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DailyAstorian.com // THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2020
147TH YEAR, NO. 101
$1.50
Astoria upholds denial
of Grocery Outlet
Unanimous vote by council
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Astorian
The Astoria City Council on Tuesday
voted unanimously to uphold the denial
of a Grocery Outlet over concerns about
whether a new store would fi t on a con-
strained, triangular lot off Marine Drive .
Main & Main Capital Group has
been seeking city approval to build a
16,000-square-foot store where Commer-
cial Street runs into Marine Drive near
the Mill Pond neighborhood. The build-
ing, fronted by a parking lot, would face
Cannery
Pier Hotel
closes spa
services
See Grocery Outlet, Page A6
A
developer
wants to
build a
Grocery
Outlet on a
triangular-
shaped lot.
Hailey
Hoff man/
The Astorian
Wanted: Master plan for
Skipanon development
Employees were laid off
By NICOLE BALES
The Astorian
The Cannery Pier Hotel & Spa
abruptly closed s pa services during the
holiday weekend amid a labor dispute
with staff.
M assage therapists working Sat-
urday evening said they were told it
would be their fi nal day after the last
client left. Then about a dozen part-time
employees said they were notifi ed via
email that evening that their employ-
ment would end effective immediately.
In a letter to staff, Don West, Can-
nery Pier’s general manager, said the
hotel would be “ceasing s pa opera-
tions.” The letter instructed them to
pick up their fi nal paycheck Monday
afternoon .
West said the decision was made
because of lower business levels in the
w inter and s pring seasons and upcom-
ing renovations.
“There’s never a good time to do
something like this. It’s horrendous on
the staff, it’s horrendous on the hotel,”
West said. “It’s an entire hotel renova-
tion and there’s a lot of thought that
needs to be taken place on how the spa
might fi t into that going forward. So,
we just had to make this determina-
tion at this time, and I feel very badly
for the staff. I feel very badly for the
community.”
The former employees walked
together to the hotel on Monday to pick
up their last paychecks. They said they
believe the decision came after a letter
they sent Feb. 13 to corporate offi cials
at Vesta Hospitality — the Vancouver,
Washington, based company that pur-
chased the hotel last year — regarding a
change in the pay structure, which they
say would result in a pay cut.
“After cutting all existing fringe
benefi ts for s pa staff, like quarterly
bonuses and discounts, Vesta then
offered a wage reduction which would
Hailey Hoff man/The Astorian
The Kujala family owns a large portion of undeveloped land in the middle of Warrenton.
Potential for high-density housing
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Astorian
W
Edward Stratton/The Astorian
ARRENTON — The Kujala family, owners of a
large swath of land on the eastern end of the Ski-
panon River just north of state Highway 104, has
started fi lling in uplands and hopes to build higher-den-
sity housing.
But city offi cials , more cognizant of the impacts of
development on the surrounding community, want a mas-
ter plan similar to the recently approved Chelsea Gardens
neighborhood.
The Kujala property is zoned for an intermediate den-
sity of single-family homes, municipal offi ces, schools,
parks, libraries and places of worship. The family has
started fi lling in 2 acres worth of uplands at the site and
applied to revise the zoning to high-density residential
like the land owned by Stan Johnson, who is developing a
16-unit apartment complex along Highway 104.
“If they’re going to do a zone change, they need to show
us how it’s going to be phased, either through a planned
unit development or how they are going to do a master
plan to show how it’s going to be developed over time,”
said Kevin Cronin, the city’s community development
Geese walk the Skipanon River Trail in front of property the
Kujala family is fi lling for a potential housing development.
See Skipanon, Page A6
See Spa, Page A6
Johnson digs in against
cap and trade legislation
Forrester highlights late senator
Neuberger an
infl uential Oregonian
Critical of suggestion
on pulp and paper mills
By NICOLE BALES
The Astorian
damage the Georgia-Pacifi c
Wauna Mill, the largest single
employer in Clatsop County with
more than 700 workers.
Johnson issued a statement
Tuesday with Rep. Brad Witt,
D-Clatskanie, that said one of
the co-sponsors of cap and trade
Nicole Bales/The Astorian
Steve Forrester remembers U.S.
Sen. Richard Neuberger visiting his
family’s home in Pendleton.
Forrester’s father and Neuberger
met in the 1930s while they were
working as writers at The Orego-
nian. Although Forrester was only
about 8 years old, he said Neuberg-
er’s energy and intellect left a last-
ing impression on him, and he has
been fascinated by his life and career
ever since.
Forrester, the president and CEO
of EO Media Group, has detailed the
See Cap and trade, Page A6
Steve Forrester, the president and CEO of EO Media Group, spoke at the
Columbia Forum on Tuesday night.
See Forum, Page A6
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Astorian
State Sen. Betsy Johnson
blasted what she described as a
last-minute suggestion to amend
the cap-and-trade bill to benefi t
pulp and paper mills.
Johnson, D-Scappoose, a critic
of cap and trade, has opposed the
legislation over fears it would
Betsy Johnson
Brad Witt