A2
THE ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 2021
IN BRIEF
County reports three new virus cases
Clatsop County on Wednesday reported three new
coronavirus cases.
The cases include a man and a woman in their 20s
and a woman in her 30s living in the northern part of
the county.
All three were recovering at home.
The county has recorded 787 cases since the pan-
demic began. According to the county, 18 were hospi-
talized and six have died.
Police investigate graffi ti
on Peter Iredale shipwreck
Police are investigating graffi ti on the Peter Iredale
shipwreck at Fort Stevens State Park.
Witnesses reported seeing a group of people on
Monday involved in spray painting “Black Lives Mat-
ter” on the wreck.
Police say a group was later contacted by an Ore-
gon State Police trooper in Cannon Beach.
Nonprofi t offers tours
of Merwyn Apartments
People interested in a sneak peek of the nearly fi n-
ished Merwyn Apartments will get a chance to look
inside this week.
Innovative Housing Inc., the Portland nonprofi t that
purchased the neglected former hotel next to Astoria
City Hall and turned it into affordable apartments, is
offering tours though Saturday.
Tours will occur between noon and 5 p.m. each day.
Each tour slot is limited to handful of people.
Once complete, the Merwyn Apartments will pro-
vide 40 units, most of which are set aside for low-
er-income residents. The nonprofi t is in the middle of
reviewing around 24 applications and people are still
encouraged to apply.
Julie Garver, the housing development director for
Innovative Housing, hopes to begin moving tenants in
next week. Once tenants arrive, the nonprofi t will not
be offering any tours to the public to keep things safe
during the coronavirus pandemic.
“If folks want to get in and see the building, now’s
their chance,” Garver said.
To reserve a spot on a tour, call Garver at 360-635-
1216 or email her at jgarver@innovativehousinginc.
com
— The Astorian
DEATHS
March 8, 2021
In BURNETT,
Brief Ralph
C., 66, of Warrenton,
died in Astoria. Ocean
Deaths
View Funeral & Cre-
mation Service of Asto-
ria is in charge of the
arrangements.
March 6, 2021
NORRIS, Joyce Lynn,
66, of Astoria, died in
Astoria.
Caldwell’s
Luce-Layton Mortuary of
Astoria is in charge of the
arrangements.
March 5, 2021
SHEKER,
Clifford
James, 73, of Astoria, died
in Astoria. Caldwell’s
Luce-Layton Mortuary of
Astoria is in charge of the
arrangements.
Seaside could ease parking
requirements to spur housing
New system based
on apartment size
By R.J. MARX
The Astorian
SEASIDE — The city has
the most restrictive parking
requirements for apartment
units in Clatsop County.
The City Council wants to
change that by reducing the
number of off-street park-
ing spaces required in new
development .
“There are lots of commu-
nities that have much lower
parking requirements than
we have,” Kevin Cupples,
the city’s planning director,
said. “We are known as the
one that requires the most for
apartment dwellings because
it is a standard one-size-fi ts-
all of two parking spaces per
dwelling unit. This is try-
ing to scale that so it’s more
appropriate for whatever the
use is.”
On Monday night, the
City C ouncil considered an
amendment to the city’s zon-
ing ordinance to reduce the
number of off-street park-
ing spaces required from two
to a system based on a unit’s
size. Studios would need one
off-street space; a one-bed-
room apartment 1.25 spaces
and a two-bedroom apart-
ment 1.5 spaces. Larger units
would continue to require a
minimum of two off-street
spaces.
“Our long-range goal is
providing for more work-
force housing or more resi-
dential housing,” Mayor Jay
Barber said.
A similar proposal went
before the City Council a
year ago, but the ordinance
R.J. Marx/The Astorian
Future apartment buildings could be subject to off -street parking requirements based on unit size.
came with additional provi-
sions eliminating the parking
requirement for certain types
of residential units within the
downtown core. Business
owners at the time said the
changes could add to already
existing parking shortages
and w ould not guarantee
affordable housing.
Last March, the council
remanded the ordinance to
the Planning Commission,
which removed portions
of the amendment relating
to downtown commercial
zones.
“This will give the coun-
cil an opportunity to move
forward with that part of
the text amendment that
appeared to be supported by
the council during the initial
review,” Cupples said . “The
requested amendment will
help reduce some of the reg-
ulatory hurdles associated
with developing workforce
rental housing and promote
more effi cient use of land
within the city.”
Seaside’s two-space off-
street requirement has a
“signifi cant impact on the
amount of backup land nec-
essary to develop smaller
apartments or multifam-
ily dwellings, which in turn
drives up the land cost to
develop smaller rental hous-
ing,” Cupples said. “You
may fi nd some of the build-
ers who want to stick with
that, but it gives them a lot
more fl exibility in what they
can do.”
The proposed amendment
will only affect apartments ,
not condominiums.
“Even if you had a studio
condominium unit, it would
still stick with the two-
Former teacher delivers for Seaside Scholarships
Stutesman coached
volleyball champs
By R.J. MARX
The Astorian
MEMORIALS
Saturday, March 13
Gilbert, 85, of Warrenton,
Correction
Gilbert,
Louise died Thursday, March 4,
Marie — Funeral at
11 a.m., Our Lady of Vic-
tory Catholic Church, 120
Oceanway St. in Seaside.
2021, in Richland, Wash-
ington. Hughes-Ransom
Mortuary is in charge of
the arrangements.
CORRECTIONS
Purchase price, fundraising model incorrect —
The former Sears Hometown store will cost the Asto-
ria Food Hub $780,000, of which the group is raising
$700,000 through commercial lender Steward. Con-
tributors invest in the loan and earn back interest. An
A1 story Tuesday incorrectly stated that the building
would cost $700,000, and that the contributions were
donations.
ON THE RECORD
Assault
nas, 41, of
On
the
• Phillip
Spencer, Record
40, of was arrested
Astoria, was arrested Mon-
day in Astoria for assault
in the fourth degree.
DUII
• Brandi Marie Enci-
Astoria,
Tuesday
on Old U.S. Highway
30 and Svensen Mar-
ket Road for driving
under the influence of
intoxicants.
PUBLIC MEETINGS
THURSDAY
Seaside Civic and Convention Center Commission,
5 p.m., 415 First Ave.
Warrenton Planning Commission, 6 p.m., City Hall, 225 S.
Main Ave.
Gearhart Planning Commission and City Council, 7 p.m.,
(electronic meeting).
PUBLIC MEETINGS
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SEASIDE — A former
Seaside High School teacher
and coach will make a dif-
ference in the lives of future
generations.
Carol Stutesman died last
May, but with a donation of
just under $700,000 to Sea-
side Scholarships, a s cholar-
ship in her name will bene-
fi t local high school seniors
for years to come. Funds will
be delivered for scholarships
for an academic four-year
degree program and a voca-
tional degree or certifi cate .
“She had a real heart for
kids, especially who weren’t
connected to college so
much but vocations, kids that
showed a promise in those
kinds of areas as well as aca-
demics,” Ginny Hamer, a
former teacher and coach,
said. “Carol never married
or had children herself, so all
her students in her class were
very, very dear to her.”
Stutesman taught at
Coquille High School and
Along with teaching business and other classes, Carol
Stutesman, top right, led the 1988 Gulls volleyball team to a
state championship.
Oregon City High School
before her 29-year career in
Seaside . She taught business
and vocational classes that
included personal fi nance,
computer
applications,
accounting and graphic arts.
Her business classes often
earned students college
credit.
“Carol and I started teach-
ing together in the ’80s when
she came to our district,”
Hamer said. “I was coaching
volleyball at the time and she
DIGITAL
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became part of that program
right away.”
Along with teaching
duties, Stutesman quickly
developed into coaching bas-
ketball and softball and led
the 1988 state 2A volleyball
champions, which went 13-1
to win the Cowapa League
title before defeating Sweet
Home for the state title .
Hamer serves as co-per-
sonal representative for the
Stutesman estate with former
Seaside High School teacher
Karen Mattocks.
“It’s such a fantastic
opportunity for the Seaside
students with the amount
of money that she gave to
the foundation,” Mattocks
said. “Teaching was just so
incredible to her. That was
her family, her life, she really
connected with a lot of kids.
She truly wanted to give
back to the Seaside High
School community and that
she did.”
Stutesman battled cancer
for a decade, Hamer said.
“She immediately knew
she wanted to give the bulk
of her estate to the kids at
Seaside. She was a very fru-
gal woman who played the
stock market, she was very
business savvy, so she was
able to put together a nice lit-
tle nest egg.”
“We put a big emphasis on
kids that are college-bound a
lot,” Hamer added. “She felt
there was a gap as far as kids
that just wanted to do a voca-
tional program, whether it be
auto mechanics, beautician
or whatever they had a pas-
sion for. It was a selfl ess deed
and all that she worked for in
her life. She wanted to give it
back to the kids.”
Hiker describes fall at Hug Point
A memorable
birthday for Tighe
By JAYATI
RAMAKRISHNAN
The Oregonian
Twenty-fi ve will always
be a memorable birthday for
Gil Tighe.
The Portland resident set
out Friday for the Oregon
C oast with their partner, hop-
ing to celebrate the milestone
a day early.
By the end of the celebra-
tion, Tighe was in the hospi-
tal after falling 100 feet off a
cliff. After a challenging res-
cue and a helicopter ride to
Legacy Emanuel Medical
Center, Tighe is happy to be
alive and telling the story.
Tighe said the couple
arrived at Hug Point just
south of Cannon Beach in
the afternoon. The two hung
out on the beach, ate cake and
took pictures.
Around 4 p.m., the pair
decided to explore. From pre-
vious visits, they knew of an
area at Hug Point that, at low
tide, allows hikers to get to
the other side of the cove.
The tide was too high to
access it, but the couple found
what appeared to be some
human-made trails through
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(space) requirement based
on the way the ordinance is
written,” Cupples said.
“You’re going to see more
compressed parking in those
areas where it’s in higher
demand, but if you want
to get the most out of your
higher density zones, this is
one way to do it,” he said.
Vacation rentals operate
under a separate set of park-
ing ordinances, “which are
a different animal,” Cupples
added.
Accessory dwelling units
are exempt.
Following the fi rst read-
ing by title only, the ordi-
nance will be scheduled for
a public hearing and sec-
ond reading during the City
C ouncil meeting March 22.
A third reading and fi nal
adoption could come at the
city’s April 12 meeting.
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the grass that looked as if they
might lead to the same place.
Tighe went fi rst because the
trails looked a little slippery.
For the fi rst few feet,
Tighe was holding on to a
wall along the trail for sup-
port. But a few steps in, Tighe
suddenly lost footing and
started slipping. Tighe skid-
ded on dirt and rocks for
about 10 feet, trying to stop
before a sudden drop.
“I don’t even remember
the fall itself. It kind of felt
like I was having a dream,”
Tighe said. “Even waking
up on the rocks, covered in
blood, I still felt like I was
having a dream.”
Tighe said paramedics
estimated the cliff was about
100 feet high. After regain-
ing consciousness at the bot-
tom of the cliff, Tighe heard
their partner yelling that they
had called 911.
Without glasses, lost in
A hiker from Portland survived
a fall at Hug Point.
the fall, Tighe couldn’t see
the extent of their injuries but
immediately realized one of
their arms was broken.
While waiting for para-
medics, Tighe
crawled
around the rocks and even-
tually found their cellphone,
which had service. Tighe
called their partner, who
relayed information as rescue
crews arrived.
“It’s the most millennial
thing ever,” Tighe said with
a laugh. “I just fell a thou-
sand feet and I’m wondering
where my phone is.”