3A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, JULY 11, 2017
Cannon Beach tables timed parking downtown
nomic impact for businesses.
“What I found was the pub-
lic lots are supporting the busi-
nesses and Hemlock is sup-
porting the beachgoers,” Davis
said.
Davis said he has found that
in most cities the economic
benefits of an occupied parking
space drop off after two hours.
“If people are going to
spend money, they are going to
do it quickly.”
Parking options
on hold until
after summer
By BRENNA VISSER
The Daily Astorian
CANNON BEACH —
After impassioned arguments
from the community, the Can-
non Beach City Council voted
Monday night to table any dis-
cussion of timed parking or
any other parking solutions
until after the summer.
Three-hour parking limit
signs on Hemlock Street
between First and Third ave-
nues, as well as on First, Sec-
ond and Third streets between
Hemlock and Spruce were
suggested by the City Coun-
cil in May as a pilot program
to see whether or not timed
parking increases turnover in
parking spots. The pilot was
intended to help the city reach
the goal of creating 50 new
spots by the end of 2018.
But many business own-
ers and residents rejected the
idea that timed parking would
increase business and felt they
were shut out of the deci-
sion-making process.
Last month, a petition argu-
ing that timed parking would
“negatively impact the relax-
ing atmosphere” of the town,
“increase traffic congestion
when cars need to be moved,”
and “not allow visitors enough
time to enjoy the restau-
rants and browse through the
Other solutions
Brenna Visser/The Daily Astorian
Jim Oyala, owner of Bill’s Tavern & Brewhouse, speaks
before the Cannon Beach City Council Monday to express
his opinions about plans to implement timed parking.
local shops” generated 120
signatures.
“If there is a spot a tour-
ist can park in, let him park
there,” Jay Shepard, the owner
of Dueber’s Variety and Shore-
lines, said during the meeting.
“If there are employees park-
ing there, that can be solved
with education. But the last
thing we want to do is make
this town unwelcoming.”
Why timed parking?
“There is a method to my
madness,” joked Brian Davis,
of Lancaster Street Lab, who
presented a parking study to
the city.
His method was to walk
around 24 block faces in Can-
non Beach to track how occu-
pied the town was, how long
cars stayed and the number
of unique vehicles that would
enter the space between 10
a.m. and 4 p.m. He conducted
his study over two days —
March 31, the last day of Ore-
gon’s spring break, and April
15, the last day of Washington
state’s spring break — as rep-
resentative samples.
In the world of parking
studies, an 85 percent occu-
pancy rate is considered the
time when parking becomes
inconvenient and difficult to
find. Davis found that Hem-
lock Street and Second Street
were at full capacity almost all
day, while other parts of town
ebbed and flowed.
Davis said he suggested
timed parking because 7.5
percent of the cars he tracked
in his study were parked lon-
ger than three hours. Hav-
ing those cars park in the lots
would open up more spots
throughout the day, which he
said would result in more eco-
Stray bullet kills camel in animal rehab center
Associated Press
CAVE JUNCTION —
A man who fired dozens
of rounds from a rifle and
wounded a former friend he
was feuding with also shot and
killed a camel at a nearby ani-
mal rehabilitation center in
southwestern Oregon, officials
and witnesses said.
Joseph Carl Sallman of
Grants Pass opened fire on
July 1 near a group of cabins
where he lived south of Cave
Junction, Oregon State Police
officials and witnesses said.
Across the Redwood High-
way is the Tiger Preservation
Center, where Camille the
camel had lived for two years.
One of the rounds struck the
one-humped dromedary above
the eye, said Robert Ringo,
who runs the center.
Ringo said five or six bul-
lets came close to him and
other employees.
After the presentation, some
questioned the need for timed
parking if only 7.5 percent
were staying longer than what
timed parking would enforce
— including City Councilor
Nancy McCarthy.
“If it’s only 7 percent, why
are we talking about this?” she
asked.
Many in the community
suggested to the City Council
that the town does not have a
parking problem as much as it
has a traffic problem, and sug-
gested the city consider a one-
way grid downtown, expand
shuttle service or invest in dif-
ferent ways to direct traffic to
parking lots to avoid traffic
jams.
“The traffic can be a safety
issue,” Joyce Lincoln, owner
of Northwest by Northwest
Gallery, said.
Aesthetic
Others were concerned with
the number of signs ruining the
aesthetic of the town.
“This will make the town
seem unfriendly, and as busi-
ness owners we will get the
brunt of the unhappiness,” said
Sharon Amber, owner of Jew-
elry by Sharon Amber.
Amber also suggested the
city invest in a parking garage
to increase the number of
spaces, but Davis warned about
expanding too much with little
to gain.
“The next space you build
will be your worst,” he said.
“The return on investment eco-
nomically would not be high
with the capital cost.”
Bill’s Tavern & Brew-
house owner Jim Oyala said
he doesn’t think Cannon Beach
has a parking problem. Oyala
has lived here since 1970,
and said he wants other peo-
ple to discover the town with
the same ease he did almost 50
years ago.
“This place is magic. It’s
a beautiful walking town, and
we should help people enjoy
that,” Oyala said. “We already
had a bad winter. We’re just
trying to have a summer.”
City councilors took notes
during the hearing for future
discussion the council plans
to have after the peak season
comes to a close.
“At the movie theater when
all the seats are full and the
last ticket is sold, you close the
doors,” City Councilor George
Vetter said. “But we can’t close
the door to our town. When
we are full we are full, and we
need to learn to manage that.”
JOIN US FOR
BARBEQUE
AND DRINKS!
Community Open House
Thursday, July 13
4-6 pm
Fisher Bros. Building
42 7 th Street
Across from Buoy Beer in Astoria
W A NTED
Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber
www.craft3.org
N orth w es t H a rdw oods • Lon gview , W A
Contact: John Anderson • 360-269-2500
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