A2
THE ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021
IN BRIEF
Pacifi c County’s unemployment rate
highest in all of Pacifi c Northwest
LONG BEACH, Wash. — For the second consecu-
tive month, workers in Pacifi c County are unemployed
not just at a higher rate than every other county in Wash-
ington state, but in all of the Pacifi c Northwest.
The newest monthly unemployment fi gures, released
by the Washington State Employment Security Depart-
ment on Tuesday , pegs the c ounty’s January unem-
ployment rate at 10.3%. The preliminary estimate is up
slightly from the revised 10.1% unemployment rate in
December, up from a pandemic low of 8.1% in October
and up from last January’s 7.2% rate.
Unemployment data from Oregon and Idaho indi-
cate that not only does Pacifi c County have the worst
unemployment rate in the state, but that it has the worst
unemployment rate for any county in the region. In
Washington, neighboring Grays Harbor County saw its
unemployment rate stay steady at 9.5%, and Wahkiakum
County’s unemployment rate decreased from 7.4% to
6.3% — lower than what it was last January.
While the unemployment rate stayed mostly static
from the previous month, the county’s critical leisure
and hospitality industry again faced steep losses. Non-
farm employment dropped from roughly 5,500 jobs in
December to 5,310 jobs in January, a loss of about 190
jobs overall. More than 75% of jobs lost in the county
came in the tourism-reliant industry, which shed 150
jobs.
Year-over-year, employment in the hospitality indus-
try is down 22.5% from last January. Manufacturers have
also been hit hard over the past year, with employment
down a staggering 37.4%. Government jobs, the largest
group of workers in the county, are down 7.8%.
Pacifi c County unveiling latest
vaccine appointment system
SOUTH BEND, Wash. — With COVID -19 vaccines
slated to become more widely available in the coming
days and weeks, the Pacifi c County Health and Human
Services Department is gearing up to unveil a new sys-
tem for scheduling vaccine appointments that it hopes
will lighten the load on the department’s staff .
The new system comes via the software program
PrepMod, according to Katie Lindstrom, the county’s
health director. The program, once someone is eligible
to be vaccinated and there is enough local supply , will
email the individual a unique link that allows the person
to schedule their own appointment.
The system used up until this point has consisted of
county employees spending hours on the phone, manu-
ally calling people on a waitlist thousands of names long .
“It should be a game-changer for us. Up until now, I
would say for each day long vaccine clinic it’s probably
two days worth of multiple people working to schedule
and do paperwork for (the clinic),” Lindstrom said.
— Chinook Observer
‘Wildfi re Wednesdays’
on tap through June
Study shows low housing
inventory in Gearhart
Aff ordable housing
remains a top need
By R.J. MARX
The Astorian
GEARHART — The
city has signifi cantly less
housing capacity than pre-
viously identifi ed, Matt
Hastie, of Angelo Planning,
told a joint workshop of the
City Council and Planning
Commission.
“We did fi nd a pretty sig-
nifi cant diff erence in the res-
idential capacity, from 700,
in the updated analysis, to
almost 381 units,” Hastie
said at the meeting last week.
The results show a need
for 234 new housing units by
2038.
“We found, on paper
at least, there is enough
land to satisfy that 20-year
demand,” he said. “What that
means, the city doesn’t have
the information or the basis
to justify an urban growth
boundary expansion.”
Nevertheless, the city
c ould update the compre-
hensive plan, zoning ordi-
nances and other policies to
ensure that aff ordable hous-
ing demand is met, Hastie
said.
After a Clatsop County
housing study delivered by
Angelo Planning and John-
son Economics in 2019,
Gearhart hired consultants to
do a fi ne-grain analysis , City
Planner Carole Connell said.
The building and land
analysis, approved a year
ago and delivered at a cost
of about $12,000, used state-
wide guidelines to identify
buildable lands, along with
Portland State University
population projections , as a
ABOUT 60% OF HOUSING UNITS
ARE CLASSIFIED AS VACANT AND
THE MAJORITY OF THEM ARE
OWNED AND USED AS SECOND
OR VACATION HOMES. MORE
TYPICAL VACANCY RATES FOR
COMMUNITIES IN OREGON ARE
CLOSER TO 5%.
basis of future estimates.
Cities are required to
maintain a 20-year supply
of land to accommodate pro-
jected growth for housing
and other needs. If the city
fi nds that it does not have
enough land to meet its long-
term needs, it potentially
would need to expand its
urban growth boundary.
“We took all of that infor-
mation that we prepared
for this project, plus all the
information in the previous
document, and that’s what
we’re presenting at the meet-
ing,” Hastie said. “The city
asked us to take a closer look
at the buildable lands inven-
tory and come up with an
estimate what your supply of
land for residential develop-
ment looks like to get a bet-
ter understanding of what
properties are constrained
and how does that aff ect
capacity.”
The discrepancy in num-
bers between the 2019
county study and this year’s
study comes from a closer
look at specifi c properties
being developed, areas con-
strained by the tsunami inun-
dation zone, dune zone and
conservation easements.
The city has some pro-
visions in code that require
use of an adjacent lot by the
same owner to be reserved
for septic use, rather than
for a second house, Hastie
added. “We had not factored
that into the earlier analy-
sis but did factor it into the
updated analysis, ” he said.
About 60% of housing
units are classifi ed as vacant
and the majority of them are
owned and used as second
or vacation homes. More
typical vacancy rates for
communities in Oregon are
closer to 5%.
According to the study,
there is a need for more
rental supply for lower and
moderately priced rental
units. Almost 90% of the
city’s 1,840 housing units
are described as single-fam-
ily detached. Rentals make
up about 16% of those units.
The greatest need for
rental units is found at the
lowest and middle price
points, the study found. To
improve supply, land could
be rezoned for that purpose,
or the land could be an out-
right use in the medium-den-
sity zone, Hastie said.
The city could promote
accessory dwelling units,
encourage cottage cluster
housing and streamline off -
street parking requirements
to increase the availability of
on-street parking in diff erent
neighborhoods.
The city’s zoning code
needs an update to show
that the housing is allowed,
on what size lots and what
density. “We’ve provided
some of those amendments,”
Hastie said.
The report identifi es com-
prehensive plan policies that
could be changed or updated
to determine if they are best
practices for cities .
“One would be to expand
the range of housing types
that you need to be consis-
tent with what the earlier
housing study said,” Hastie
said. “Two, would be to have
a more explicit policy to
talk about support for devel-
opment for housing avail-
able for low and moderate
incomes.”
While larger cities are
required to update the study
every six years, Hastie rec-
ommended Gearhart review
the study every fi ve years, as
a matter of course, as well as
Portland State University’s
p opulation updates .
“Portland State Univer-
sity is regularly updating
their projections,” he said.
“They do annual popula-
tion estimates for cities, and
when the census comes out,
they go back and recalibrate
all their estimates to be con-
sistent with the estimates.
“If you think the trends
were identifi ed previously
or off base, I’d encourage
you to participate in that
process,” Hastie said. “You
ought to take a look at that
and see how that supply
looks like.
“It is pretty wonky
stuff , even for planners like
myself,” he added.
The Oregon State University Extension Fire Program
has launched “Wildfi re Wednesdays,” a lunch-and-learn
webinar series.
The statewide campaign is intended to help Orego-
nians prepare for wildfi res through greater awareness
and actions.
The webinars will be at noon on alternating Wednes-
days in March through June.
For more information, links to recorded webinars
or to register, visit beav.es/FAFP. People can also email
amanda.brenner@oregonstste.edu or call 503-655-8631.
— The Astorian
DEATHS
15, 2021
In JAY, March
Brief
Craig Scott, 59,
of Roseburg, formerly of
Astoria, died in Portland.
Deaths
A service announcement
is pending.
MacDONALD, Stacey
Elizabeth, 47, of Astoria,
died in Astoria. Caldwell’s
Luce-Layton Mortuary of
Astoria is in charge of the
arrangements.
ON THE RECORD
Luring
under the infl uence
On
• Jesus the
Daniel Record
Walter intoxicants.
Sass, 23, was arraigned
Tuesday on three counts of
luring a minor, online sex-
ual corruption of a child in
the fi rst degree and online
sexual corruption of a
child in the second degree.
DUII
• Ricky Lee Saari, 63,
of Astoria, was arrested
Tuesday on Jerome Ave-
nue and 16th Street
in Astoria for driving
of
• Jose Antonio Mad-
rigal, 37, of Sunnyside,
Washington, was arrested
Tuesday on S. Franklin
Street and Avenue A in
Seaside for DUII.
• Crystal M. Hansen,
36, of Longview, Wash-
ington, was arrested Sat-
urday on U.S. Highway 30
near Tongue Point in Asto-
ria for DUII and reckless
driving.
PUBLIC MEETINGS
PUBLIC MEETINGS
THURSDAY
Seaside Transportation Advisory Commission, 6 p.m.,
City Hall, 989 Broadway.
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Spay and Neuter Thrift Store volunteers Patti Rouse, Jan Benfi eld and Annie Berge.
Big gift lifts Spay and Neuter Thrift Store
By R.J. MARX
The Astorian
SEASIDE — Two dona-
tions totaling $9,000 to the
Spay and Neuter Thrift Store
will off set a year of losses
because of the coronavirus
pandemic .
“This covers much of our
COVID losses and also helps
us install a much-needed
water heater,” Patti Rouse,
the store’s president, said.
“We are so thankful for those
who are remembering us in
their estates, and with their
donations.”
More than 800 dogs and
cats benefi ted from the thrift
store’s contributions in 2020.
The shop provides owners
$50 vouchers for a surgery
bill for cats and $70 for dogs,
to be redeemed for services
at any veterinarian in Clat-
sop County. There is no limit
to the number of animals
per owner that may receive
vouchers.
Last year , the pandemic all
but shut down the shop , with
limited revenue as a result
‘THIS COVERS MUCH OF
OUR COVID LOSSES AND
ALSO HELPS US INSTALL A
MUCH-NEEDED WATER HEATER.
WE ARE SO THANKFUL FOR
THOSE WHO ARE REMEMBERING
US IN THEIR ESTATES, AND
WITH THEIR DONATIONS.’
Patti Rouse | president of the Spay and Neuter Thrift Store
and a drop in donations.
In November, the shop
gave out $3,150 in cou-
pons. D espite good sales, it
saw a loss of almost $500.
In December, the shop dis-
tributed almost $5,000, but
the loss after expenses was
$2,374. In January the shop
gave out $1,870 in coupons,
with a loss of $120.
“Our landlords forgave
half the rent for two months,
which was an amazing
help,” Rouse said. “Then we
reopened, but with less than
half of our previous hours.
Most volunteers were not
wanting exposure to custom-
ers. T he few who were com-
fortable asked we have two-
hour shifts since masks are
required.”
Meanwhile, the need to
spay and neuter pets contin-
ued, as well as cash dona-
tions to the South County
Food Bank and the Clatsop
County animal shelter.
“We give $300 a month to
the food bank for pet food,”
Rouse said. “We give $500 a
month to the Clatsop County
shelter to help them pay for
spaying and neutering.”
The shop also gives $300
a month to the River Song
Foundation, a group based
in the county that spays and
neuters feral cats, among
other animal assistance
programs.
“We are only open six
hours a week, and we’re giv-
ing out over $5,000 a month
in coupons to spay and neu-
ter your pets,” Rouse said.
“To make that money up is
huge.”
Volunteers process dona-
tions, clean, sort and haul
things to Goodwill. Some
volunteer just one day a
week, Rouse said. “Our
shifts are about three hours,”
she said. “We are always
looking for volunteers.”
So far this year, 185 ani-
mals have been spayed or
neutered, Rouse said. The
shop is open Monday, Tues-
day and Thursday from noon
to 2 p.m., and will open Fri-
days from noon to 2 p.m.
starting March 26.