a
huge part of the Roger charac-
ter’s childhood,” producer Alyssa
Roehrenbeck said. “He and his
girlfriend move out here and it’s
this contrast between the harsh
elements, the coast and the rocky
rugged cliffs and the waves, com-
ing in contact with these charac-
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own lives at the time.”
Zalutsky, a Portland native
who now lives in New York City,
knew he wanted to center his sec-
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Oregon Coast, where he spent
many childhood summers.
“There’s a lot of twists and
turns in the story and I wanted it
to be fun and dramatic, like the
coast,” he said.
See RENTALS, Page 4A
Director of Photography Philip Anderson, left, and Director Sam Zalutsky, right, provide direction
as Ariana DeBose, playing “Daphne,” and Matt Shingledecker, playing “Roger,” rehearse a scene
at Hug Point on Monday.
‘There’s a lot
of twists and
turns in the
story and I
wanted it to
be fun and
dramatic, like
the coast.’
Sam Zalutsky
director of ‘Seaside’
Crews prepare to film a scene in “Seaside” in a cave at Hug
Point on Monday.
having a great time even though I
was worried about getting all of
our shots.”
Tracking the tides
Zalutsky chose the cave as the
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was “very intense, but really site of the story’s climax while
wonderful,” Zalutsky said. “I was writing the script. Initially drawn
of the cave — separated from
the rest of the beach by shallow
to the area’s beauty and inten- water — proved to be a chal-
sity, he later realized that it may lenge, crew monitors kept an eye
EHGLI¿FXOWWREULQJLQFDVWFUHZ on the tide and successfully shot
and equipment into a “tide-de- the scenes.
pendent” location.
Although getting in and out
See MOVIE, Page 10A
Seaside picks up the ‘baton’ for good cause
Community
Center to get
main hall refresh
Astoria
may sue
Smithart
over taxes
City wants to collect,
send a message about
delinquent bills
By DERRICK DePLEDGE
The Daily Astorian
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Brad Smithart and his company over nearly
$120,000 in delinquent hotel-room taxes
from the Astoria Riverwalk Inn.
Smithart no longer operates the hotel but
owes the city back taxes dating to July 2014.
He also owes the Port of Astoria, which
owns the hotel, an estimated $300,000.
“It’s $120,000 of taxpayer money that has
been taken and not returned to the city,” City
Attorney Blair Henningsgaard said Mon-
day night after the City Council authorized
a lawsuit.
District Attorney Josh Marquis in Decem-
ber declined to prosecute Smithart on crimi-
nal charges, citing the need to prove the hote-
lier intended to defraud the city and the Port.
But the prosecutor said at the time that the
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See SMITHART, Page 4A
By R.J. MARX
The Daily Astorian
SEASIDE — The legacy of a
man dedicated to helping others
moves into a new phase in Seaside.
Board members and representa-
tives of the Bob Chisholm Commu-
nity Center went to the Seaside City
Council April 11, to present an update
on the main hall refresh and to invite
residents to a taco feed fundraiser.
Chisholm, a former public works
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tion for the center, which serves seniors
and community groups in Seaside.
RESOLVE Architecture
The main hall redesign plan for Bob Chisholm Community Center.
Chisholm died in 1997 attempt-
ing to save a man drowning in the
surf just off the beach.
“Several months ago we appeared
at one of your meetings with the
architects and gave you a dream that
we had,” Lou Neubecker told mem-
bers of the council. “We want to let
you to know we’re moving forward
with that dream.”
The Daily Astorian/File Photo
See CENTER, Page 10A
Brad Smithart operates Arc Arcade
downtown.