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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 25, 2016)
DailyAstorian.com // TUESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2016 144TH YEAR, NO. 83 ONE DOLLAR Group appeals curbed rentals THE HOUSING CRUNCH: ASTORIA Gearhart owners: Rules cost ‘real money’ By R.J. MARX The Daily Astorian Danny Miller/The Daily Astorian The city of Astoria photographed in June. A SLOW SEARCH FOR THE ‘RIGHT FIT’ CITY’S RESPONSE TO HOUSING HAS LACKED URGENCY By DERRICK DePLEDGE The Daily Astorian T he goal was simple: Promote housing that Astorians can afford. Yet nearly 18 months after the City Council embraced the goal, the city has done little to achieve it. Instead, city councilors have discouraged modest changes to the development code to spark more housing as too aggressive. PART TWO OF FIVE See HOUSING CRUNCH, Page 4A MORE INSIDE: COUPLES, NEW CCC PRESIDENT AFFECTED BY HOUSING CRUNCH • PAGE 5A A stable place to stay while searching for a new home Staff denies allegations J See EMERALD HEIGHTS, Page 5A See GEARHART, Page 7A Avakian campaign accused of violations Emerald Heights is one of few affordable options essica Jacobsen and Jesus Morales have been looking for a house to rent, but they feel fortunate to have a stable place to live during their search. The young couple and their 10-month- old son, Daniel, who share a three-bedroom apartment with Morales’ mom and partner, are among the residents at the 375-unit Emer- ald Heights Apartments, a World War II-era, low-income housing complex in the hills just east of Astoria. GEARHART — Fourteen Gearhart prop- erty owners provided notice that they intend to appeal Gearhart’s short-term rental rules. An intent to appeal was submitted to the state Land Use Board of Appeals earlier this month and signed by 14 parties, includ- ing two limitedliability corporations. Those seeking to appeal may do so by Thursday, within 21 days of the ordinance’s passage. “We have no choice, we have to appeal it,” short-term rental property owner David Townsend, one of those filing the appeal, said Friday. “We’re hoping we can set down and get some dialogue to make this a win-win situation for everybody.” Townsend said he and others are not against some aspects of the rules, but oppose what they say are plans to eliminate short-term Carole rentals altogether. Connell “People are really against nontransferance of the license to be sold,” he said. “That costs people real money.” “We are just a group of homeowners who sometimes rent our homes to other families that want to experience Gearhart the way we’re able to experience Gearhart when we first came to visit years ago,” Jim Whitte- more, one of those who signed the notice of appeal, said. “It’s that simple.” Gearhart City Planner Carole Connell responded Monday the Planning Commis- sion and City Council “listened to all the By CLAIRE WITHYCOMBE Capital Bureau Danny Miller/The Daily Astorian Jesus Morales, fiancée Jessica Jacobsen and son Daniel Morales stand outside their apartment in the Emerald Heights complex in Astoria. “No one wants to move, so there are never any openings anywhere,” Jacobsen said. Seaside OKs pot production places Astoria warehouse fire hits home By R.J. MARX The Daily Astorian SEASIDE —A warehouse fire in Astoria at a marijuana processing site this week left an impression in Seaside. At Monday’s City Council meeting, councilors expressed con- cern that recreational growing and processing facilities would be prop- erly monitored for safety, including extracts, oils and ether. “I do have a concern in light of what happened in Astoria this week,” Councilor Tita Montero said prior to a vote amending administra- tive rules for the production, whole- city from levying a 3 per- saling and processing of cent tax on its sale. recreational marijuana. Before voting, coun- The licensing of med- cilors asked what over- ical marijuana produc- sight the city would have tion facilities is already over production facili- included in city code. ties to prevent incidents But when Seaside’s City like the explosion at High Council voted to allow Level Concentrates on licensing of recreational Astoria’s west end, which marijuana retail shops injured three and shut a year ago, they left out Tita down nearby businesses. three aspects of the Ore- Montero Cupples said a review gon Liquor Control Com- mission administrative rules: pro- with input from Seaside’s build- ing official Bob Mitchell and fire duction, wholesale and processing. Without an amendment to department personnel could deter- include recreational processing and mine if additional safeguards could production, City Planner Kevin be rolled “into our own version of Cupples said, Seaside would be inel- the code.” igible for a share in state marijuana tax revenues, and could preclude the See SEASIDE, Page 7A SALEM – Brad Avakian’s campaign denied wrongdoing following accusations made Monday that his campaign fund paid government employ- ees for campaign work, and that the work may have been done on state time. Avakian, the Dem- ocratic candidate for secretary of state, is the head of the Bureau of Labor and Industries. In an opinion piece Brad Monday on Forbes. Avakian com, Adam Andrze- jewski, of Open The Books, a private transparency group, claimed that three of Avakian’s employees were paid money out of Avakian’s campaign fund and that two of those employees also contributed to Avakian’s campaign for secretary of state. The piece alleges BOLI communica- tions director Charlie Burr, legislative direc- tor Paloma Sparks and Jesse Bontecou, Ava- kians executive assistant, were paid a total of $3,500 from Avakian’s campaign fund in 2014 and 2015. Brad Pyle, Avakian’s campaign manager, said payments from the campaign fund, the Committee to Elect Brad Avakian, to three Labor and Industries employees in 2014 and 2015 were “fairly routine” holiday bonuses. See AVAKIAN, Page 7A
