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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (April 18, 2017)
DailyAstorian.com // TUESDAY, APRIL 18, 2017 144TH YEAR, NO. 208 ONE DOLLAR Astoria aims to expand housing inventory Mayor defends park budget cuts By ERICK BENGEL The Daily Astorian As of next month, property owners in Astoria’s neighbor- hoods can set up and rent out extra dwelling units to long- term residents. The Astoria City Council adopted an ordinance Mon- day allowing owners of sin- gle-family homes to create housing by converting inte- rior spaces, such as attics and basements, or building new detached structures on their land. The ordinance, meant to augment the city’s limited housing stock by relaxing the development code, comes with strict rules: For example, the accessory dwelling units cannot be used for homestay — or short-term — lodging, such as Airbnb rentals . The vote came more than a year after the community development department ini- tiated the code changes to advance the council’s goal of creating housing Astori- ans can afford. As the changes moved through the Planning Commission and up to the council, the proposal drew support from people calling for more housing for Astoria’s workforce. Objections and opposition came from residents and orga- nizations concerned about residential streets becoming crowded with parked cars and neighborhoods growing clut- tered with detached struc- SHIP INN FURLS SAILS, CLOSES GALLEY FISH AND CHIPS PLACE TO CLOSE By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian A fter 43 years, The Ship Inn in Asto- ria is setting sail at the end of the month. For owner Jill Stokeld, quickly approaching retirement brings both the uncertainty of a new chapter in life, and the freedom of no longer having to run a busi- ness she’s been trying to sell for more than a decade. Almost a year ago, Bellingham, Wash- ington-based developer Mark Hollander bought The Ship Inn and signed a one-year lease for Stokeld to continue operating the restaurant. Hollander, who recently bought Stephanie’s Cabin next door, now owns the majority of the block and is already exploring how to place a Marriott hotel on Port of Astoria property near the Maritime Memorial. Hollander’s purchase came as a relief to Stokeld, who had put the restaurant on the market in 2005 after her husband and the restaurant’s co-founder, Fenton Stokeld, died the year prior. Rumors have fl own about whether Hol- lander will try to site a hotel on the city block. Stokeld’s husband had dreams of building a hotel, conference center and marina around The Ship Inn. But Stokeld said Hollander had been interested in hav- ing her operate The Ship Inn longer, or in fi nding someone else to take over and keep the restaurant going. “I almost feel guilty because so many people have been giving me a bad time because they think a hotel is going in,” she said. “But i t’s been for sale for 12 years. I don’t know what’s really going to happen, but I took the offer because I thought, ‘I’ll be here until I die if I don’t.’” tures whose character may not match the historic envi- ronment. Some people sug- gested the city should focus on encouraging developers to salvage derelict structures and turn them into housing. City Councilor Cindy Price voted against the code changes. See COUNCIL, Page 4A Family sues over bridge suicide Claim alleges negligence in mental health care By DERRICK DePLEDGE The Daily Astorian Edward Stratton/The Daily Astorian Jill Stokeld, owner of The Ship Inn, thumbs through some of the photo albums at the restaurant filled with memories from past parties and customers. Submitted Photo Fenton Stokeld, co-founder of The Ship Inn with wife Jill in 1974, died in 2004. “I t’s been for sale for 12 years. I don’t know what’s really going to happen, but I took the offer because I thought, ‘I’ll be here until I die if I don’t.’ “ Jill Stokeld The family of a suicidal woman who heard voices that told her to jump off the Astoria Bridge has fi led a $950,000 medical malpractice lawsuit against Clatsop Behav- ioral Healthcare, alleging negligence in her mental health treatment. Carrie Barnhart, 54, who had symptoms of schizophrenia and depression, jumped to her death in April 2015. Her family claims Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare, the county’s mental health contractor, failed to provide an adequate treatment and recovery plan despite Barnhart’s repeated suicide attempts. The lawsuit alleges that Clatsop County did not act on complaints about the men- tal health agency’s poor performance in the months before Barnhart’s death. The suit also names Columbia Memorial Hospital and an emergency room doctor who treated Barnhart before her suicide. “My heart grieves for anyone who loses a family member to suicide,” Amy Baker, the executive director of Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare, said in an email. “As a general rule, we don’t comment on pending litigation and (at) this point, I certainly can’t comment until I know more.” The county and Columbia Memorial Hos- pital also declined to comment. owner of The Ship Inn in Astoria Catalyst for change Barnhart’s suicide was the catalyst for change at Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare. Her death was documented by The Daily Astorian and prompted a county conversation about gaps in the mental health safety net. An internal investigation and an Oregon Health Authority review described management and operational dysfunction at the mental health agency. Former staffers fi led federal lawsuits alleging that managers engaged in discrimi- nation and retaliation. Three top administra- tors eventually resigned. Baker, who was brought in last June to stabilize Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare, has stressed crisis intervention. Barnhart’s family issued a tort claim notice in October 2015, a preview of the law- suit fi led Saturday in Circuit Court. Jeremiah Ross, a Portland attorney, is representing Artanya Barnhart, Barnhart’s daughter, who is in charge of her mother’s estate. See THE SHIP INN, Page 4A The Ship Inn, a British-style pub and restaurant in operation since 1974, is closing at the end of the month. Edward Stratton/The Daily Astorian See SUICIDE SUIT, Page 9A Gun bills evoke strong emotions at Oregon Capitol One bill offers tool to keep guns from those posing a risk By PARIS ACHEN Capital Bureau SALEM — At age 24, Jenna Yuille lost her mother in a mass shooting at the Clacka- mas Town Center in 2012. Four years later, her father commit- ted suicide using a fi rearm. “I have now lost not one but both of my parents to gun vio- lence,” Yuille said. “I knew that my dad wasn’t doing too well, but I didn’t know how to help him.” A bill in the Legislature would provide a tool for fami- lies to block loved ones’ access to fi rearms if they posed a risk to themselves or others. The legislation would cre- ate an extreme risk protection order process. Families could obtain the temporary order — up to 12 months — by petition- ing to the court. The subject of the order could contest its issu- ance in court. Once issued, the protec- tion order could be renewed annually. ‘Best course’ “What we’re trying to do is provide the best course of action to give family a chance to help themselves to pre- vent their veterans and other family members from killing themselves, prevent suicide by cop and worse, killing family See GUN BILLS, Page 4A Paris Achen/Capital Bureau House Majority Leader Jennifer Williamson, left, embraces Jenna Yuille, regional manager of Americans for Responsi- ble Solutions, after Yuille’s testimony during a hearing on gun safety bills Monday at the Oregon Capitol. Yuille’s par- ents were both killed in separate incidents of gun violence.