ASTORIA WINS 32ND STRAIGHT CLATSOP CLASH
SPORTS • PAGE 10A
DailyAstorian.com // TUESDAY, APRIL 25, 2017
144TH YEAR, NO. 213
ONE DOLLAR
State fi nes pot
processor in
butane blast
Penalty for
workplace
safety violations
By NOELLE CROMBIE
The Oregonian
An Astoria cannabis
business was fi ned $5,300
for a series of workplace
safety violations related to a
butane-fueled explosion last
fall that landed one man in a
Portland burn unit.
The state Occupational
Safety and Health Admin-
istration cited Higher Level
Concentrates for failing to
ventilate the building, failing
to have an adequate electrical
system and failing to obtain
city permits.
The company also didn’t
notify OSHA of the hospi-
talization as required. Wil-
liam “Chris” West, who was
in the building at the time of
the blast, was admitted to the
Legacy Oregon Burn Center
in Portland. West is a partner
in the company and Jason
Oei is a manager, according
to the department’s records.
R. Bruce Dusterhoff, an
attorney for West and Oei,
didn’t reply to an email
Monday seeking comment
on OSHA’s fi ndings and
fi nes.
Oei and West have a
pending application with
the Oregon Liquor Control
Commission for a canna-
bis processor license, said
Mark Pettinger, a spokesman
for the agency, which regu-
lates recreational marijuana.
The Oregon Health Author-
ity, which oversees medi-
cal marijuana, said Higher
Level Concentrates also has
a pending application for
registration as a medical can-
nabis processing site.
By R.J. MARX
The Daily Astorian
SEASIDE — Neigh-
bors of a proposed 40-unit
apartment complex asked
the Seaside City Council
Monday night to reconsider
the Planning Commission’s
approval of the workforce
housing plan, citing traf-
fi c, sewer and public safety
concerns.
Seaside faces a critical
need for affordable housing.
But a conceptual plan for a
high-density zone change to
Photos by Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian
The non profit Clatsop Community Action has owned a roughly 1 -acre property near 32nd Street and Marine
Drive since 2013. The agency is trying to have the land reassessed to lower taxes on the property.
Social-services agency stuck with vacant lot
By JACK HEFFERNAN
The Daily Astorian
See FINE, Page 9A
T
Councilors mull
40-unit apartment
complex in Seaside
Opponents
fear traffi c,
sewer impacts
THE GIFT
THAT KEEPS
ON TAKING
allow 40 units on 2 acres at
2145 N. Wahanna Road has
met with resistance .
The Planning Commis-
sion, over the objections of
residents, advised the City
Council to approve the zone
change in March after hold-
ing a public hearing. The
plan only indicated the type
of development that might be
possible if the zone change
was approved.
Opponents returned to
City Hall Monday night .
“Please consider the
impact this will have on the
surrounding
environment
and homeowners,” resi-
dent Susan McDonald wrote
councilors.
he owner of a vacant lot in
Uppertown with a history
of landslides and legal and
political headaches is seeking tax
relief .
The nonprofi t Clatsop Commu-
nity Action has owned the lot near
32nd Street and Marine Drive just
south of Safeway since 2013. But the
city has strongly pushed back against
any development on the land, and the
agency is hoping to have the prop-
erty reassessed at a lower value to
pay signifi cantly lower or no prop-
erty taxes, said Elaine Bruce, Clat-
sop Community Action’s director of
social services.
The roughly 1-acre property is
valued at $143,000, and the agency
pays $2,400 a year in property taxes.
The tax — combined with the lim-
ited development options — has left
Clatsop Community Action in a bind.
The agency has offered to donate the
property to at least 20 organizations,
but hasn’t had any bites.
“Nobody wants it. They feel like
it’s dangerous,” Bruce said. “There’s
BY THE NUMBERS
2013
The year Clatsop Community Action
accepted the lot from Skip Hauke
$143,000
The value of the roughly 1-acre
property
$2,400
The amount of property taxes Clatsop
Community Action pays a year
20
The number of organizations to which
Clatsop Community Action has offered
to donate the property
a psychological block associated
with that property.”
Landslide
Excavation work in 2003 caused
land movement that damaged uphill
homes, sparking years of legal bat-
tles. Though a rock brace has stabi-
lized the slope, the city is still wary
of future projects. “We have some
serious concerns about what would
be developed there,” City Manager
Brett Estes said.
A developer inquired about the
land in 2015 , prompting the city to
consider an emergency moratorium
along with an ordinance that would
limit development on properties
with geologic hazards. The devel-
oper pulled out of the project before
any steps were taken, and Bruce has
stressed her agency will not be look-
ing to challenge the city in the future.
Donation
Clatsop Community Action
accepted the land in 2013 from Skip
Hauke — the executive director of the
Astoria Warrenton Area Chamber of
Commerce — with the goal of creating
a community garden for its regional
food bank. But the agency eventually
realized it didn’t have the necessary
staffi ng to establish the garden.
“There’s a long history and a lot
of mistakes with that property,” said
Bruce, who joined the organization
after it had already accepted the land.
“CCA’s mistake was accepting it
without doing due diligence.”
See VACANT LOT, Page 9A
See SEASIDE, Page 9A
Google Street View
The 3.75-acre property, of which 2.5 acres is buildable,
is located between North Wahanna Road and the wet-
lands along Stanley Lake.
Due to a history of unstable conditions , the city has discouraged development on the land .
Ocean debris inspires Earth Day artwork
Combing the
beach, fi nding
inspiration
By BRENNA VISSER
The Daily Astorian
CANNON BEACH — O ne
tourist’s trash is another artist’s
inspiration.
On the eleventh day of the
12 Days of Earth Day, some
members of the community
took a common vex upon the
environment — marine debris
— and transformed waste into
art.
About fi ve submissions
were admired and voted upon
at the annual Earth Day pot-
luck, where about 60 members
of the community came to cel-
ebrate Cannon Beach’s natural
beauty.
Melissa
Keyser,
the
program coordinator of the
Haystack Rock Awareness
Program, helped organize
this year’s Marine Debris Art
Contest . She carried on the
tradition, which started last
year, after the original orga-
nizer had to take leave from the
committee.
“Keeping the beach clean
is so important,” Keyser said.
“Not only does plastic break
down and stay on the beach,
but it bioaccumulate chem-
icals, making highly toxic
material.”
‘Small world’
The theme this year was
“It’s a small world,” which had
a size limit of no more than 2
cubic feet.
Lisa Nofi eld, one of the
artists who submitted, found
inspiration in the work of the
late Steve McLeod, a Cannon
Beach artist and ardent beach-
comber who died in 2015 and
is the inspiration for the award
given to the best piece. Nof-
ield’s piece was a runner-up.
Brenna Visser/ The Daily Astorian
See ARTWORK, Page 9A
Lisa Nofield’s submission to the Marine Debris Art Contest.