OREGONIANS LAUNCH ENTERPRISES IN PACIFIC COUNTY
COAST RIVER
BUSINESS JOURNAL
DailyAstorian.com // WEDNESDAY, JULY 11, 2018
146TH YEAR, NO. 8
ONE DOLLAR
Developer
dinged for
overgrown
property
Hotel project
under microscope
By KATIE FRANKOWICZ
The Daily Astorian
Clatsop Community College
Clatsop Community College is hoping to expand its maritime science program in response to a growing demand for
workers in the industry.
College hopes to catch
maritime workforce wave
‘IF THEY GET
ANYTHING
THROUGH THIS,
IT IS THAT THEY
NEED TO LISTEN.’
A $20 million expansion
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Daily Astorian
S
ome have called it the gray tsunami. With an aver-
age age of more than 50, the maritime workforce
is one of the high-skilled, high-paying indus-
tries facing a large shortage as baby boomers prepare to
retire. Clatsop Community College is hoping a $20 mil-
lion modernization and expansion of its maritime sci-
ences program at South Tongue Point can help posi-
tion the school to train the next generation of seafarers.
See WORKFORCE, Page 7A
A developer who hoped to build a four-
story hotel on Astoria’s waterfront may be
on the hook to take care of overgrown weeds
around a shuttered restaurant on the property.
City Manager Brett Estes said Tuesday he
will talk with Hollander Hospitality about the
landscaping and tall grass on lots the Belling-
ham, Washington, company owns off Marine
Drive and Second Street, home to the former
Stephanie’s Cabin and The Ship Inn.
The unkempt state of landscaping around
Stephanie’s Cabin, in particular, prompted
complaints from the community and from the
Design Review Committee at hearings for the
hotel proposal in June and again at meetings
on Tuesday. Estes said if Hollander doesn’t
address the overgrown areas around Steph-
anie’s Cabin, the city will proceed to code
enforcement.
Jared Rickenbach | president
of the Design Review Committee
SRG Partnership
Improvements to the Marine and Environmental Re-
search and Training Station include a new maritime
sciences building at the center of campus.
Clatsop Community College is planning improvements
to the Marine and Environmental Research and Train-
ing Station campus on the eastern edge of Astoria.
Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian
In June, the Design Review Committee
and the Historic Landmarks Commission ten-
tatively denied Hollander’s proposal to build
a four-story, 66-room hotel next to the Ship
Inn, citing a variety of concerns that included
the size and appearance of the new building
as well as how it incorporated the Ship Inn as
a lobby and restricted river and bridge views.
On Tuesday, both boards adopted findings of
fact to reflect the reasons for the denials.
No one from Hollander Hospitality was
present at the meetings on Tuesday. Company
representatives told Estes they would not be
attending, but asked to be kept in the loop on
the final findings of fact. The reasons behind
the denials could provide a guideline for what
may pass muster in the future.
See DEVELOPER, Page 7A
Hollander Hospitality
Two city boards have been critical of a
proposed hotel along the Astoria water-
front.
Holiday spoiled by rental scam in Cannon Beach
Renters lost
$1,400 after
fake listing
By BRENNA VISSER
The Daily Astorian
AVOID SCAMS
Tips from the Federal
Trade Commission on how
to avoid scams.
• Pay with a credit card.
• Be wary of cheap rates.
• Check the contract.
CANNON BEACH —
When Carolyn O’Brien got
a phone call from a family
saying they rented her home
in Cannon Beach, she knew
something was wrong.
The renter, who asked
to remain anonymous, had
been to the beach town many
times with his family over
20 years. For the Fourth of
July, he found a rental online
• Avoid third-party sites.
but was perplexed when John
Robson, the person who
claimed to own the home,
never showed up.
A neighbor informed him
there was no John Robson and
put him in touch with O’Brien.
When the renter told
O’Brien he rented her house
Brenna Visser/The Daily Astorian
Vacation rentals are popular in Cannon Beach.
on Craigslist, her heart sank.
O’Brien’s family exclusively
uses the vacation rental site
VRBO. It became clear some-
one had copied her ad and
scammed the family.
O’Brien filed a police
report. The family was able to
find a rental in Manzanita, but
their excitement for the holi-
day trip — and $1,400 — was
already lost.
“The scammer knew we
were receiving the whole fam-
ily — including our 2-year-
old granddaughter — and even
that fact didn’t faze him,” the
renter said.
This is the second time
O’Brien’s house has been used
in a scam.
“We’ve been doing this
for decades. It wasn’t an issue
before electronic booking
became available,” she said.
See SCAM, Page 7A