9A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2016 Warrenton: Land is zoned for marine industrial use Continued from Page 1A Last week, Leucadia National Corp., the New York-based holding company behind Oregon LNG, announced it will cease funding the controversial project. The move came less than a month before the City Commission was scheduled to hear Oregon LNG’s DSSHDORIDKHDULQJVRI¿FHU¶VGHFLVLRQ to deny the terminal portion of the proj- Mark Rick HFW7KHKHDULQJVRI¿FHUKDGDSSURYHGD Kujala Newton pipeline segment to serve the terminal. Balensifer said he wants something positive to come from this contentious saga, and that it can start with the city reviewing and overhauling Warren- ton’s comprehensive plan and zoning rules. “There’s certain industry that our community doesn’t want. We should be planning for what is gonna work — what’s gonna work within our cul- Tom Pam ture, our way of life — but also ensure Dyer Ackley safe and responsible economic devel- opment,” he said. “Let’s plan this out and have public input so that investors and that I have read and considered all can know right up front: Is this going to the facts in the record.” work out or not?” He recognized, however, that, for the Oregon LNG project, “there wasn’t a lot of public support, and that’s always Just the facts Though Balensifer is proposing a factor to consider,” he said. Commissioner Rick Newton said that Warrenton consider crafting an economic road map, he said he hadn’t the materials for the appeal contained decided whether to uphold the denial of more than 130 letters against the project and less than 40 in favor of it. Oregon LNG’s terminal. “We weren’t anxious to vote on it “I know some people just want their HOHFWHGRI¿FLDOVWRMXVWVD\µ\HV¶RUµQR¶ by any means,” Newton said, “because, but that’s not equal treatment under the no matter what, you’re going to make a law,” Balensifer said in an email. “I bunch of people mad.” Asked which way he was leaning, strive to give everyone, from the per- son trying to start a home occupation to 1HZWRQ EURXJKW XS WKH KHDULQJV RI¿- large-scale developments, a fair hear- cer’s decision. “I don’t normally pay people to LQJ3HRSOHVKRXOGKDYHFRQ¿GHQFHWKDW whenever I make a decision it is fair, give me an opinion and then go against their opinion. I’ve learned that in busi- ness,” said Newton, who owns War- renton NAPA Auto Parts. “I go to them because I don’t have the expertise in that area, which we certainly did not.” He said he also had concerns about how the project would change Warrenton. “Many of the elderly people came to me and said they didn’t like the thought of living in a blast zone, and I can’t blame them for that,” he said. At the same time, he added, “a lot of people came to me and said, ‘We’ll get a new VFKRRO RXW RI WKLV D QHZ ¿UH GHSDUW- ment, everything.’” Comissioner Pam Ackley — with- out saying whether she opposed Ore- gon LNG or believed the facility met the city’s land-use criteria — said, “I think that our community has to look at things that (have) everybody’s support, and it was just too widely not supported.” “We need to focus on trying to bring EXVLQHVVKHUHWKDWEHWWHU¿WVRXUFRP- munity, that supports the environment,” she added. Commissioner Tom Dyer said he thought the LNG project was “a good opportunity for the city to have some decent tax revenue coming in that would have helped us do a lot of things we need to do for the city.” But, if the terminal didn’t pass mus- ter regulation-wise, “I would’ve had no problem voting it down,” he said. “You don’t always have to agree with stuff to have to do your job, you just have to be professional about it.” ³,W¶V OLNH PH EHLQJ D SROLFH RI¿- cer: I may not agree with all the laws I have to enforce, but that’s what (the job) is,” Dyer, a senior trooper for the Oregon State Police, said. “You use the facts to make your decision — at least you should anyhow.” As for Mayor Mark Kujala, “I was just prepared to listen to both sides,” he said. “The process was a fair one, and we remained objective and ready to lis- ten to the appeal next month.” has to be consistent with the livability concerns that we have here, too.” A huge weight lifted At the time Oregon LNG chose to pull the plug, none of the commission- ers had fully digested the 2-foot stack of The land appeal documents. When Newton found out he didn’t What of the land itself? The Port of Astoria leases the prop- KDYHWR¿QLVKWKHUHDGLQJ³LWZDVOLNH erty on the Skipanon Peninsula from a huge weight was lifted off my shoul- the state, and Oregon LNG subleases ders,” he said. “It was a ridiculous it from the Port. So, at the moment, amount of material.” “that’s really an issue to be determined Ackley commended the compa- between the Port and the Oregon LNG ny’s decision to bow out before the folks,” City Manager Kurt Fritsch said. now-canceled May appeal hearing. Though the City Commission has “For them to have pulled out after QRWRI¿FLDOO\GLVFXVVHGDIXWXUHIRUWKH that would have been a very inappropri- site, Dyer said it could work as recre- ate use of our time, I believe,” she said. ational or industrial land. The land is Last month, the Federal Energy zoned for marine industrial use. Regulatory Commission denied appli- “But, I think, by and large, the peo- cations for the Jordan Cove LNG ter- ple who are naysayers on this don’t minal and pipeline in Coos Bay, citing a want any industry there. They want the ODFNRILGHQWL¿HGPDUNHWVDQGWKHSLSH- wildlife and the more natural setting to line’s adverse effects on landowners. remain there,” he said. “Personally, I Ackley wonders if Oregon LNG, don’t think we have the luxury of hav- which was awaiting approval from ing all these green spaces without any the federal agency, saw the writing on income coming in from businesses.” the wall. In the pre-LNG era, a golf course “They probably understood that was proposed for the site. Dyer would WKHEDWWOHWKH\ZHUH¿JKWLQJPD\QRW like to see something like a motocross be won, and I think that they made arena. “That brings a lot of money in a good decision in making that call without a lot of cost,” he said. before the hearing,” she said. “This chapter — maybe this book Balensifer — who was 15 years — has been closed, and we’ll see,” old when the effort to build the facil- Fritsch said. “The peninsula certainly ity began in 2004 — called the Oregon has value, and it’s a question on what LNG process “one of the most stress- someone might come up with to put it to ful times in my life, and by far the WKHJUHDWHVWEHQH¿WWRWKHFRPPXQLW\´ most stressful time in recent memory.” The commission’s wider focus, “Someday I might have to write a however, is on raising the level of eco- book about the last 12 years — what nomic activity in Warrenton. it was like to be on the outside, and “Warrenton is open for business,” then later on the inside, of the deci- Kujala said. “But, at the same time, it sion,” he said, laughing. Pot shop: The word ‘Tillamook’ is trademarked who operate a medical mari- juana grow site under the busi- ness name Astoria Trading Co. “We had a strain called Tilla- Oei and West had the city’s mook Cheese, and they got their That smell panties in a bunch,” he said. “Have you noticed there may ¿UVW JURZ VLWH DSSURYHG XQDQL- Nelson said the creamery be some emissions coming from mously by the Astoria Planning association has also taken issue that building?,” Commissioner Commission late last year. West said Astoria Trading with the chain’s newest location, Stephen Fulton said Tuesday Sweet Relief Tillamook, which about the odor pervading the Co. grows for medical mari- juana patients but is trying to get opened earlier this year. area around 401 Industry St. The creamery association )XOWRQVDLGLIWKH3RUW¿QGV a commercial growing license, has an active trademark on the the use distasteful, it should con- which allows a producer to cul- word “Tillamook” with the U.S. tact the owner about acquiring tivate plants for recreational use in up to 5,000 square feet of 3DWHQW DQG 7UDGHPDUN 2I¿FH the building. The building is owned by space. The Oregon Liquor Con- Nelson said Sweet Relief pro- posed adding the word “Ore- Richard Delphia. He leases it trol Commission started accept- gon” onto the end of its Tilla- to Chris West and Jason Oei, ing applications for the licenses Continued from Page 1A mook location, to make clear it’s not tied to the cheese factory. this year, after recreational mar- ijuana became legal in July and started being sold at medical dis- pensaries in October. Port of Astoria Commis- sioner James Campbell takes exception to Port Astordam, the nickname of Sweet Relief Natural Med- icine’s newer location on Portway Street, just outside the agency’s boundaries. Edward Stratton/The Daily Astorian ?QXXUZS RUZQ T[YQ_ [Z `TQ :[^`T ;^QS[Z /[M_` _UZOQ %% 503.440.1234 office/cell Rosalie Dimmick Larsen Owner/Principal Broker LÄRSEN COAST HOMES rdlarsen@pacifier.com www.oregoncoasthouses.com ©ĦĺĦƃĦŭėĦƋ ~¹ŒĀƩð ~ĀơǣĺãĀ ¹Ţñ ~¹ƺĺƩě¹ãƺĺŮŢę “Rosalie just opened a new boutique real estate company! We are excited that she did because she wa s our realtor and helped us find the perfect home. 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