»INSIDE
THURSDAY
JUNE 30
2022
TS
MAGIC MOMEN PAGE 8
PARADES, FIREW
ORKS AND MOR
E ON THE COAS
T
ILWACO
GEARHART,
IDE
AND SEAS
ART WALKS
PAGES 4-7
FAMILY S IN
DELIGHT RKING
WOODWO
PAGE 14
POLY NESIAN
BARBECUE
DINING
PAGE 18
July 2-3
Astoria
Co. Fairgrounds
Clatsop
149TH YEAR, NO. 156
DailyAstorian.com // THURSDAY, JUNE 30, 2022
$1.50
City weighs
code changes
for housing
Planning Commission will
forward ideas to City Council
By NICOLE BALES
The Astorian
The Astoria Planning Commission was
generally supportive Tuesday of development
code amendments designed to remove barriers
for new housing construction and is expected
to make recommendations to the City Council
in the coming weeks.
When Astoria’s population tipped over
10,000, the city became recognized as a medi-
um-sized city, which came with rules set by
recent changes in state law.
The changes, which are intended to increase
housing aff ordability and availability across
Oregon, include allowing duplexes on resi-
dential lots that allow single-family homes.
The city must also expand opportunities for lot
divisions for middle housing, which enables
units in duplexes and triplexes to be sold
individually.
The changes must be adopted by the end of
the year to avoid the state code automatically
taking eff ect. The city is also using the oppor-
tunity to incorporate recommendations made
in Clatsop County’s 2019 housing study.
During a public hearing on the amend-
ments, Megan Leatherman, the city’s com-
munity development director, off ered a higher
level view of the draft and presented commu-
nity feedback from stakeholder meetings and
listening sessions. The P lanning C ommis-
sion is expected to comb through more of the
details when it meets in July .
‘THE CHANGES HERE
ARE NOT GOING TO
BE SOMETHING THAT
WE ALL SEE AND FEEL
OVERNIGHT. IT WILL
BE SOMETHING THAT
PROBABLY WILL BE SEEN
IN A COUPLE MORE
DECADES MORE FULLY.’
Photos by Lydia Ely/The Astorian
The van housing the mobile clinic includes a private room for meeting with patients.
County launches
mobile clinic with van
Outreach for disease
testing and vaccination
By ERICK BENGEL
The Astorian
A
new Clatsop County mobile clinic will help
bring public health services, such as disease
testing and vaccinations, to remote areas on
the North Coast.
The county has purchased a van for $160,000
using an Oregon Health Authority grant for ser-
vices related to pandemic response.
The 2021 Ford E-450, previously used by a
New York university, has been refurbished for the
c ounty Public Health Department, which plans to
roll out the van in the fi rst half of July.
Lisa McClean, the county’s nurse manager and
clinic supervisor, said the department is working
out the van’s schedule.
In a given week, the mobile clinic may spend
time in Astoria, Warrenton or Seaside, as well as
smaller, underserved communities such as Knappa
and Jewell. The van will be staff ed with at least
two public health employees.
Emblazoned with the health department logo,
the mobile clinic will reach schools, work-
places and central locations in communities, but
is unlikely to make home visits or park on resi-
dential streets, as it should be kept near a power
source.
In Cannon Beach, the van may be used to serve
the Hispanic community, delivering vaccines as
the Oregon Health Authority has done.
The front of the van is equipped for blood
draws; the back has an exam table.
See Mobile clinic, Page A6
Megan Leatherman | Astoria’s community
development director
Leatherman said there was a wide spectrum
of community feedback, but that the major-
ity of people fell in the middle and supported
expanding housing as long as the character of
Astoria and its neighborhoods is maintained.
She also noted that most of the city’s buildable
land has been developed, so the changes would
encourage infi ll.
“These are expected to create incremental
changes over time,” Leatherman said of the
amendments. “The changes here are not going
to be something that we all see and feel over-
night. It will be something that probably will
be seen in a couple more decades more fully.”
The amendments include making mul-
tifamily homes, which include three dwell-
ings or more, permitted outright in medium-
From left, Ted McLean, the county public works director, T.J. Hecox, the county road foreman,
and Patty Jo Angelini, the county public aff airs offi cer, stand outside the mobile clinic.
See Code changes, Page A6
Late berry crop creates bear problems
The animals are in
search of food
By SIERRA DAWN McCLAIN
Capital Press
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
Black bears are entering coastal communities looking for food because a
prolonged cool, wet spring damaged or delayed the wild berry crops that
bears typically rely on.
A late wild berry crop due to this
year’s cool and wet spring means
hungry black bears are entering
Oregon’s coastal communities look-
ing for food.
According to the Oregon Depart-
ment of Fish and Wildlife, bears
have recently killed livestock, dug
through garbage cans and stripped
young trees owned by timber
companies.
“We have seen an increase in
bear activity,” said Adam Baylor, a
department spokesman.
The bears are hungry because the
spring’s stormy weather damaged
or delayed a major food source :
wild berries, including salmonber-
ries and thimbleberries.
Salmonberries typically are ripe
in May, but the extended cool, wet
weather this spring slowed or dis-
rupted the ripening process. In some
areas, blossoms didn’t get polli-
nated and fewer salmonberries are
available.
“Some districts are seeing fail-
ures of salmonberry crops,” said
Stuart Love, wildlife biologist at the
Department of Fish and Wildlife’s
Charleston offi ce.
On the N orth C oast, thimbleber-
ries are also behind schedule.
As a result, black bears are draw-
ing closer to communities in search
of something to eat. According to
the state , hungry bears are digging
into residents’ garbage cans, bird
feeders, barbecue grills, pet food
and chicken and livestock feed.
In a few cases, bears have killed
livestock.
“ODFW wildlife biologists have
their hands full with bear com-
plaints,” the agency said.
When a bear becomes habituated
to human food and other attractants,
it can start to show aggression. If
prevention measures fail and a threat
to human safety is posed, euthanasia
is considered by the Department of
Fish and Wildlife.
In Manzanita, a bear, which had
reportedly broken into a shed mul-
tiple times, knocked over garbage
See Bears, Page A6