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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (March 27, 2019)
146TH YEAR, NO. 191 DailyAstorian.com // WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2019 ONE DOLLAR Planners hold off on riverfront code changes Several property owners object to restrictions By KATIE FRANKOWICZ The Daily Astorian Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian Workers add a beam to the frame of the new High Life Adventure Park in Seaside. Seaside adventure park begins to take shape An octagonal tower off Highway 101 By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian S EASIDE — Along U.S. High- way 101 at the south end of Sea- side, an octagonal tower is tak- ing shape. Soon, it will stand 45 feet tall, surrounded by a cobweb of ropes and platforms. High Life Adventures, the com- pany behind the popular zip line park in Warrenton, hopes to open a new adventure park in Seaside by June. Shane Dean, a project manager with High Life Adventures and the son-in- law of founders Dave and Lancey Lar- son, described the central tower like the Astoria Column, with stairs spiral- ing down an open floor plan between the different levels of the challenge course. Around the tower will be a frame of vertical and horizontal logs supporting 75 different challenge elements sus- pended in air, from spider webs and swinging bridges to a surfboard-like structure. The challenges are arranged with the easiest at the bottom and the hard- est on top. “If you’ve ever skied, you’ve got the bunny slope, then you’ve got black diamond,” Dave Larson said. Once at the top, people can make their way down through the tower or take the more scenic route: a quick jump that re-creates the sensation of a free fall before softly setting passen- gers at the bottom of the course. The Larsons have been planning the adventure park for the past several years after learning the lot they have long owned along Highway 101 was See Park, Page A7 Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian An operator reflected in the rearview mirror of a loader helps another construction worker move a beam into place at the High Life Adventure Park. Astoria planning commissioners on Tuesday questioned a proposed code change that would cap building height at 28 feet along one section of the city’s waterfront. At the request of a land use attorney representing Astoria Warehousing Inc., the Planning Commission decided to continue the hearing on amendments to the Bridge Vista section of the Riverfront Vision Plan until an April 23 meeting. Attorney Phil Grillo said the amend- ments designed to guide future develop- ment along the Columbia River would negatively impact the “amazing opportu- nity site” his client owns. The City Council had suggested the 28-foot height limitation in Febru- ary during a discussion of tweaks staff had recommended to clarify some of the Bridge Vista codes. An application by Hollander Hospi- tality to build the four-story Fairfield Inn and Suites at the base of Second Street had been the first big test of the codes. Through that process, staff discovered some ambiguities, said Rosemary John- son, a city planning consultant. The amendments were intended to be a “quick fix,” but took a turn when City Councilor Roger Rocka suggested new height restrictions. The council sent the amendments to the Planning Commission for consideration. On Tuesday, Planning Commissioner Cindy Price had concerns about allow- ing buildings to have a 30,000 square foot floor area, but supported the 28-foot height limit. Other commissioners were more cautious. “While I understand there is current popular opinion on the 28-foot limit and at least one (commissioner) has recom- mended it, I am not finding support in the comprehensive plan or in the Bridge Vista section of the Riverfront Vision Plan to support a change to 28 feet,” Commis- sioner Daryl Moore said. Commissioner Chris Womack agreed. Both he and Commission President Sean Fitzpatrick also said they would be inter- ested in allowing variances to property owners and developers on a case-by-case basis. ‘WE DON’T WANT TO BE HANDCUFFED, IN EFFECT, BY THESE POTENTIAL RESTRICTIONS OF HEIGHT AND MASS.’ Frank Spence, Port of Astoria commissioner High Life Adventures A rendering shows the three-story challenge course being planned by High Life Adventures in Seaside. Dooger’s to close in Warrenton Restaurant down to two locations By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian WARRENTON — Dooger’s Seafood and Grill at the Youngs Bay Plaza will close at the end of May, shrinking the local chain of restaurants down to the original location in Seaside and another in Long Beach, Washington. Doug Wiese, the founder of Dooger’s, said his lease in War- renton was coming up, and that the company was unable to reach a satisfactory extension with the property owner, Atlas Investments. Doug Wiese Brad Campbell, the Warren- ton location’s manager since it opened 15 years ago, also died late last year, leaving a vacuum in the restaurant’s leadership. Wiese is planning a half-off night on May 21, with the pro- ceeds going toward a scholarship fund at Warrenton High School set up in Campbell’s honor. Dooger’s remodeled the former Youngs Bay Restaurant and Den- ny’s into its fourth location, open- ing in 2004 and employing up to 55 people. Its second location in Cannon Beach closed in 2012. The Long Beach location opened in 1995 and was sold in 2005 to manager Barry Craft and his wife, Barbara. The original location in Seaside has been around for 36 years. The loss of Dooger’s comes as the Youngs Bay Plaza has been remodeling its storefronts and adding new tenants such as Natu- ral Grocers. “We’re faced with an overlay zone characterized by some really contradict- ing things,” Commissioner Jennifer Cam- eron-Lattek said of Bridge Vista. There is Uniontown, which has large buildings already, and places where devel- opment could be encouraged. The Riverfront Vision Plan’s Civic Greenway and Neighborhood Greenway areas are less developed and more open, she noted. If denser development is to occur, the areas where it should occur are Bridge Vista and Urban Core. “The way that I still feel kind of more comfortable capturing this contradiction is having more limits overwater and allow- ing some more height on land,” she said. The City Council’s recommendation to cap new development at 28 feet was lauded by groups who opposed the Fair- field Inn project and who want to preserve river views and access. A petition from the Friends of the Astoria Waterfront gathered more than 400 signatures from people asking for better management of develop- ment along the waterfront. But other riverfront property owners have echoed Grillo’s concerns. On Tuesday, Port of Astoria Com- missioner Frank Spence warned of unin- tended consequences of more restrictive rules. The Port is in the process of upgrad- ing its master plan and doing strategic planning. See Riverfront, Page A7
