144TH YEAR, NO. 39
ONE DOLLAR
DailyAstorian.com // WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2016
LOCAL ATHLETES
READY TO ‘JAMBOREE’
SPORTS • 7A
Warrenton aims to tackle afordable housing scarcity
Residential development will be allowed in commercial zones
By ERICK BENGEL
The Daily Astorian
WARRENTON — To help rem-
edy the regional shortage of afford-
able housing, Warrenton may start
amending the city code to provide
more lexibility in development.
The City Commission approved
a motion Tuesday to send a letter to
the Planning Commission support-
ing strategies to create more hous-
ing options within city limits.
One strategy could involve allow-
ing multiple-family development
within the general commercial zone
— an area normally reserved for
businesses — provided the appli-
cant obtains a conditional use per-
mit. This would soften a 2008 code
change that eliminated residential
units of all types in that zone.
Warrenton, one of several cities
on the North Coast facing an afford-
able housing crunch, is trying to
increase housing inventory, which
could drive down prices.
Skip Urling, the community
development director, said he rec-
ommended the conditional use
route, in part, because the criteria is
designed to work with the surround-
ings, enabling projects that it the
neighborhood while blocking those
that do not.
“There are appeals opportuni-
ties if somebody is aggrieved,” Url-
ing said, “whether it’s the appli-
cant who doesn’t get (the permit),
or neighbors who think it’s going
to be disruptive to their commercial
activities.”
Mayor Mark Kujala acknowl-
edged that some planners may
See HOUSING, Page 10A
Keeping eyes, ears on the water New lines
outline
tsunami
safe zones
Finding the way to safety
from Haystack Rock
By LYRA FONTAINE
The Daily Astorian
Photo courtesy of U.S. Coast Guard
Operations specialist and Petty Officer 1st Class Darlene Harrison, left, and Lt. j.g. Issac Yates confer inside the command center
of U.S. Coast Guard Sector Columbia River Friday. The command center oversees Coast Guard operations throughout Oregon
and Washington, from the Pacific Ocean up the Columbia River to Lewiston, Idaho.
U.S. Coast Guard
watches the river
to keep us safe
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Daily Astorian
W
ARRENTON — Friday was slow
inside the command center of U.S.
Coast Guard Sector Columbia River, a
secure ofice perched above the helicopter han-
gars at Air Station Astoria. Reports came in of
logs loating down the river. A boater beached
on the Willamette River in Oregon City.
Shortly before 2 p.m., the search and res-
cue alarm went off, notifying the air station
to ready helicopters for launch. A report had
come across of a person adrift in the Paciic
Ocean off of Ocean Park, Washington, in an
inner tube. The report was followed several
minutes later by another of a disabled boat
with two people onboard loating into the
mouth of Grays Harbor.
See COAST GUARD, Page 10A
Photo courtesy of U.S. Coast Guard
Operations specialists like Petty Officer 3rd Class Brendan Luedtke send out broad-
casts warning mariners of weather conditions, passing ships and obstructions in
the Columbia River.
CANNON BEACH — “Follow me” are
two words Jeneé Pearce-Mushen encour-
ages residents to tell people in the event of
a major Cascadia Subduction Zone earth-
quake. But to help lead others to safety, one
needs to irst understand where to go when
the ground starts to shake.
A walk on Saturday from beach-access
stairs near Haystack Rock to the assembly
area, organized by Haystack Rock Aware-
ness Program, presented an opportunity to
practice. The walk was part of the program’s
summer potluck. Groups took about 10 min-
utes or less to reach the assembly area. The
goal is to reach an assembly area within 15 to
20 minutes of an earthquake.
According to the tsunami evacuation
pedestrian map, the best route from the stairs
by Haystack Rock is to take Viewpoint Ter-
race and Arbor Lane to the Midtown South
assembly area on Arbor Lane and South
Spruce Street.
The area by the rock is considered the
Midtown South area. Cannon Beach is
divided into 10 areas, from the north end to
south Tolovana. Each area has its own evac-
uation route map, which can be found on the
city’s website.
For more opportunities to practice, resi-
dents and visitors can join monthly evacu-
ation practice walks to designated assembly
areas throughout the city. Led by Pearce-
Mushen, the walks were originally organized
by former City Councilor Nancy Giasson to
educate participants and test routes.
Participants meet at Cannon Beach City
Hall at noon every fourth Monday of the
month. Upcoming walks are on Sept. 26,
to the assembly area from the presiden-
tial streets in midtown; and Oct. 24, to the
assembly area from midtown south.
After each tsunami walk, emergency pre-
paredness committee member Les Wier-
son and Pearce-Mushen provide a report for
the city. Wierson’s recommendations after
the walk Saturday included painting one of
the beach access stairs blue, adding another
route sign and better marking at the assem-
bly area.
New blue lines, signs installed
Arctic seal makes historic Surfside stop
By KATIE FRANKOWICZ
For EO Media Group
SURFSIDE, Wash. — A rare
visitor to the Washington coast left
behind strange tracks, but little else.
Any large marine mammal on the
beach will attract attention if people
happen to be around to see it, but
the seal that hauled out near Surf-
side last week was particularly strik-
ing. It looked nothing like the harbor
seals typically spotted on the Long
Beach Peninsula. White markings
looped around the back of its head
and around its ins, standing out
boldly against a dark gray or black
base coat.
A person out walking along the
beach that morning was the only wit-
ness to its visit, snapping some pho-
tos as the seal lopped across the wet
EO Media Group/Submitted Photo
A species from the high Arctic, a
ribbon seal, was photographed
last week on the beach near
Surfside, Wash.
he said. Instead he saw the pictures
the person took, and the prints in
the sand, marking the strange seal’s
journey back to the ocean.
Ritchie was driving a different
vehicle than usual, and all of his
wildlife identiication guides were
back in his work truck. It was obvi-
ous he was looking at pictures of
some kind of seal, he said, but he
didn’t know what kind. The wildlife
guides, all for species found in the
North Paciic, wouldn’t have been
much help anyway as it turned out.
The Cannon Beach emergency prepared-
ness committee and the city have marked
blue lines on pavement at two areas: the
intersection of Ecola Park Road and North
Hemlock Street, and South Hemlock Street
by the “S” curve.
See SAFE ZONES, Page 10A
Creature of the north
sand and disappeared into the surf.
Willapa National Wildlife Ref-
uge biologist Will Ritchie was also
on the beach that morning.
“A couple of minutes sooner and
I probably would have seen it, too,”
Ritchie did a quick internet search
and found pictures of ribbon seals
lounging on ice — seals that, with
those same distinctive swooping
See SEAL, Page 10A
Lyra Fontaine/The Daily Astorian
Blue lines, accompanied by “Leaving
tsunami hazard zones” signs, have
been marked on Ecola Park Road at
North Hemlock Street (pictured), as well
as on South Hemlock Street.