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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 11, 2020)
147TH YEAR, NO. 84 WEEKEND EDITION // SATuRdAY, JANuARY 11, 2020 $1.50 County approves tobacco ordinance Advocates complain it was watered down By NICOLE BALES The Astorian Hailey Hoffman/The Astorian Pacific Seafood Group wants to turn Astoria Pointe, the former treatment center in Uniontown, into temporary worker housing. Pacific Seafood Group eyes Astoria Pointe for housing Property was used for drug treatment By EDWARD STRATTON The Astorian acific Seafood Group wants to convert Astoria Pointe, a former drug and alcohol treatment center in Uniontown, into temporary housing for up to 125 workers. The company has applied for a one-year conditional use permit at the nearly 16,000-square-foot facility off Exchange Street. The application goes before the Astoria Planning Commis- sion on Jan. 28. Pacific Seafood declined to discuss the project. “Applicant has visited the structure several times, has asked its architect to P See Astoria Pointe, Page A6 Clatsop County commissioners approved a tobacco retail license Wednes- day night, but some advocates of the ordi- nance say it has been watered down and has lost its effectiveness. The ordinance will give the county the authority to license and inspect tobacco retailers to ensure they follow Tobacco 21, which outlawed the sale of tobacco products to people under 21 years old. This was the second version to come before commissioners — this time with- out a flavor ban. Commissioners delayed action in Sep- tember after claims that cities and local tobacco retailers had not been informed about a ban on all flavored tobacco prod- ucts. Local tobacco retailers and the elec- tronic cigarette company, Juul, urged commissioners to exclude the flavor ban component. Michael McNickle, the county’s public health director, said commissioners told him they would unanimously support the ordinance if it were revised to exclude a flavor ban. John Harper, a local tobacco retailer, told commissioners Wednesday he sup- ports the updated ordinance. However, he asked that they remove a section restrict- ing retailers from accepting price discount See Tobacco, Page A6 Pacific Seafood Group has already gained approval for a bunkhouse for workers in Hammond. Warrenton signs off on apartments Planners back a 28-unit project A popular maple tree falls in Alderbrook WARRENTON — The Planning Commission on Thursday conditionally approved the 28-unit Latitude 46 Apart- ments on Jetty Avenue. Jennifer and Jeff Canessa are planning the apartment com- MORE plex next to a proposed INSIDE 66-unit project by Warrenton developer Jason Palm- planners berg approved by the approve city in 2018. The two jail design complexes will share without stormwater treatment, sidewalks but Palmberg said he Page A2 doesn’t expect to start construction on the larger complex until next summer. The approval of the Canessa’s project came with 14 conditions from Kevin Cro- nin, the city’s community development director. In one of the more controversial conditions, he recommended the Canes- sas cover 28 of the 49 planned parking spots with carports, a city standard not required in several previous apartment projects. Jennifer Canessa argued the carports would be hideous, block landscaping and make the complex look like a parking garage. “We want it to look aesthetically beau- tiful,” she said. “We want our tenants to feel like they are living with dignity. They’ve got a great place to live.” Palmberg, at the meeting Damaged by high winds By EDWARD STRATTON The Astorian Connie Clifford has more than 40 years of history with the bigleaf maple behind her house, standing sentry at the center of Violet LaPlante Park in Alderbrook. A photo in The Astorian from 1987 shows her sons, Dan- iel and James Benoit, playing in a pile of the tree’s leaves. But Clifford said she under- stands why the city started removing the popular tree Thursday, after it was further damaged in a windstorm. “We’ve lived in the North- west long enough to know that trees can … these windstorms can wreak havoc, and that tree could hit our house,” she said. High winds recently sent the maple’s branches crashing down into the park. The tree was stabilized with a cable in 2015 after a crack between its dual trunks — rising from a main stem like halves of a wishbone See Tree, Page A6 Hailey Hoffman/The Astorian ABOVE: Using chainsaws and a cherry picker, Arbor Care Tree Specialists cut down a popular bigleaf maple tree at Violet LaPlante Park in Astoria on Thursday. The old tree had suffered damage from recent storms. RIGHT: Connie Clifford holds a photo from 1987 of her children, Daniel and James Benoit, playing in a pile of leaves below a maple in Violet LaPlante Park. By EDWARD STRATTON The Astorian Edward Stratton/The Astorian See Apartments, Page A6
