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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 7, 2019)
A2 THE ASTORIAN • SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2019 IN BRIEF Commercial crab season delayed until end of December Commercial crabbers will have to wait until at least Dec. 31 after testing found crabs are still too low in meat. The testing was done in late November and early December in Oregon, Washington state and California. The state had delayed the traditional Dec. 1 opening of the commercial season because of low meat yield. Recreational crab harvesting is open. Homeless camp cleared near Alderbook A homeless camp near 40th Street and Lief Erikson Drive in Astoria was removed Wednesday by a con- tractor for the city. Police say the camp, which was reportedly aban- doned, was constructed of wood and had windows. It took two dump-truck loads to haul away what was left at the site. Police said when the contractor returned to his excavator, which was used to clear the camp, a log was thrown into it, damaging the seat. No suspects have been identifi ed. Kujala takes on new role at hospital foundation Mark Kujala stepped down as membership direc- tor for the Astoria-Warrenton Area Chamber of Com- merce in November. Kujala is now the director of the Columbia Memo- rial Hospital Foundation. He also serves on the county Board of Commissioners. Astoria seeks to fi ll board positions Astoria is trying to fi ll several board positions that become vacant next year with the end of terms. Appointments to the boards are the responsibility of the mayor. Jennifer Cameron-Lattek will not seek another term on the Planning Commission, nor Paul Caruana on the Historic Landmarks Commission or Hilarie Phelps on the Design Review Commission. “Generally, when a term is up I ask whether the member desires another term,” Mayor Bruce Jones said in an email. “Then, I query the staff to ensure the member is a productive member … and if warranted, I offer them another term.” On the Astoria Parks Board, Jim Holen has indi- cated his willingness to serve another term, or to step aside, Jones said. He will decide whether to appoint someone else to Holen’s position after seeing the applicant pool. Applications are available on the city’s website and in the city manager’s offi ce on the third fl oor of City Hall at 1095 Duane St. Applications are due by Dec. 17. Applications from a previous appointment cycle are still valid and remain on fi le. For more information, call 503-325-5824 or email jbenoit@astoria.or.us — The Astorian DEATHS Dec. 4, 2019 BIGGS, Timothy, 69, of Seaside, died in Sea- side. Hughes-Ransom Mortuary is in charge of the arrangements. DORNING, Doreen, 67, of Warrenton, died in Warrenton. Hughes-Ran- som Mortuary is in charge of the arrangements. Criminal trespass • Giovanni Guz- man-Santiago, 30, was arrested Thursday on First Avenue and N. Columbia Street in Sea- side for criminal trespass in the fi rst degree. PUBLIC MEETINGS MONDAY Youngs River Lewis & Clark Water District Board, 6 p.m., 34583 U.S. Highway 101 Business. Cannon Beach Rural Fire Department Board, 6 p.m., Fire-Rescue Main Station, 188 Sunset Ave. Seaside City Council, 7 p.m., City Hall, 989 Broad- way. TUESDAY Clatsop County Planning Commission, 10 a.m., Judge Guy Boyington Building, 857 Commercial St., Astoria. Lewis & Clark Fire De- partment Board, 6 p.m., main fi re station, 34571 U.S. Highway 101 Business. Warrenton City Commis- sion, 6 p.m., City Hall, 225 S. Main Ave. Clatsop Community College Board, 6:30 p.m., Columbia Hall Room 219, 1650 Lexington Ave., Astoria. Astoria Planning Commis- sion, 6:30 p.m., City Hall, 1095 Duane St. Gearhart City Council and Planning Commission, 6:30 p.m., work session on county housing study, City Hall, 698 Pacifi c Way. Established July 1, 1873 Circulation phone number: 503-325-3211 Periodicals postage paid at Astoria, OR (USPS 035-000) Published Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday by EO Media Group, 949 Exchange St., PO Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103 Telephone 503-325-3211, 800-781-3211 or Fax 503-325-6573. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Astorian, PO Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103-0210 DailyAstorian.com Standard is two spaces per unit By R.J. MARX The Astorian SEASIDE — To spur downtown and workforce housing, the Planning Com- mission is considering a new zoning amendment to reduce the required num- ber of parking spaces for studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments . In future meetings, com- missioners will also con- sider a reduction in parking regulations in all zones. “If you want to mod- ify things or adjust things and be more specifi c about what this is applying to, then you’ve got latitude to do that,” Planning Director Kevin Cupples said at Tues- day’s meeting. The current standard specifi es two parking spots per dwelling unit, regard- less of the number of bed- rooms. Commissioners con- sidered language to bring those numbers down, possi- bly to one parking spot for studios and one-bedroom apartments and 1 1/2 spaces for two-bedroom units. Vacation rentals , con- dominiums and townho- mes would still require two parking spaces per unit. Stuart Emmons, an Asto- ria resident, architect and By EDWARD STRATTON The Astorian The state Occupational Safety and Health Division fi ned Bornstein Seafoods $7,600 for unsafe working conditions in the wake of an employee’s death in May. Magdalena Blandina Ramon Guzman, 63, of Seaview, Washington, lost HP Inc. plans to build a new facility in Vancouver, Washington, the city said Thursday, with potential to expand into an enormous corporate campus. Initial plans call for 330,000 square feet of offi ce space in two buildings, part of the city’s broader effort to encourage economic devel- opment on Vancouver’s eastern edge. Intriguingly, public documents indicate HP’s project could expand to 1.5 million square feet in research and manufacturing space on nearly 100 acres over 15 years. However, the news comes as HP prepares to cut up to 9,000 jobs company- wide and works to fi ght off a hostile takeover by rival Xerox Corp. It’s unclear why HP would want to qua- druple its Vancouver opera- tions at a time its profi ts are falling and it is cutting back nearly everywhere else. “We are exploring oppor- tunities that support our long-term presence in Van- couver but have no immedi- ate plans to change our exist- ing real estate footprint,” her balance while standing on a platform shoveling left- over fi sh into a hopper and fell about 5 feet to a con- crete dock. She later died at Oregon Health & Sci- ence University Hospital in Portland. The state claimed Born- stein Seafoods did not ensure employees 4 feet or more above a lower level HP spokeswoman Camelia Gendreau said in an email. She declined to describe the company’s plans in detail. The Columbian newspa- per fi rst reported HP’s news Wednesday. Plans submitted to the city call for the Silicon Val- ley company to use the new site for research and devel- opment and related activ- ities. Construction would begin in 2023, with HP moving in late in 2025 or early 2026. That fi rst phase would be modestly bigger than HP’s current Vancouver facility, but city documents indicate the company is considering a massive expansion in sub- sequent years to a full cam- pus of 1.5 million square feet. HP and its corporate pre- decessor, Hewlett-Pack- ard Co., have operated in Vancouver for nearly four decades and once employed more than 3,000 there. After years of downsizing HP now has 1,000 workers there, according to the city, including more than 300 contractors. Hewlett-Packard sold its 174-acre east Vancouver campus in 2009 and moved Volunteer Pick of the Week Pixie COPYRIGHT © Entire contents © Copyright, 2019 by The Astorian. MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 2 1/2 year old female American Medium Hair Where comfort meets joy. The name says it all: Petite and perky with sparkling eyes. Printed on recycled paper Subscription rates Eff ective May 1, 2019 MAIL (IN COUNTY) EZpay (per month) ...............................................................................................................$11.25 13 weeks in advance ...........................................................................................................$37.00 26 weeks in advance ...........................................................................................................$71.00 52 weeks in advance ........................................................................................................ $135.00 Read about Pixie on Petfinder.com Out of County Rates available at 800-781-3214 DIGITAL EZpay (per month) .................................................................................................................$8.00 planner, said Seaside has the most stringent parking rules on the North Coast . “If we want to bring in more affordable housing, parking is really an issue that can hold up unit count on site,” he said. “I am very sup- portive of reducing park- ing ratios for especially stu- dios and one bedrooms, and I would even consider two bedrooms.” Public Works Director Dale McDowell said he is in favor of using underuti- lized spaces in the down- town core. McDowell warned, how- ever, that more cars on the street may make it more dif- fi cult to clean because of the turning radius of the street sweeper. “My only com- ment is how we are going to keep it clean,” he said. Erick Zuber, a commer- cial mortgage banker in Seaside, said he has looked at properties in the urban core . “There are some underdeveloped units,” he said. “The people I speak with on a daily basis, the urban feel is, people don’t need cars. They want to walk to work, to shops or restaurants, whether by bike or walking.” A 2-to-1 parking ratio per unit is a “little bit exor- bitant,” Zuber said. “As a developer, I think it’s in good interest to have some safeguards for people who want to live within their community without a car.” Planning Commissioner Teri Carpenter said she is “absolutely in favor” of adopting the amendment in the downtown core, but said she is concerned about parking limitations in other parts of the city . “I have found, in my opinion, lack of parking can lead to larger problems down the road,” she said. “B ut I’m still excited about this downtown.” The ordinance will return for refi nements at the Planning Commission work session on Dec. 17, and could be referred to the City Council at the com- mission’s January meeting. “ It’s a lot easier to ratchet things slowly than doing it in one fell swoop and realizing, ‘O h gosh, we’ve got an error,’” Cup- ples said. “With the push for affordable or workforce housing, the goal is to get something designed and put on the plate.” were protected by guardrails at least 3 1/2 feet above the walking surface, safety nets, or other personal protection systems. The fi nding came with a $6,000 fi ne. The state also cited Born- stein Seafoods for not hav- ing wide-enough walkways or guarding protruding shafts, and for not inspect- ing workplace safety or con- vening a safety committee quarterly. “The company corrects any defi ciencies whenever we are notifi ed about them,” co-owner Andrew Bornstein said in a statement. Bornstein Seafoods received the citation Nov. 19. The company has 30 days from that date to pay or appeal the fi nes. HP fl oats major new site in Vancouver ADVERTISING OWNERSHIP All advertising copy and illustrations prepared by The Astorian become the property of The Astorian and may not be reproduced for any use without explicit prior approval. MEMBER CERTIFIED AUDIT OF CIRCULATIONS, INC. R.J. Marx/The Astorian The Seaside Planning Commission is considering a parking amendment. State fi nes Bornstein Seafoods after worker death By MIKE ROGOWAY The Oregonian ON THE RECORD Assault • Krystle Lee Walker, 37, of Warrenton, was arrested Thursday on Windswept Road in War- renton for assault in the fourth degree, strangula- tion and interfering with making a police report. Seaside looks to ease parking regulations to spur housing Sponsored By C LATSOP C OUNTY A NIMAL S HELTER 1315 SE 19 th Street, Warrenton • 861 - PETS www.dogsncats.org Noon to 4pm, Tues-Sat into leased space nearby. That company split up four years ago and the new HP inherited the trailblazing company’s fading printer and PC businesses. Hewlett-Packard’s Van- couver site originated as a printer factory but the cur- rent facility is focused on research to develop 3D printers, which HP hopes could reduce its dependence on the fading market for printed documents. City documents say HP looked at “various loca- tions” for future develop- ment beginning in 2018 and considered two sites in Vancouver before settling on the new development in east Vancouver last sum- mer. The documents say HP was seeking “fl exibil- ity for future development options.” HP also employs an unspecifi ed number at a major research site in Cor- vallis. It’s unclear if a Van- couver expansion would affect operations there. In the city’s agreement with HP, Vancouver agreed to spend $10 million for public infrastructure, includ- ing streets and trails. It also agreed to waive $1.25 mil- lion in business license fees over 20 years and reduce traffi c impact fees by up to $200,000. Vancouver may also defer water and sewer development charges. The new HP offi ce would sit among 553 acres Van- couver annexed in 2008. The city has classifi ed 440 acres as having commercial development potential in the coming decades. HP announced in October it hopes to save $1 billion by cutting between 7,000 and 9,000 jobs worldwide amid declining demand for printers and PCs. That rep- resented up to 16% of its global workforce. HP’s sales were roughly fl at in its last fi scal year at $58.8 billion. But profi ts fell from $5.3 billion to $3.2 billion. Amid that backdrop, HP quietly began talking to Xerox last summer about a deal to combine the two companies in hopes of sav- ing costs. When HP walked away, Xerox moved in with a hostile bid offering $33.5 billion, or $22 a share. HP rejected that offer, saying it undervalued the company. HP shares closed Thursday at $20.32. JOIN US IN THE CONVERSATION ON FACEBOOK TAKE PART AT FACEBOOK.COM/DAILYASTORIAN WANTED Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber Northwest Hardwoods • Longview, WA Contact: John Anderson • 360-269-2500
