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DailyAstorian.com // THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 2021
148TH YEAR, NO. 148
$1.50
CORONAVIRUS
County to
remain at
lower risk
for virus
Coronavirus case counts
continue to fall
By NICOLE BALES
The Astorian
Photos by Hailey Hoff man/The Astorian
Clatsop County may place a moratorium on new vacation rental licenses while commissioners review revisions to the rules.
County weighs moratorium
on vacation rental licenses
Review centers on South County
See Risk, Page A6
Astoria
police seek
community
feedback
By NICOLE BALES
The Astorian
C
latsop County c ommissioners have unanimously
supported a six-month moratorium on new vacation
rental licenses while the county reviews two ordi-
nances that regulate short-term rentals.
The move comes after months of conversations and dis-
cussions on proposed revisions to the rules.
Commissioners agreed during a work session in April to
pause work on the revisions after strife in Cove Beach and
Arch Cape.
During a work session in early June, the board agreed
a moratorium was the best way to move forward while the
county looks at ways to revise and possibly consolidate the
ordinances.
The moratorium is expected to begin in September and
the review process could be completed by February. The
county has scheduled two town hall meetings in July to get
public input on the moratorium.
“What we would like to have as the goal for any revi-
sions that we do end up making is developing a better bal-
ance between the quality-of-life concerns and the impacts
that short-term rentals can have on a residential neighbor-
hood,” Gail Henrikson, the county’s community develop-
ment director, said. “But also recognizing that there are
investments that short-term rental owners have made, and
trying to fi nd a better balance between the two.”
Both ordinances are similar, but one is specifi c to Arch
Cape, while the other covers the remaining unincorporated
parts of the county. The key diff erences deal with parking
and length-of-stay requirements.
The Arch Cape ordinance requires a minimum sev-
en-night stay, and only one reservation is allowed during
a seven-day period. Street parking is not allowed. There is
no limit or minimum stay requirement for other unincorpo-
rated areas, and street parking is allowed.
There are more than 200 vacation rental permits in the
unincorporated parts of the county . Of those, more than
50% are located in Cove Beach and Arch Cape. Clatsop
Clatsop County will remain at lower
risk for the coronavirus as virus case
counts continue to fall.
Gov. Kate Brown announced Tuesday
that more counties will move into lower
risk as the state nears its goal of adminis-
tering at least one dose of vaccine to 70%
of adults.
“Oregon is so close to more fully
reopening our economy, and I am grate-
ful to everyone who has stepped up
to get vaccinated,” the governor said
in a statement. “We will soon need to
reach fewer than 100,000 Oregonians to
achieve our statewide vaccination goal
of 70% and lift the county risk level
framework.
City to hire an outreach offi cer
By KATIE FRANKOWICZ
The Astorian
Vacation rentals have caused divisions in communities such as
Arch Cape and Cove Beach.
Plains also makes up a large share.
Host Compliance, a company that provides vacation
rental monitoring and enforcement services , found that
the median nightly rental rate for vacation rentals in the
unincorporated parts of the county is $277. More than 75%
were for single-family homes. The others were for a single
room or portions of a home.
A housing study conducted by the county in 2019 found
that while there is technically an oversupply of housing ,
much of the housing is eaten up by vacation rentals and
second homeowners.
The situation is most pronounced in beach communities
in the southern part of the county.
Commissioner Lianne Thompson, who represents South
County , said she wants the b oard to set a collaborative tone
as the process rolls ahead.
Thompson, who has lived in Cove Beach since the late
1990 s, said she has had concerns about vacation rentals for
nearly two decades.
Amid national conversations about
the role of police, the Astoria Police
Department is looking to the community
for feedback and will add a community
outreach offi cer to its
roster.
The new part-time
MORE
position — focused
INSIDE
on community inter-
Warrenton
action rather than
debates
enforcement — is
spending
one the department
on tourism
has been interested
promotion
in adding for a while.
• A2
It is one of several
other new positions
included in a city bud-
get the C ity C ouncil approved Tuesday
that are intended to relieve pressure on
key city departments.
The survey is in response to the social
See Rentals, Page A6
See Police, Page A6
At graduation, student revives mascot debate
Rouda believes ‘Fishermen’ is not inclusive
By KATIE FRANKOWICZ
The Astorian
Hailey Hoff man/The Astorian
Constance Rouda gives a speech to the Astoria graduating class.
Constance Rouda, minutes away
from receiving her high school
diploma, stepped to the podium at
CMH Field on Saturday, adjusted
the microphone and used her vale-
dictorian speech to make a fi nal
argument to change Astoria’s “Fish-
ermen” mascot.
“Change does not have to be
intimidating, it can be exciting,” the
senior began.
Astoria High School sports
teams have been known as the Fish-
ermen or the Fighting Fishermen for
100 years. Last year, Rouda argued
that the name is not inclusive and
that the unoffi cial nickname given
to the girls teams, the “Lady Fish,”
is problematic.
She proposed dropping the Lady
Fish nickname and changing the
offi cial mascot from Fishermen to a
more gender-neutral name. Friends
had suggested “Fish” or “Mariner.”
Rouda wanted it to be a school wide
and community discussion.
But the eff ort stalled after a pre-
sentation to the high school leader-
ship class last fall. The class, which
includes a mix of students across
grade levels, was split in its sup-
port. Principal Lynn Jackson esti-
mated that as many as 80% of the
leadership students who took a sur-
vey following Rouda’s presentation
were either very much opposed to a
change or indiff erent.
The coronavirus pandemic and
limits on social gatherings ham-
pered the school district from hold-
ing a broader school and community
discussion, something Jackson and
district leaders felt needed to happen
before any decision could be made.
So Rouda turned to the biggest
social, school-related gathering the
school district would hold all year:
graduation day.
She was a little nervous. S he had
been warned by her counselor that
the speech may not be received well
by some. B ut she also thought the
theme of change made sense for a
See Mascot, Page A6