A GUIDE TO DINING OUT AND
DRINKING ON THE NORTH COAST
INSIDE
146TH YEAR, NO. 230
DailyAstorian.com // THURSDAY, MAY 30, 2019
COAST WEEKEND
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Astoria
considers
waterfront
changes
$1.50
EXHIBIT HONORS
100 YEARS OF THE
AMERICAN LEGION
Trade war chops off
log revenue at Port
A push for narrower buildings
By KATIE FRANKOWICZ
The Astorian
Astoria p lanning c ommissioners shifted
slightly on Tuesday night about how tall
buildings should be along the riverfront.
Commissioners had considered lim-
iting the height of new buildings in the
Bridge Vista section of the city’s River-
front Vision Plan to 28 feet. They did not
reach a consensus on what to allow, but
have directed city planning consultant
Rosemary Johnson to look at narrower,
35-foot-tall buildings.
Under current codes, new buildings in
Bridge Vista, which runs from Portway
Street to Second Street, can be up to 35
feet tall with a variance to 45 feet tall.
Some commissioners, including Cindy
Price, had been pushing for a limit of 28
feet following the approval of a controver-
sial four-story Marriott-brand hotel . Con-
cerns lingered about how shorter build-
ings might still sprawl and block views,
however.
On Tuesday, Commissioner Daryl
Moore proposed a compromise of allow-
ing slightly taller, but narrower build-
ings as a way to allow bulk but keep river
views open. Buildings would be restricted
in how much of the lot they could occupy
and building widths along view corridors
would be shorter.
Moore noted that not many people
seem have a problem with Suomi Hall, a
large, but compact, historic building under
the Astoria Bridge. B ut many people don’t
like the look of the neighboring long and
tall Holiday Inn Express & Suites or the
sprawling, shorter Astoria Warehousing
complex.
Photos by Colin Murphey/The Astorian
Heavy equipment is used to move logs at the Astoria Forest Products facility at the Port of Astoria.
A potential casualty
of clash with China
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Astorian
T
See Waterfront, Page A5
Port budgets
for ship fees,
litigation
Equipment for processing raw timber products sits idle at the Port of Astoria.
Lawsuit possible over fee
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Astorian
The Port of Astoria has defended the
legitimacy of a $300 fee on ships passing
up the Columbia River as a way to keep
Pier 1 in good condition as an emergency
pullout and discounted the possibility of
being sued over it.
But while the new fee is expected to
bring in about $450,000 a year in new
revenue to maintain Pier 1, the Port’s pro-
posed budget for next fi scal year will also
include $75,000 to defend it in court.
Shortly after the Port announced its
pursuit of the fee , the Columbia River
Steamship Operators’ Association, rep-
resenting oceangoing vessels, voiced
opposition. The association sees the fee
as a precursor to other ports on the river
charging fees, making the region less
competitive to shipping interests.
“We are confi dent when we say that
the river community does not support the
Port’s action,” Kate Mickelson, the exec-
utive director of the association, wrote
the Port recently. “The (association) will
employ full resources to oppose this
action if we cannot fi nd an alternative.”
See Port, Page A5
Logs sit waiting to be processed at Astoria Forest Products.
he trade war between the U.S.
and China could chop about
one-third of the Port of Astoria’s
projected pier revenue in the coming
fi scal year.
The Port, fi nalizing its budget , esti-
mates Astoria Forest Products will
send out 6.5 log ships over the coming
year. Chad Niedermeyer, the yard man-
ager for Astoria Forest Products, said
the company would usually expect to
send out between eight and 10.
Port staff projected $1.3 million in
pier revenue , down more than 28 per-
cent from this year and part of an esti-
mated $11 million in estimated oper-
ational revenues. The majority of the
loss in pier revenue comes from the
lack of regular log ships that make up
the bulk of the Port’s dockage, wharf-
age and other pier-related money .
“Right now, it’s just up in the air,”
Niedermeyer said of how many ships
will come. “It all depends on what hap-
pens with the tariffs.”
The Chinese in March 2018
imposed a 5 percent tariff on hemlock,
the most common species exported
from Astoria, along with 5 percent on
Douglas fi r and 10 percent on spruce.
When the trade war ratcheted up, the
Chinese increased tariffs on spruce
to 20 percent, but have so far left the
other two species alone, Niedermeyer
said.
With the decrease in ships, Asto-
ria Forest Products has cut its work-
force by 40 percent, Niedermeyer said.
Chris Connaway, the president of the
local longshore union, has reported
members having to go far afi eld to fi nd
work.
See Trade war, Page A6
‘THIS DECREASE WILL NECESSITATE A REORGANIZATION OF
OUR STAFF TO ACCOUNT FOR REDUCED REVENUES. EXISTING
STAFF WILL BE WEARING MULTIPLE HATS TO MAINTAIN QUALITY
CUSTOMER SERVICE FOR OUR TENANTS AND CUSTOMERS.’
Jim Knight | Port of Astoria’s executive director