3A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2018
Commissioners weigh rental regulations
New taxes, quiet hours and
inspections are possible
By JACK HEFFERNAN
The Daily Astorian
As vacation rental policies
continue to shape much of
the housing discussion on the
North Coast, Clatsop County
may set a precedent for unin-
corporated communities.
County commissioners will
hold a second reading tonight
of a proposed vacation rental
ordinance.
All but one of the five com-
missioners — Scott Lee, the
board’s chairman — have
expressed concerns. The vote,
the result of a 1 1/2-year effort
by county staff, will take place
a few months after Gearhart
residents
overwhelmingly
rejected a repeal of the city’s
regulations.
The ordinance would
impose a lodging tax on vaca-
tion rentals, set quiet hours
between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.,
establish rules for owners’
transparency with neighbors,
require safety installations
such as fire extinguishers,
smoke detectors and ade-
quate septic systems and limit
occupancy to three people per
sleeping area plus two more
guests.
Vacation rental owners
could lose their permit perma-
nently if three violations are
found or temporarily if a seri-
ous safety risk is discovered.
Unlike hotels, motels and
bed-and-breakfasts, the state
does not regulate vacation
rentals to ensure health and
safety.
“This is a growing indus-
try and it needs to be kind of
reined in,” Lee said. “I’m sat-
isfied with the way the ordi-
nance stands right now.”
Others are not as
convinced.
The ordinance would
require yearly permit renew-
als and inspections every five
years. But Commissioner
Kathleen Sullivan, with sup-
port from Commissioner
Lianne Thompson, has pro-
posed cutting the time frame
down for inspections to three
years. Sullivan ideally would
like to have inspections by a
building official once a year,
but factors such as staff time
and cost — more than $600 to
$900 per inspection — would
make that unfeasible, she said.
“I think a lot can happen
in five years,” Sullivan said.
“I’ve had constituents reach
out to me about their concerns
and I think we need to get a
handle on it.”
Commissioner
Sarah
Nebeker, with support from
Commissioner Lisa Clement,
has opposed a portion of the
ordinance that requires one
off-street parking space per
sleeping area plus one more at
VACATION
RENTALS
The Clatsop
County Board of
Commissioners
will decide tonight
whether to approve
a vacation rental
ordinance. Here is
what the ordinance
would include:
Airbnb
County commissioners may vote on new vacation rental regulations.
each residence.
“I’m just so confused about
this,” Nebeker said at a meet-
ing earlier this month. “Why is
it a safety issue if someone is
renting short term but it’s not
a safety issue if you have five
cars and live there full time?”
Deliberations about the
county ordinance come against
the backdrop of a larger divide
about how to handle a grow-
ing vacation rental industry.
The county estimates that the
number of vacation rentals
in unincorporated areas has
nearly doubled since 2010.
Gearhart residents engaged
in an intense debate in the
weeks before the Novem-
ber election. Supporters of
the repeal, such as Nebeker,
hoped to loosen regulations
she described as “draco-
nian.” Others, like Gearhart
Mayor Matt Brown, argued
that the regulations are nec-
essary to protect residential
neighborhoods.
Lee said before the elec-
tion that he would monitor the
results, though it did not shape
his thinking on the county
ordinance.
“I didn’t want to go as
extreme as the rules are in
Gearhart,” Lee said. “I wanted
to build a foundation that we
could build on in the future.”
Stephen Malkowski, owner
The Harbor hires a new director
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Daily Astorian
The Harbor, the region’s
domestic and sexual violence
advocacy group, has hired a
new executive director.
Molly Pringle comes from
Portland, where she was direc-
tor of operations for the last
several years at Call to Safety,
a women’s crisis line. Trained
as a midwife, Pringle went
back to school and earned a
master’s of public health with
a focus on health management
and policy from Portland State
University.
She has been a steering
committee member for Ore-
gon Women’s Health Network
and helped track behavioral
data for a healthcare network’s
wellness coalition in Alaska.
Pringle found out about
the position with The Harbor
through the Oregon Coalition
Against Domestic and Sexual
Violence.
“When I looked into The
Harbor specifically, I was
really impressed by their val-
“When I looked
into The Harbor
specifically, I was
really impressed
by their values.
They’re really a
survivors’ first
organization.”
Courtesy Molly Pringle
Molly Pringle has been
hired as the new executive
director of The Harbor.
Molly Pringle,
ues,” she said. “They’re really
a survivors’ first organization.”
The Harbor, formerly the
Women’s Resource Center,
offers a 24-hour crisis line,
interventions, shelters, support
groups and other services for
victims of sexual and domes-
tic violence. The organization
recently relocated administra-
tive offices from the Norblad
Building to the former Snow &
Snow law offices at Eighth and
Commercial streets. The group
is still looking to move the
Deja Vu Thrift Store, which
helps support The Harbor’s
operations.
Pringle is the fourth direc-
tor since Pat Burness retired in
2012 after 20 years with The
Harbor. Her successor, Julie
Soderberg, left in 2015 with-
out explanation, shortly after
attempting to suspend the
The Harbor’s services amid
a squabble with the board.
Melissa Van Horn started in
early 2016 but only lasted sev-
eral months before leaving,
executive director
of The Harbor
also without explanation.
Sue Farmer, a former
board member for The Har-
bor, served as an interim exec-
utive director while the board
searched for a permanent
replacement. She is no longer
with the organization, accord-
ing to Mindy Stokes, the new
chairwoman of The Harbor’s
board of directors.
While community inter-
est and belief in The Har-
bor’s mission is still strong,
the group needs more stability,
Pringle said. She hopes to hear
from the community and build
staff knowledge and retention
to help ensure the reliability of
services.
Pringle was chosen unan-
imously by a five-member
search committee that included
three board members, a staffer
and a community partner.
“She’s a great advocate for
staff,” Stokes said of Pringle,
lauding her combination of
education and experience.
The Harbor is planning a
public introduction of Pringle
for February or March.
of Arch Cape Inn and Retreat
in Cannon Beach and a for-
mer county planning com-
missioner, recently called for
more stringent regulations in
the county in a column for The
Daily Astorian.
“Vacation rentals are dis-
rupting neighborhoods, mak-
ing it harder for individuals
and working families to find
affordable housing and forc-
ing an increase in our home-
less population,” he wrote.
If it passes, the ordinance
would go into effect in July.
Vacation rental owners would
need to apply for a permit
within 90 days after the ordi-
nance takes effect.
By BRENNA VISSER
The Daily Astorian
CANNON BEACH – Can-
non Beach Planning Direc-
tor Mark Barnes and Pub-
lic Works Director Jim Arndt
announced their retirement at a
City Council work session on
Tuesday.
Arndt was hired less than a
year ago to fill the vacancy left
by former Public Works Direc-
tor Dan Grassick. He cited per-
sonal reasons unrelated to City
Hall, but said he still plans to
remain in the community. His
last day is March 2.
“There are just some per-
sonal things I have to take
care of. I didn’t think I would
have to go so soon,” Arndt
said. “(City Hall) is a won-
derful group of folks. I wish I
could have seen a few things
through, but I don’t think the
city will miss a beat.”
Mark Barnes
Jim Arndt
Arndt is leaving in the
midst of an ongoing debate
about water rate increases to
finance failing water and sewer
infrastructure — a project that
has dominated the majority of
his tenure since getting hired
in May.
“It’s been a tortuously long
process, but I think we moved
the ball down the road. We got
out the message these infra-
structure needs need to be
addressed, and the public is
understanding that,” he said.
“That’s the first step.”
Barnes, who has been with
the city for five years, plans
to leave his post by the end of
October.
“Everyone has to retire
someday,” Barnes said.
After more than 30 years
serving as a planning direc-
tor and consultant around the
North Coast, he said he was
ready to take some time for
himself. He looks forward to
spending more time with his
family and traveling. As for
any reminiscing about his time
at City Hall?
“Let’s talk in October,” he
said.
City Manager Bruce St.
Denis said while the city
looks for Arndt’s replacement,
Assistant Public Works Direc-
tor Karen La Bonte will serve
as the interim. St. Denis hopes
to contract with Jensen Strat-
egies — the same firm who
helped recruit St. Denis for the
city manager position — to
help hire for both positions.
“Luckily, we’ve got some-
one totally qualified to step in
(for Arndt),” St. Denis said.
As for Barnes, St. Denis
hopes to hire a new planning
director by July so there is time
for Barnes to train the new hire
before he leaves.
With St. Denis only two
months on the job as city
manager, he said losing two
department heads so early in
his tenure could bring “some
potential challenges” as he
transitions into his own role.
Overall, St. Denis feels
confident in the city’s ability to
move forward.
“Both have been excellent.
Mark is amazing at answering
my questions. He has such a
wealth of institutional knowl-
edge we have to pass on,” St.
Denis said. “And Jim is so
knowledgeable in his field.
He’s done a great job for us. I’d
keep both of them if I could.”
WARRENTON — New
subdivisions in Warrenton with
20 lots or more will now have
to include parks for residents.
The City Commission con-
ducted a final reading of an
ordinance Tuesday night that
adds new standards for subdi-
visions as well as new require-
ments for street width to the
development code.
The changes will not affect
projects in the works now, but
will be required of future proj-
ects, according to city staff.
Developers looking to
build subdivisions will need
to devote at least 5 percent
of a project area to parkland.
Subdivision residents will be
responsible for maintaining
the parks.
The new street width
requirements will apply to
any new street construction,
whether by private develop-
ers or the city. New local roads
will now be required to have a
curb-to-curb pavement width
of 36 feet, an attempt, in part,
to gradually widen the city’s
narrow roads. Wider roads
will allow cars to park on both
sides of the street and ensure
access for fire engines and
other emergency vehicles.
• Quiet hours from
10 p.m. to 7 a.m.
• Lodging taxes
Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber
Northwest Hardwoods • Longview, WA
Contact: John Anderson • 360-269-2500
Consult a
PROFESSIONAL
Q: I bent over and
my back went
out!
you can’t get upright.
A: Now
The pain is horrible. First,
ASTORIA
CHIROPRACTIC
Barry Sears, D.C.
2935 Marine Drive
Astoria, Oregon
put ice on the back for 15
minutes; repeat hourly — NO
heat! Reduce inflammation
with ice. After that, the fastest
way to get back on your feet
is with chiropractic care.
Manipulation and therapies
(ultrasound, laser EMS)
speed up healing and reduce
swelling. The next time your
back is aching call 503-325-
3311.
Chrome browser
Q: My
is missing the home
button and favorites
bar.
LEO FINZI
Astorias
Best.com
the upper right corner, just
A: In below
the X, click the three dots
or three lines, then click “Settings,”
near the bottom of the window.
Click on the slider for “Show home
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W e make
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Just below “Show home button” set
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M-F 10-6 Sat . 11-4
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While there, click on “Manage
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delete any unwanted ones.
steelhead a
Q: Is trout
or a salmon?
is a trout, but it
A: It belongs
to the same
Warrenton finalizes new subdivision standards
By KATIE
FRANKOWICZ
The Daily Astorian
• Annual permit re-
newals and safety
inspections every
five years
WANTED
503-325-3311
Cannon Beach directors announce retirement
• Safety require-
ments: fire extin-
guishers, smoke
detectors, electric
wiring protections,
secured garbage
containers, off-
street parking,
maximum occupan-
cy, adequate septic
systems, properly
installed heat
sources, railings on
stairways, covered
hot tubs and emer-
gency escape exits
Amanda Cordero
Northwest Wild Products
Fresh Seafood Market
354 Industry St, Astoria
503-791-1907
Daily 9 am- 7 pm
On the docks of the West Mooring
Basin, by the Riverwalk Inn
family (Salmonidae) as
the salmon. Their flavor,
appearance and behavior are
very similar. Both species are
born in fresh water, move out
to the ocean to mature and then
return to the fresh water to
spawn. The difference is the
steelhead don’t usually die after
spawning and are able to spawn
more than once. We offer
steelhead, caught by the Native
American tribes in the Quinault
and Hoh rivers.