The daily Astorian., November 15, 2018, Image 1

‘THE WIZARD OF OZ’ COMES TO THE COASTER THEATRE COAST WEEKEND
DailyAstorian.com // THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2018
146TH YEAR, NO. 99
Developer
fights for
waterfront
hotel design
New study looks at
who visits North Coast
Traffic and
lodging costs
are concerns
Hollander appeals
to the City Council
By KATIE FRANKOWICZ
The Daily Astorian
A developer is fighting another denial of
a proposed four-story hotel along the Asto-
ria waterfront.
In an appeal to the City Council submit-
ted this week, lawyers representing Hol-
lander Hospitality argue that the city’s
Design Review Committee misapplied stan-
dards dealing with size and massing — cri-
teria the committee considers when evaluat-
ing projects.
The City Council will hold a hearing on
the appeal on Dec. 12.
Bellingham, Washington, developer
Mark Hollander hopes to build a 60-plus
room Marriott-brand hotel at the base of Sec-
ond Street where the former restaurant, The
Ship Inn, now stands. The site falls under
Bridge Vista, a section of the city’s River-
front Vision Plan that outlines design stan-
dards and criteria.
The Design Review Committee, in a split
2-2 vote, denied the project in October. It was
the second time the committee had looked at
designs for the Fairfield Inn and Suites.
ONE DOLLAR
By BRENNA VISSER
The Daily Astorian
hen international travelers
come to the North Coast,
they are enamored with
the nature that surrounds
them and the Oregonians they meet. But
a few more signs telling them how to get
around wouldn’t hurt.
The observations are a part of recent
study by Travel Oregon and the Uni-
versity of Oregon’s Institute for Policy
Research and Engagement that looks at
who visits the North Coast and what they
like to do while they are here.
About 750 visitors from Astoria to
Pacific City were surveyed in August in
cities and state parks about what they
felt were the region’s greatest assets and
weaknesses.
The information is aimed to inform
tourism leaders on how to make tour-
ism sustainable environmentally and eco-
nomically through a multiyear rural tour-
ism studio program.
“It gives us the opportunity to under-
stand who is there and what they value
there,” said Linea Gagliano, Travel Ore-
gon communications director.
In many ways, the study shows what
one would expect. About half of the vis-
itors reported being from outside of Ore-
gon but from the United States, with
about another 30 percent coming from
Portland — but almost all of them are
coming for leisure.
About 80 percent of visitors come
for entertainment, including restaurants,
shops and breweries. About 70 percent
of people are then interested in getting
active with land-based activities like hik-
ing and about 60 percent in water-based
activities like beach walks. Only about
27 percent reported dabbling in arts and
culture.
W
Photos by Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian
ABOVE: Cycling is still catching on as a recreational activity on the North
Coast. BELOW: Paragliders prepare to take to the skies over a beach at Fort
Stevens State Park.
See HOTEL, Page 7A
CANNON BEACH
City clarifies
new policy
on fire calls
New restrictions
aimed at fire chief
See STUDY, Page 7A
By BRENNA VISSER
The Daily Astorian
CANNON BEACH — The new mobili-
zation policy adopted by the Cannon Beach
Rural Fire Protection District is intended
to limit the time the fire chief spends away
from the district rather than individual vol-
unteers, the fire board president said.
The clarification comes after the fire
board decided in a 3-2 vote Monday that per-
sonnel will only be able to be out on outside
calls 15 days out of any 30-day period from
June through October.
“I would like to clarify the policy was
not intended to deny the chief or volunteers
from doing any conflagration work except
outside the borders of the state of Oregon,”
Garry Smith, the board president, said. “And
that could be overridden by specific circum-
stances if need arises. I support our district
going out to help. The intent of the policy is
to control the amount of time the fire chief,
who is paid by the taxpayers, spends out of
the district.”
Visitors to Ecola State
Park admire the view
looking south toward
Cannon Beach.
See POLICY, Page 7A
Astoria ferry hopes to be underway in 2020
Reviving the
Tourist No. 2
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Daily Astorian
The Daily Astorian
The Astoria Ferry Group hopes to have the historic Tourist
No. 2 ferry taking tours on the Columbia River in 2020.
The Astoria Ferry Group,
a nonprofit trying to put the
Tourist No. 2 back on the
Columbia River, hopes to take
passengers in 2020.
The group recently raised
$33,000 during the memo-
rial for Robert “Jake” Jacob,
a local developer and leader
in the restoration effort, and
hopes to translate the dona-
tions into a larger capital cam-
paign over the next two years
to get the vessel ready for cer-
tification by the Coast Guard.
Cindy Price, a city coun-
cilor and president of the ferry
group’s governing board, said
the group is trying to raise an
initial $50,000 this month.
“The idea is for that
$50,000 to be the kickoff to a
capital campaign of $250,000”
over the next year, she said.
The donations are lever-
age for the group to go after
grants from philanthropic and
maritime interests, along with
companies that might be able
to supply some of the needed
equipment for the ferry, Price
said.
The group hopes to raise
another $250,000 during 2020,
with the current estimate to
reach Coast Guard certifica-
tion at $500,000, she said.
“I would really love to get
the vessel underway in the
summer of 2020,” Price said.
The group aims to have the
entire restoration complete by
2024, the 100th anniversary of
the Tourist No. 2 being pressed
into service ferrying passen-
gers between a 14th Street
dock in Astoria and the former
town of Megler, Washington.
The ferry group has talked
about charging passengers
around $12 to ride the ferry
See FERRY, Page 7A