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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (May 11, 2017)
3A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, MAY 11, 2017 Seaside council approves zone change for housing Fake bomb found in Warrenton Wildlife, affordability remain at issue By JACK HEFFERNAN The Daily Astorian By R.J. MARX The Daily Astorian SEASIDE — A proposed affordable housing develop- ment on North Wahanna Road is moving forward , while neighbors remain skeptical. A zone change to allow 40 unit s on 2 acres passed through required readings and could be approved at the next City Coun- cil meeting later this month. But neighbors remain concerned about discrepancies in the prop- erty survey, traffi c on Wahanna Road, affordability and impacts on the environment, including wetlands and wildlife. “I understand they’re going to do what they’re going to do,” Dawn Miller said follow- ing the meeting. “I’m all for growth, but this is crazy. It’s not affordable housing.” Donna Lyons of Warrenton, whose mother’s property is next to proposed development , questioned the feasibility of providing workforce housing at the prevailing wages in the community. “McDonald’s is generous at $11 an hour,” Lyons said. “At $11 an hour to rent an apart- ment that’s $1,000 to $1,500 (per month), how do you come up with 30 to 50 percent? How do you live in that rental without having two or three families in the same rental? Do the math.” Eagle’s nest R.J. Marx/The Daily Astorian Mayor Jay Barber and councilors approved a proposed zone change on Wahanna Road. Council President Tita Montero is at right. A third and final reading awaits. able housing, but the zone change could limit the city’s input on the building’s future plans. The developer would not have to go before the city for any use that is permitted outright, Cupples said. Any plan would need to meet code setbacks, including distance from wetlands, he added. “I have a little apprehen- sion, especially with eagles nesting in the trees, with the possibility of trees being cut down,” Horning said. “I’m on the fence, to be quite honest.” Housing need City Councilor Dana Phil- lips said housing remains the city’s most critical concern. “I don’t understand the double standard if we don’t approve this plan,” Phillips said. “This is one of our goals,” Councilor Seth Morrisey said. “There’s obviously not enough workforce housing in the city and this would fulfi ll that.” Morrisey said the issue ulti- The 3.75-acre property, of which 2.5 acres is buildable, is located between North Wah- anna Road and the wetlands along Stanley Lake. The prop- erty is bounded to the north by the North Coast Family Fel- lowship and to the south by a single-family home. The zone change could allow an apart- ment complex consisting of fi ve buildings, each containing eight units, with a total of 40 one- to three-bedroom units. The city is consider- ing a zone change request, City Planner Kevin Cupples said, not a plan for a specifi c development. At a February Planning Commission meeting, project owner James Folk said units would rent for between $800 and $1,300 a month. At Monday’s hearing, Miller sought protections for an eagle’s nest on nearby Stan- ley Lake. Miller also questioned numbers in a 1988 survey which could alter the num- ber of buildable acre s. “How are we going to move forward with zoning if they don’t have 2 (buildable) acres?” Miller asked. “If they don’t, why would we do a zone change?” Jennifer Bunch of Astoria’s Wickiup Consulting responded to concerns on behalf of owner Folk and Sierra Partners IV. Development would be resized to fi t the property as deter- mined in a new survey, “what- ever that may be.” City Councilor Tom Horn- ing said he recognized the need for workforce or afford- Clatsop Post 12 Spaghetti Dinner Friday th May 12 4 pm until gone $ 00 8. 6PM mately came down to prop- erty rights. “This is Mr. Folk’s property,” he said. “The rest of the debate of what he can do or not do on his own land — it’s not our place.” Phillips presented a motion to approve the change, sec- onded by Morrisey and carried unanimously. A separate item, annexing the Wahanna prop- erty into the city for police, fi re and water services, was also approved by councilors. Neighbors hope to reverse the council’s action. On Tues- day, Miller said she did not rule out an appeal. “I think it’s going to detract from the gorgeousness of the city of Seaside and the places you can go and totally get away from the city,” Miller said. “Everybody uses Wah- anna Road. So it’s going to get real congested real quick. What are they going to do when Hood to Coast comes? You can’t get out of the drive- way, as it is.” WARRENTON — A device that looked like a bomb in a mailbox turned out to be a hoax. Warrenton Police responded to reports of an apparent improvised explo- sive device shortly before noon Wednesday on North- east Skipanon Drive across the street from Rod’s Bar and Grill. Oregon State Police explo- sive technicians removed the device from the mailbox and shot it with a water cannon. Further investigation deter- mined the device was not an explosive. Northeast Skipanon Drive between Har- bor Street and Northeast First Street was closed for more than 2 1/2 hours Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian An Oregon State Police explosive disposal techni- cian, center, putting on helmet, prepares to destroy a suspected explosive device discovered in Warrenton around noon Wednesday. until the device was safely removed. Police do not yet have a suspect in the case. Evidence will be processed and sent to the Oregon State Police crime lab in Warrenton. Because the device was located in a mail- box, it is considered a state and federal crime. Saturday May 13 th Mother’s Day Brunch 10 AM -N ooN MOTHERS EAT FREE ALL OTHERS $ 5 DONATION Sun ., May 14 th Mother’s Day BINGO 3 PM “Karaoke Dave” ASTORIA AMERICAN LEGION Clatsop Post 12 1132 Exchange Street 325-5771 Joining the team at Rinehart Clinic Stacey Agee Adult Nurse Practitioner Rinehart Clinic welcomes Stacey Agee, our new nurse practitioner serving patients 12 and over. She has over 34 years’ experience as a registered nurse and nurse practitioner specializing in internal medicine and women’s health. Stacey is new to the Rinehart Clinic, but she’s been serving our coastal communities for many years! RINEHART 230 Rowe Street Wheeler, Oregon 97147 Clinic & Pharmacy 1-800-368-5182 A TTENTION A LL F AMILY , F RIENDS AND L OCAL B USINESSES The Daily Astorian is creating a graduation publication for our local high schools to honor and congratulate the Class 2017 of This will publish on Friday, June Device was destroyed 2 nd . D EADLINE : M ONDAY M AY 15 TH AT 5 PM To participate in this publication: Knappa · Astoria · Warrenton · Hammond 503-325-3211 Gearhart ·Seaside ·Cannon Beach 503-738-5561 Spring Fling AUTO SALE Thursday thru Saturday MAY 11-13 HUGE NEW & PRE-OWNED INVENTORY! Wauna Federal Credit NO PAYMENTS FOR 60 DAYS* Test drive & enter to win Interior Auto Detail by Meiner Detail and Massage by Anna Smith, LMT NEW 2016 DODGE DART SXT NEW 2017 DODGE JOURNEY SE MSRP $23,625 -Lum’s Disc. $4,643 MSRP $24,785 -Rebates $4,500 -Lum’s Disc. $1,078 #396082 Special Price* $ 18 , 982 FREE Car Wash PREFERRED PKG. 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