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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (July 26, 2018)
3A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2018 Warrenton balances wetlands with development Some residents critical of a housing project By KATIE FRANKOWICZ The Daily Astorian WARRENTON — City Commissioners tried to hit a balance Tuesday between allowing a developer to build in a wetland area and address- ing neighborhood fears that any new buildings will exac- erbate flooding and drainage issues on their street. The debate highlights a common problem when it comes to building in the wet- land-rich city where major development has occurred in the past, continues today and is expected to unfold in the future. Despite all the flat land, there’s also water everywhere. It swells with the tides and during heavy rains. It never truly goes away. “Hey, you can walk out here, poke a hole in the asphalt and dig down a foot and you’re going to find water,” City Commissioner Mark Baldwin said. On Tuesday, residents of Cedar Avenue continued their appeal of a Planning Commis- sion decision to allow devel- oper Adam Crites to build on a small portion of his property designated as wetland. Crites hopes to build duplexes on the street. Residents Terry and Nancy Ager argued that Cedar Ave- nue and Cedar Court are rou- tinely impacted during tidal ‘Hey, you can walk out here, poke a hole in the asphalt and dig down a foot and you’re going to find water.’ City Commissioner Mark Baldwin and heavy rain events, and flooding damage occurred in the 1980s and 1990s. They did not oppose new development on the street but they asked that Crites not be allowed to fill in the wet- lands. Nancy Ager also asked for city protection if Crites was allowed to fill in the wet- land and then something went wrong. Crites disputed the neigh- bors’ claims. There are drain- age issues on the street, he said, but there is no analysis to back up claims that his devel- opment plans would impact neighboring properties. But, he added, he wanted to work with the city. City staff originally rec- ommended denial of Crites’ request for a wetland hard- ship variance when he went before the Planning Com- mission in April, contend- ing that he could build around the small wetland area. Staff generally agreed with Crites, though, that his project would “not be detrimental to public improvements or adjacent pri- vate property.” “I’ve heard you guys loud and clear,” Crites told the city commissioners Tuesday. “My intention (was) to accommo- date the city from the get-go of this project almost three years ago. I continue to intend to do so.” When new construction surrounds or encroaches on wetlands in some locations in Warrenton and Hammond, the new houses set on man- made elevations higher than their neighbors risk displacing water and sending it next door. In April, a family in Hammond told city commissioners about flooding around their house that began when the owner of the neighboring property sub- divided his lot and raised the elevation. On Tuesday, city commis- sioners asked what needed to change to get the project to “yes.” “I want housing in Warren- ton, but I do not want qual- ity of life to go down,” Com- missioner Rick Newton said. “And if it floods these other houses, I can’t say that makes the quality of life any better.” The commission voted to deny the Agers’ appeal and approve Crites’ application, which comes with some condi- tions from the Planning Com- mission. City commissioners also added one condition of their own: That Crites stick to the neighborhood’s “common elevation.” Whatever he builds will be on the same level as everyone else. Shift in range brings more reported cougar encounters to the Northwest By JACK FISHER Oregon Public Broadcasting State Rep. Knute Buehler, the Republican candidate for governor, will vote to repeal Oregon’s sanctuary law. Buehler says he’ll vote to repeal sanctuary law A contrast with Gov. Brown By JEFF MAPES Oregon Public Broadcasting Republican gubernatorial candidate Knute Buehler is endorsing a ballot measure to repeal Oregon’s so-called sanctuary law, putting him at odds with Gov. Kate Brown on a hot-button immigration issue. Buehler told conservative talk show host Lars Larson this week that he supports overturning the 31-year-old law that largely bars state and local police from enforc- ing federal immigration law. “We need to have coor- dination and collaboration between local law enforce- ment and federal law enforce- ment,” Buehler said. “People who are here and commit- ting crimes, there needs to be that kind of coordination and communication. It is com- mon sense.” Brown, a Democrat, has made it clear that she’ll fight to keep the law. “I see Oregon as a wel- coming and inclusive place for all who want to call Ore- gon home,” she said at a press conference last week. She said the law has helped curb racial profiling and assure crime victims they can talk to the police without fearing deportation. Brown last year signed a bill to strengthen the sanc- tuary law by, among other things, limiting the amount of information the state col- lects on someone’s immigra- Clatsop Post 12 Spaghetti Dinner tion status. Buehler opposed that change. The governor also argued that the law “doesn’t impact” the ability of law enforce- ment to deal with anyone committing a crime. Critics of the sanctuary law have argued otherwise. They point to the case of Ser- gio Martinez, who had been released from Multnomah County jail a year ago despite being sought by immigration authorities. Seven days later, he assaulted two women, police said. Martinez became a major talking point for Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who has been the Trump adminis- tration’s lead voice in attack- ing sanctuary laws in cit- ies and states around the country. Supporters of the sanc- tuary law point to studies showing that crime rates are lower among immigrant pop- ulations, and they charge that backers of the measure are driven by racial animus. Buehler told Larson that if the law is repealed, the state can take steps to curb racial profiling by police and to assure crime victims that they don’t have to worry about going to the police. Northwesterners are hear- ing a lot about mountain lions lately. Since May, an extremely rare fatal attack in the Wash- ington Cascades, a Willamette Valley pool party interrupted by a wandering cat and a viral Facebook video of a mountain lion lounging in a southern Oregon woman’s living room have made headlines across the region. Are the Northwest’s moun- tain lions acting out of charac- ter this summer? The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Derek Bro- man says “no.” But they are adapting to a gradual shift in their range. “They’ve exceeded the maximum number of animals that the habitat can support. Younger animals are dispers- ing to lower quality habitats. They’re exploiting urban areas and doing quite well,” said Broman, the state carnivore biologist. “Carrying capacity has been reached.” And when mountain lions move into areas where peo- ple aren’t as accustomed to seeing them, it can lead to more sighting reports, news stories and interest on social media. “They get more atten- tion because they are unusual,” Broman said. In May, the Seattle area saw a fatal cougar attack. Two cyclists in North Bend, Wash- ington, were attacked — one fatally — by a mountain lion, in an incident that a Wash- ington Department of Fish and Wildlife official called “incredibly abnormal.” A nec- ropsy performed by Washing- ton State University released last week indicated that the male cat was lean but not emaciated. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife A cougar in the wild. ‘There’s a mountain lion in our living room. This is wild.’ Lauren Taylor Ashland woman posting on Facebook “The cause of aggressive behavior reported in this cat was not evident,” the necropsy found. Just this week, Springfield residents had their own cou- gar encounter. Upon spotting a mountain lion in their back- yard in the middle of the after- noon, a group of teenagers called the police. With the help of a local game tracker, the animal was located and eutha- nized. Officials expressed con- cern about the cat’s uncharac- teristic daytime activity and the normally skittish animal’s apparent disregard for human presence in the area. And in early July, an Ash- land woman posted on Face- book about a strangely amica- ble mountain lion encounter in WANTED Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber Northwest Hardwoods • Longview, WA Contact: John Anderson • 360-269-2500 Store Closing SALE! INTERIOR Style With Salad and Garlic Bread Friday, July 27 th 4 pm until gone $ 8. 00 6PM “Karaoke Dave” ASTORIA AMERICAN LEGION Clatsop Post 12 1132 Exchange Street 325-5771 SUPER SAVINGS Everything must go! 503.325.4766 • 9th & Astor • Astoria 11-5 • 12-4 Sundays • Closed Tues & Weds her home. “There’s a mountain lion in our living room,” Lauren Tay- lor wrote earlier this month. “This is wild.” Taylor did not respond to interview requests Wednesday. In her July 7 Facebook post, she wrote that she believes the cat entered through an open door into a room that “has huge plants & stairs built around real tree branches … she likely didn’t even realize she was indoors until she was inside.” After discovering the ani- mal in her home, Taylor wrote, she calmly “meditated on” how to safely coax the animal back outside. Taylor says she “com- municated using feline-speak eye blinking to calm her” and “sent telepathic pictures of routes out of the house.” Ultimately, after poking around her living room and taking a cat nap, Taylor said the lion exited through an open door and disappeared into the night. Michelle Dennehey, a wild- life communications coordina- tor at the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, noted that despite a viral photo and video album on social media, this incident has not been con- firmed by the department. Dennehey pointed out just how rare cougar attacks are, saying, “We’ve never had a confirmed attack by a wild cougar in Oregon.” That’s a complete lack of any attacks, not just a lack of fatal attacks. As for the Springfield incident, Dennehey said her agency deals with similar situ- ations regularly. “When a cougar exhib- its certain behavior, like being seen repeatedly in daylight or killing pets,” Dennehey said, “ODFW advises that they’re euthanized.” Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has pub- lished a set of guidelines for living and recreating in cougar country. If you see a cougar in the wild, stay calm. They will often retreat if presented with the opportunity. Stand your ground, maintain eye contact, and speak in a loud, firm voice. Astoria Sea Scouts are looking for young women and men age 14 through age 19 who want to learn how to sail, kayak, row, canoe. We have fun sailing our 32 ft. sloop “Flying Cloud” on the Columbia River and learning sailing, charts, piloting, seamanship. Call Dave at 503-325-8089 or 503-741-0625
