The BulleTin • Sunday, FeBruary 13, 2022 A3
LOCAL, STATE & REGION
CANNON BEACH
Workers struggle to find places to live
BY NICOLE BALES
The astorian
CANNON BEACH — When
opening up the discussion with the
City Council about affordable hous-
ing, Jeff Adams, the city’s community
development director, shared stories
about the struggles his own employ-
ees have had finding a place to live.
One recently received notice that
she needs to move out of her home
to make room for a short-term rental
and is scrambling to find another op-
tion. Another had to buy a trailer to
temporarily live in until he can find
housing. A planner who accepted a
job withdrew because she could not
find housing.
And those stories are not unique to
city staff. Just 5.5% of workers in Can-
non Beach live in the city, and some
commute from as far away as the
Portland metro area, according to U.S.
Census Bureau data from 2019.
“If everyone gave their testimonials,
it would put a face to what we struggle
with as a workforce in this commu-
nity,” Adams said during a work ses-
sion Tuesday.
“There’s not an issue of this that
doesn’t come out when it’s not above
the fold,” he said, lifting up an edi-
tion of The Astorian. “It’s housing, it’s
housing, it’s housing in every commu-
nity. We’ve got to do something.”
Adams pointed to housing studies,
reports and task forces that have been
put together to address the housing
crunch in the city and across Clatsop
County over the past decade. Not a
lot of action has come out of them, he
said, and the problem is getting worse.
The city’s population is contract-
ing and there are more vacant homes,
which Adams attributes to a growing
seasonal second-home market.
Some believe nothing can be done
to cure the problem. Adams disagrees.
He presented some concrete steps
to get the ball moving, and used ex-
amples from a few destination towns
in Colorado and Utah that have suc-
lydia ely/The astorian
Workers in Cannon Beach struggle to find housing.
cessfully increased affordable and
workforce housing.
The city, for example, could incen-
tivize building accessory dwelling
units as workforce housing and in-
crease regional coordination with the
county, cities and the Northwest Ore-
gon Housing Authority.
Adams said he has started con-
versations with planning officials
throughout the county, but he would
like conversations to include elected
officials and become more regular
and focused.
Over the next couple of years, the
city will also conduct a code audit to
review and update policies to better
support the city’s vision in the com-
prehensive plan.
During a meeting in January, the
City Council unanimously adopted
an ordinance prohibiting the combi-
nation of lots for the purpose of build-
ing larger homes. The council also
repealed the city’s planned unit devel-
opment chapter, blocking any future
proposals.
Mayor Sam Steidel told The Asto-
rian he hopes the City Council can
address affordable housing through
the code audit.
And while he wants to continue the
conversation around affordable hous-
ing, he said he would like to see the
county take on more of a leading role.
Steidel said Cannon Beach has sev-
eral constraints, including a lack of
buildable land.
“We are very dependent on the rest
of the county to help us for housing,”
the mayor said. “I would hope that the
county itself is looking more into what
they can do in South County rather
than depending ... on the cities.”