A3
THE ASTORIAN • SATuRdAy, FEbRuARy 27, 2021
Business: Appeal heads to council on March 15
Continued from Page A1
business out of my home,
I could have a schedul-
ing flexibility necessary to
share child care responsibil-
ities. Providing for my fam-
ily while also being present
in my child’s life are val-
ues that are very important
to me.”
Stephen Fulton and his
sister, Sara Orr, who live
across from Gutierrez in a
property owned by a family
trust, appealed Gutierrez’s
business, along with neigh-
bor Don Heiner.
Fulton and Orr com-
plained of constant buzz-
ing noise when Gutierrez
is working. They argued
that his business had been
operating illegally before
seeking a home occupa-
tion license, and that the
city should require a zone
change and analyze the
impact of the business on
the neighborhood.
City code on home busi-
nesses prohibits the on-site
repair or assembly of vehi-
cles and equipment with
combustible engines. The
neighbors contend city staff
interpreted the code too nar-
rowly, potentially allowing
Gutierrez to run a full-ser-
vice auto body repair shop.
“It is obvious that the
intent of the code language
is to prohibit the nuisance of
any automotive repair, not
just repair of engines,” the
appellants wrote.
The issue of Gutierrez’s
business has divided neigh-
bors on 34th Street.
City of Astoria
Will Gutierrez was approved by the Astoria Planning Commission to run an auto-detailing
business out of his Uppertown home. The approval has been appealed to the Astoria City Council.
Anne Odom, who lives
next to Fulton, argued that
Gutierrez had addressed
her concerns about noise by
limiting hours, switching to
quieter electric equipment
and testing decibel levels
at her house to ensure she
could not hear him working.
“Will has done every-
thing he can do to make this
business, (with) which he
is just trying to support his
family,” Odom said. “As we
know, that’s very difficult in
a small town.”
The appellants called the
change to quieter electric
equipment “appreciated but
irrelevant. The code is clear:
If the noise cannot be con-
tained on-site, the requested
use must be prohibited.”
The appeal also took
issue with potentially haz-
ardous runoff and that Guti-
errez would not be sub-
ject to the same inspection
and record-keeping require-
ments of a business in a
commercial area. Gutierrez
explained that he plans to
use biodegradable cleaners
and a low-flow system for
washing vehicles.
Planning commission-
ers were convinced Gutier-
rez had appeased concerns
and that his business, if
restricted in hours and num-
ber of vehicles per week,
would not adversely impact
the neighborhood.
“I would definitely not
be in favor of this if it were
10 or 20 (vehicles) per
week, but this is something
(where) we’re talking three
customers per week,” Com-
missioner Chris Womack
said.
The appeal goes before
the City Council on March
15.
Memorial: Planned for March 20 via Zoom
Continued from Page A1
GoFundMe page set up to
support Chase’s wife, Ange-
line, and their four sons.
“I have just an immense
amount of gratitude towards
the community in how
they’ve come together in
the deep, darkness of sorrow
that we’re dealing with,”
Angeline Chase said.
“They came together to
help our family, and even
though we have a lot of sad-
ness and a lot of tears, them
showing their love and their
kindness and their gener-
osity gives us moments of
happiness.
“Todd affected so many
people and we get to have
that little bit of residual love
from that. And we want to
just say that we love them
by extension of Todd. If we
didn’t know them, we love
them by extension of him.”
When fishing was not
in season, Chase ran a con-
struction and pressure-wash-
ing business.
Angeline Chase described
her husband as bubbly and
full of life. She said he
showed kindness to every-
one no matter what, and that
he had the unique ability to
become friends with anyone.
“I feel really honored to
be able to have spent the
time I had with him,” she
said.
A public memorial is
planned for 2 p.m. on March
20 via Zoom, where people
can join and share stories
and memories of Chase.
Edward Stratton/The Astorian
‘Safe,’ the oil painting on wood panel by John Wesley Willis
honoring the firefighters who saved his home and dog,
will be on display at the Labor Temple Diner & Bar through
Second Saturday Art Walk in March.
Rescue: Painting will go
on display at the Labor
Temple Diner & Bar
Continued from Page A1
Groat said a lieutenant
sent him inside to assess
where the smoke was com-
ing from.
“That’s when I saw
the dog running around
the downstairs and tried
to corral him and get him
outside,” he said. “Then I
go upstairs, and was able
to find the room that was
on fire, and we got a hose
line up there and was able
to knock it down from
spreading any further.”
Willis said it took four
months to repair the dam-
age to his art studio, during
which time he thought
of how to thank the peo-
ple who had changed the
course of his life. He found
an old cupboard bottom
from the house, stained it
and painted a fireman hold-
ing Orville in the drive-
way, a red fire hose snak-
ing back into the house.
“I’ve been shaking my
head ever since — one, at
the impossible odds that
they just drove by, and
two, at how grateful I was
that they just saved the
day,” Willis said.
The painting will go on
display at the Labor Tem-
ple Diner & Bar, where
Willis has an exhibit of
cityscapes up through Sec-
ond Saturday Art Walk in
March. The painting will
then go on display at the
Astoria Fire Department.
Specialty care, close to home
At Providence Seaside, your health is our priority. That’s why we’re adding new specialists
to care for you and your family. You now have more choices for experts in:
• Cardiology
• General surgery
• Obstetrics and gynecology
• Oncology
• Orthopedic surgery
• Urology
Whether we see you in person or in a virtual visit, our team of compassionate experts is
committed to providing safe and convenient care for people throughout the North Coast.
CARDIOLOGY
Gary Greenberg,
M.D. (new provider)
OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY
Robert Morse, D.O.
Zachary Caverley, PA-C
GENERAL SURGERY
ONCOLOGY
Eric Friedman, M.D.
(new provider)
Jennifer Lycette, M.D.
(new provider)
Manfred Ritter, M.D.
Michael Adler, M.D.
Dominique Greco,
M.D. (family medicine
with obstetrics)
Jiyeon Jeon, M.D.
(new provider in family
medicine with obstetrics)
UROLOGY
Karren Warren, A-GNP
Laura Gordon, M.D.
ORTHOPEDIC SURGERY
Providence.org/northcoast
Steven Dailey, M.D.
(new provider)
Hans Moller, M.D.
(new provider)
Dan Sitkowski, PA-C