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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 13, 2018)
ONE OF ROBERT ‘JAKE’ JACOB’S FINAL PROJECTS COAST WEEKEND DailyAstorian.com // THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2018 146TH YEAR, NO. 119 ONE DOLLAR Developer wins hotel appeal A 3-2 vote by the City Council By KATIE FRANKOWICZ The Daily Astorian A d eveloper won an appeal Wednesday night to build a four- story hotel along the Astoria riverfront . The City Council voted 3- 2 to tentatively approve a 60-plus room Marriott-brand Fairfi eld Inn and Suites, reversing a denial by the city’s Design Review Committee. Mayor Arline LaMear, City Councilor Bruce Jones and Coun- cilor Tom Brownson voted for the appeal by Bellingham, Washing- ton-based Hollander Hospital- Knight receives mixed reviews from Port ity. Councilor Zetty Nemlowill and Councilor Cindy Price voted against the appeal . For Jones and Brownson, the issue came down to a lack of clar- ity in the city’s development code, with the wording leaving things open to interpretation, they said. Based on the code, they did not feel they could deny the appeal. “It seems to me no matter what our personal beliefs or not … I have to vote on the code that we have before us,” LaMear agreed. Speaking to the audience at City Hall, she said, “I would urge you if you want to change the code, to work to do that in the future. B ut at this point I’m going to go with approving their appeal because I believe they have satisfi ed every- thing we asked them to do. And we have to go with our code.” The City C ouncil must approve fi ndings of fact prepared by city staff before the decision can be considered fi nal, including another set of fi ndings that represent a 3-2 vote made in August to reverse a denial by the Historic Landmarks Commission. See Hotel, Page A7 South County wrestles with food trucks Executive director a target of criticism By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian Jim Knight, the executive director of the Port of Astoria, received mixed reviews from the Port Commission i n a performance evaluation , including a sur- prisingly low rating from Port Commis- sioner Dirk Rohne. The c ommission — Knight’s boss — provides annual written evaluations with rankings on aspects of his performance on a scale of one to fi ve. The evalua- tions are often done in pri- vate, but Knight opted at a recent meeting to have his made public. The executive direc- Jim tor also turned down a Knight pay increase, including a nearly 3 percent cost-of- living adjustment , because of the Port’s fi nancial woes. He was inked a year ago to a three-year contract with a base salary of $168,375. Knight received overwhelmingly pos- itive comments from Frank Spence, the commission president, and commission- ers Robert Stevens and James Campbell, who each gave him a four or fi ve on most performance metrics. But Knight faced a complete lack of confi dence from Com- missioner Bill Hunsinger, a longtime critic who has said the executive direc- tor should resign. He also had a lack- luster overall rating of two out of fi ve from Rohne, who is seen as a moderat- ing force . “The Port d irector is an approachable and pleasant person to interact with on an individual basis and can speak well in public settings,” Rohne wrote . “In some instances there have been some serious credibility issues. The Port director must be seen as forthright and an honest broker in all of his dealings.” Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian Vendors at a food truck await customers at the Cannon Beach Farmer’s Market in 2017. Logistical, cultural barriers persist By BRENNA VISSER The Daily Astorian C ANNON BEACH — Mike Sel- berg wants to be able to serve cocktails with the spirits he creates at the Cannon Beach Distillery. In order to do so, S elberg would have to have a kitchen that satis- fi es Oregon Liquor Control Commis- sion standards — a costly renovation . Instead, he would like to bring in a food truck for his parking lot, which would satisfy the kitchen requirement and offer a new food option in town. But there is no way to do that legally in Cannon Beach, which gen- erally prohibits food trucks outside of the weekly farmer’s market. For years, cities like Astoria and Portland have courted the food truck movement . But smaller communities ‘WE’RE NOT PORTLAND. WE NEVER WANT TO BE PORTLAND.’ Shelley Crane | owner of The Oil & Vinegar Bar like Cannon Beach and Seaside are beginning to question whether food trucks should be part of their culinary scenes . A large sector of the local restau- rant industry objects to food trucks, seeing them as an unfair form of com- petition and out of step with commu- nity character. Many business owners in these tourism-dependent towns say they are already struggling to make enough money in the busy season to carry them through the year . But others see food trucks as a way to usher in more diverse food options and opportunities for a younger gener- ation of business owners , and believe cities should get ahead on writing codes that adapt to a growing trend in a way that will limit their community impact. Spread thin In November, more than 25 Can- non Beach businesses that offer food met to give major feedback on the sub- ject, mostly in opposition. The potential for f ood trucks to take up parking spaces that are already at a premium was a major issue . Many also claimed it wasn’t fair to allow new businesses that wouldn’t have to pay the same kind of rents and prop- erty taxes as brick-and-mortar busi- nesses — a problem especially dra- matic along the downtown core, where property values are high. “I’ve been closed for over a month and a half because of staffi ng short- ages ... losing thousands of dollars, and then I’m hearing this?” said John Sowa, of Sweet Basil’s Cafe. “It raises the hair on the back of my neck.” See Trucks, Page A8 See Port, Page A7 County extends due diligence for data center A 120-day expansion for developers By JACK HEFFERNAN The Daily Astorian Clatsop County has agreed to extend the due dil- igence period on a $1.2 mil- lion land sale for a potential new data center and tech- nology incubator. County commissioners on Wednesday night unan- imously approved the 120- day extension for develop- ers to purchase the 67 acres Agile Design Mark Cox has proposed a new data center and technology incubator in Warrenton. in the North Coast Business Park in Warrenton. Mark Cox, of Agile Design, heads the proj- ect and is funded by inves- tors based on milestones reached in its estimated $200 million initial stage. He was originally given a 60-day due diligence period in August when the county agreed to sell the land. Prior to the decision, commissioners held an hour long executive session, which was closed to the public. Without detailing spe- cifi cs, Cox said after the meeting that wetland miti- gation issues involving the U.S. Army Corps of Engi- neers and the Department of State Lands have played a factor. Wetlands account for more than half of the property. He also mentioned efforts to fi nd sources of renewable energy and take advantage of the proper- ty’s proximity to fi ber-op- tic cables. “Well, this is a compli- cated project, and it’s not a simple real estate acquisi- tion,” Cox said. It isn’t the fi rst proj- ect, though, to encounter wetlands headaches at the business park. Fort George Brewery purchased 10 acres south of Cox’s site in early 2016 to build a distri- bution center, but has faced similar issues. See County, Page A8
