CATS
RULE
WEEKEND BREAK • 1C
PROPERTY
LINES
INSIDE
WEEKEND EDITION // FRIDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2018
146TH YEAR, NO. 85
ONE DOLLAR
Clam
digs off
until
March
State concerned
about small clams
By KATIE FRANKOWICZ
The Daily Astorian
Photos by Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian
Vacation rental properties are common near the waterfront in Cannon Beach.
Vacation rental permits stagnate in
Cannon Beach, defying perception
Growth seen
in Seaside and
Arch Cape
Anyone hoping to dig for razor clams on
Clatsop County beaches will have to wait
until March.
The closure, announced by the state on
Thursday, applies to an 18-mile stretch of
beach between Tillamook Head in Seaside
and the mouth of the Columbia River.
Fishery managers had already delayed the
reopening of the season after a stock assess-
ment revealed large numbers of small clams.
The Clatsop beaches are home to produc-
tive clam beds and are a popular destination
for diggers. Clams harvested account for 95
percent of the razor clams pulled in Oregon.
Razor clamming typically reopens on Oct. 1
each year after an annual conservation clo-
sure from July through September.
After the stock assessment results were
made public in September, the Oregon
Department of Fish and Wildlife hosted a
public meeting in Seaside last week, ask-
ing for feedback on potential management
actions, including the closure of the season
until spring.
See CLAM DIGS, Page 7A
By BRENNA VISSER
The Daily Astorian
Warrenton
students
shine in state
report cards
C
ANNON BEACH — Vacation rent-
als have surged in popularity on the
North Coast, part of a pattern of
tremendous growth in an industry
expected to be worth $36.6 billion nation-
ally by the end of the year.
Seaside issued about 430 vacation rental
permits last year, compared to 350 seven
years ago, about a 23 percent increase.
In rural Clatsop County, vacation rent-
als went from 93 in 2010 to 161 last year,
half of which were in Arch Cape.
But in Cannon Beach, contrary to pub-
lic perception, the number of permitted
vacation rentals has actually plateaued, sit-
ting at about 200 a year for the past five
years.
For people involved in the vacation
rental industry, there isn’t a clear answer
why permits in Cannon Beach remain flat.
Unlike some communities, such as
Gearhart and Manzanita, Cannon Beach
does not cap the number of standard per-
mits and the number of second homes
remains largely unchanged.
Somewhat complicated regulations
could possibly be a deterrent for property
owners, City Planner Mark Barnes said,
but not a large one.
“Whenever I talk to someone get-
ting their first rental permit, I warn them,
Cannon Beach remains a popular destination for tourism on the Oregon Coast.
BY THE NUMBERS
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Daily Astorian
$36.6B 430
200
the expected worth
nationally of the vacation
rental industry by the end of
the year
the number of vacation rent-
al permits issued in Cannon
Beach, which hasn’t gone
up or down by much in the
past five years
the number of vacation rent-
al permits issued in Seaside
last year, compared to 350
seven years ago
‘This is really complicated,’” he said. “In
my five years here I’ve never had anyone
throw up their hands and say it’s not worth
it … so my general feeling is our rules are
not much of a disincentive.”
Local property managers and real estate
Competency measured
in English and math
agents echo this sentiment for the most
part, arguing that in Cannon Beach the dif-
ference lies in the type of customer and the
types of homes available.
Students in the Warrenton-Hammond
School District once again rose to the top
academically among Clatsop County schools
in state report cards.
The accountability reports measure com-
petency in English language arts and math,
along with progress on metrics such as atten-
dance and graduation.
The state Department of Education came
under fire after The Oregonian revealed
a plan by state schools chief Colt Gill not
See PERMITS, Page 7A
See STUDENTS, Page 6A
A monument to Scandinavian immigrants
starts to take shape at a downtown park
Construction
expected at
$1 million
By KATIE
FRANKOWICZ
The Daily Astorian
Complete with birch trees,
river views, steamer trunks
and trolls, the design for a park
to celebrate Astoria’s Scandi-
navian roots is ready.
The blueprint will be vetted
by the Parks Advisory Board
and the Historic Landmarks
Commission and could reach
the City Council by December.
For the people involved,
the downtown park has been
a much-longed for recogni-
tion of their ancestors’ his-
tory, something they wanted to
build “before it was too late”
— before descendants, tradi-
tions and stories disappear.
“Astoria is changing so
quickly,” Janet Bowler, vice
chair of the Scandinavian Her-
itage Park Committee, said.
“I think that is what’s the real
push here.”
If all goes according to plan,
the Astoria Scandinavian Her-
itage Association, the group
behind the park, hopes con-
struction could go out for bid
as early as March with ground-
breaking in July, depending on
funding.
It would be developed in
Peoples’ Park, a small, grassy,
tree-filled wedge between
Marine Drive and the Astoria
Riverwalk near 16th Street. It
is little used except by Filling
Empty Bellies, a nonprofit that
serves lunch to the homeless
six days a week.
In the same way the Garden
of Surging Waves on Duane
Street tells the stories of Chi-
nese immigrants to Astoria, the
The West Studio
See MONUMENT, Page 7A
A rendering of the Astoria Scandinavian Heritage Park.